BD Giving collaborates with local organisations to pilot new model of funding

September 13, 2021

Barking and Dagenham Giving is excited to announce that it is piloting an innovative model of funding in partnership with local groups from the Barking and Dagenham Children and Young People’s Network (BDCYPN).

The Network aims to unite the sector, address inequality in collaborations and improve partnership working for the benefit of young people in Barking & Dagenham.

As the borough is one of the youngest in the country, with a median age of 27, it is clear that funders working in Barking & Dagenham need to look at how they meet the needs of young people.

BD Giving approached BDCYPN and were invited to present at an online meeting of the network on 17 June. BD Giving outlined what is known as a ‘closed collective’ model which would see a pot of money controlled directly by a group of local organisations who would work together to decide how the money would be spent. The charity is testing this model with a £45,000 pot of money.

Organisations that were interested in taking part in the pilot were invited to attend a workshop on 25 June at the end of Giving Week 2021.

Those in attendance on 25 June co-designed the terms of the , agreeing that it would be used by five organisations to come together and design a space to gather and reflect on learning from the sector and outwardly share this with the wider community.

The five organisations that came forward from that meeting are:

They will work together across 10 meetings, starting today, and will use some of the fund to cover their costs.
The aims of this partnership are to:

Showcase, highlight, and support the work that is already being done for young people in Barking & Dagenham, which is often overlooked or unrecognised.
Test a model of funding which encourages local collaboration over competition around common causes.

Updates about the project will be posted on the BD Giving website and on the charity’s newsletter.

Notes to editors

Logos for all organisations can be downloaded HERE.

- The African Portuguese Speaking Community is a non-profit Limited by Guarantee Company aspiring to co-create projects and activities with the diverse communities in BD collaborations while providing services from our own home offices and outreach geared towards increasing community participation to empower and build the capacity of vulnerable groups within the borough.Its community work is based in Barking and Peckham, serving not only the collective Afro Portuguese Organisations and Groups in Barking and Dagenham and surrounding areas but also the local diverse communities. It aims to be running an Intercultural Centre with an innovative approach to supporting the African Portuguese speaking and other communities in BD and it strongly believes that ‘Together We Are Better’.

- Barking & Dagenham Giving is a local funder that shares decision-making power with the communities affected by funding decisions, through what is known as Participatory Grant Making
  
  Participatory grantmaking People who are affected by funding decisions choose how that money is spent. At BD Giving, residents of Barking & Dagenham decide how to use the money for their area.
  
  (PGM). Over the last 18 months, the charity has tested an approach to PGM known as a ‘representative board’ across multiple funds. This has seen over 40 people from the local area being involved in funding decisions, distributing £130,000 to 34 organisations working locally.

- BDYD is a champion grassroots charity, based in Barking and Dagenham, who make positive changes to the community by offering high quality arts- and sports-based projects, events, and activities. Its purpose is to use the power of art and sports such as dance, fitness, movement and related physical activity as a way of developing community cohesion, developing leadership skills in young people and working to break down the barriers of gender equality, cultural diversity and social/economic deprivation. It provides a range of activities that keep children and young people socially and emotionally engaged.

- A closed collective model is an approach to PGM in which a group of organisations connected by a theme have shared access to a fund and decide together how to distribute the money. It is an approach that makes organisations mutually accountable and allows them to focus on addressing their own needs rather than the needs of external decision-makers.

- Future Molds Communities (FMC) was developed for and run by the local communities it serves in Barking & Dagenham and responds directly to their needs, seeking to find solutions to local issues. Supported by local volunteers, they make the key decisions which inform the organisation’s strategy and direction and the activities and services it provides.

- Talkspace Mindfulness Counselling CIC is a not for profit counselling service that has been serving the borough of Barking and Dagenham, and surrounding areas for 12 years. It happily exists to be an active, creative and innovative service provider providing cost effective counselling and counselling workshop/training services, and is solution-focussed to the health and emotional well being of people and the local infrastructure. Its aims are to reach everyone, especially those parts of the community that would have not thought about actively seeking counselling for their emotional health and wellbeing. It does this by offering reduced cost counselling and actively seeks ongoing funding to be able to do this.

Triangoals CIC provides different activities for families and young people based on Barking and Dagenham. Its main objective is to offer free, accessible activities for families and young people living in the Thames Ward community. Many residents, moreso young people, face loneliness and isolation in the ward due to language barriers, lack of social skills, unemployment resulting in financial struggles and feeling alone. Triangoals projects and activities aim to help bring residents/families together while bringing positivity and fulfilment and a sense of belonging in the community. Taking part in its activities provides opportunities to meet new people and building lasting relationships.