2025 Joint letter from Civic Power Fund, Justice Together Initiative, Funders for Race Equality Alliance and Migration Exchange
“Nearly two-thirds (62%) of grassroots organisations think people they work with are ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to experience racist hate crime and violence in the near future.”
This is according to the People’s Health Trust 2025 report, ‘Standing Together’.
One year on from the racist and Islamophobic riots that blighted our streets in August 2024, racialised and minoritised communities are still facing hate crimes, hostility and violence [1.] The drivers of this racist, Islamophobic, anti-semetic and xenophobic hate and violence are far from tackled.
Our networks provide vital services of practical support and advice to those harmed as well as deeper systemic work to tackle hate crime and structural racism. Last year, we saw communities come together in solidarity against the racist riots. Yet to effectively change systems, communities need to be strengthened in the long term - through proper investment in anti-racist work, supporting people's wellbeing and building civic power.
In response to the riots last year we came together, in a joint statement, to coordinate our efforts to support equitable and transformative short, medium and long-term funding responses. We set out four key priorities for funders to act on. As we witness violent demonstrations erupting in Epping, Norwich, Altrincham and other parts of UK, we call on funders to engage with the following asks for investment and support:
Emergency support for organisations on the front line to stay safe, particularly ‘by and for’ organisations.
Building on Civic Power Fund’s Emergency Action Fund, we want to be able to pre-empt offers of support to organisations, if the violence escalates over the summer and/or situations change for communities due to changing political cycles resulting in organisations and communities coming under threat. Justice Together Initiative are seeking £50,000 top up fund to make available for grant partners in need of funds to pay for financial support for people who are afraid to leave their homes, for travel, food cost, resourcing community support spaces and costs associated with salaries, office and security measures.
Please contact fidelia.elias@justice-collaborations.org.uk
Join a community of funders who seek to invest and engage collectively with racial justice policy for the longer term.
This is a pivotal opportunity for funders to address the underinvestment and lack of funder knowledge in system change and racial justice policy work. FREA is seeking to support funders to better understand the evolving policy sector led by race equality organisations and to increase funder collaboration and knowledge.
If you want to know more, please email FREA on frealliance@equallyours.org.uk.
Identify how much of your funding reaches the race equality sector, and implement targets and strategies for funding racial justice.
The Funders for Race Equality Alliance run a Racial Justice Audit which enables funders to track how much funding and what type of funding is reaching race equality organisations, with a focus on by-and-for organisations.
Complete the Audit and utilise the results to create recommendations for effective grantmaking practices that leads to increased sustainable and flexible funding. Find out more about the Racial Justice Audit: Racial Justice Audit
If you want to know more, please email FREA on frealliance@equallyours.org.uk.
Support for people from racialised communities to connect with peers, access well-being support, and centre anti-racism in the wider sector response
Migration Exchange has updated their Safety & Security and Resilience & Wellbeing Handbooks, developed in collaboration with frontline organisations. These are for organisations and individuals working with refugee and migrant communities, as well as those supporting racialised communities.
The aim is to provide useful and readily accessible resources which organisations and individuals can access to boost the safety and security of staff and volunteers in times of crisis, and to support the wellbeing of staff, volunteers and communities.
Section 1 - Providers of safety and security support: A comprehensive list of organisations offering training and support around the topic of safety and security.
Section 2 - List of Resources: A compilation of existing resources and guidance on safety and security.
Section 3 - Opportunities and events: An overview of key events, sessions and funding opportunities related to safety and security.
Resilience and Wellbeing Handbook
Section 1 - Providers of resilience and wellbeing support: A comprehensive list of organisations offering training and support around resilience, wellbeing and mental health.
Section 2 - List of Resources: A compilation of existing resources and guidance on resilience and wellbeing.
Section 3 - Opportunities and events: An overview of key events, sessions and funding opportunities related to wellbeing and resilience.
With best wishes,
Civic Power Fund, Justice Together Initiative, Funders for Race Equality Alliance and Migration Exchange.