WIREDGOV

The National Lottery Community Fund and The Ubele Initiative, on behalf of The Phoenix Way Partners, have today jointly announced a new £50 million partnership aimed to boost funding and support to Black and Minoritised Community charities and grassroots groups over the next five years.

‘The Phoenix Way’ will create a series of national and regional panels, made of leaders and decision-makers from Black and Minoritised Community-led charities and grassroots groups from across England.

The Phoenix Way National Steering Group will work with The National Lottery Community Fund to identify national and regional priorities and award funding to Black and Minoritised community-led charities and grassroots groups that are best placed to support their communities to thrive.

It builds on The Phoenix Fund, a £2.4 million community-led fund co-designed and co-led by community leaders from across Black and Minoritised groups in England in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund, The Ubele Initiative, and Global Fund for Children.

Designed to target groups that The National Lottery Community Fund had not previously engaged, the reach of The Phoenix Fund was striking: more than 65 per cent of the organisations that applied to the scheme had no previous history with The National Lottery Community Fund.

The new initiative will help to facilitate engagement with Black and Minoritised community-led charities and grassroots groups to enable them to access funding and support that have previously failed to reach them and have been difficult for them to access.

News of The Phoenix Way programme comes as The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, continues to use its funding to support people and communities most affected by COVID-19 – building on and strengthening the connections, organisation, and resilience that enables communities to thrive.

Click here for the full press release