Black and minoritised households in the UK are twice as likely as white households to be living in poverty.
To tackle racial and economic injustice, we need to overcome structural racism - a system in which racism is baked into policies, processes, and culture across institutions over time.
Following the launch of the first round of the Racial Justice Fund, we have awarded over £1 million in grants to organisations tackling racial and economic injustice across London.
All six organisations funded under the Racial Justice Fund – jointly funded by us and the City Bridge Trust – are Black and minority-led. The projects aim to help to increase incomes, wealth and economic empowerment among Black Londoners.
For over 50 years Runnymede Trust has been at the forefront of discussions around racial equality. The charity produces research and analysis to challenge racial injustices, and uses this to inform decision makers and the public of how we can build a fairer country.
We are funding Runnymede over two years to conduct research into how barriers to home ownership stifles economic growth for Black and minoritised communities in London. They will use this research to help redress long standing systemic inequalities – by bringing forward policy ideas informed by people’s experiences and make significant in-roads in addressing the inaccessible cycle of inherited wealth that perpetuates racial inequality in the housing market.
The New Black Film Collective is a nationwide network of film producers, educators and programmers. Its aim is to become the UK's leading agency for Black film - providing support and development for Black people in a range of roles related to film.
We have provided a development grant to build the capacity of the organisation to research, advocate and build on an existing campaign by the NASUWT (Teacher’s Union). The campaign is urging the government and employers to close the discriminatory gap in pay and career progression between Black teachers and their White colleagues through a Better Deal for Teachers.
Since 2014, Latin Elephant have been empowering Black and minoritised Londoners to engage in regeneration in their areas. The exclusion of Black and minoritised ethnic communities from planning processes can threaten areas of the city that have for decades been cultural and heritage bedrocks for local communities.
The funding is for a three year project that will focus on building the power of migrant and racialised communities by creating a partnership with other migrant, minoritised community-led organisations in London campaigning against gentrification. It aims to find new approaches to eradicating the ethnic bias in the planning system which ultimately decimates racialised and ethnic minoritised communities in London by displacing and demolishing the places that sustain their livelihoods and work.
Money A+E is a growing, Black-led social enterprise, providing accessible, independent, and effective money advice and education. Its mission is to support people facing money challenges to increase their financial resilience and have a healthy standard of living.
Money A+E in partnership with Fair Money Advice is looking to deliver an ambitious programme of work over five years. This partnership will focus on overcoming barriers facing Black and minoritised Londoners from accessing financial products and services, while also increasing representation within financial services jobs.
CommUNITY Barnet has supported small organisations in Barnet for over four decades. In response to the Black Lives Matter movement, it co-founded Barnet’s Black, Refugee and Minority Ethnic network.
We are funding CommUNITY Barnet over two years to research the barriers currently faced by local Black businesses. This work will inform a campaign to increase investment and support of Black social enterprise and entrepreneurs, to ensure their businesses thrive long-term. Additionally, it will develop cross sector partnerships, to influence and shift the policy and operations of decision makers, particularly around the design, commissioning and delivery of services resulting in increased economic power and sustainability for Black businesses in Barnet.
The Southall Community Alliance is as an umbrella organisation of more than 70 community groups supporting local groups. Over 90% of their users are from Black and minoritized ethnic communities.
The team will be using the grant to build an entrepreneurial attitude that helps black and minoritised groups understand how management and control of community assets provides significant wealth that can be used for the benefit of Southall’s minority communities. It will help groups understand how building rental income and asset related projects can generate significant resources to be reinvested in anti-poverty community initiatives.