This 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.
In 2021, The National Lottery Community Fund and The Ubele Initiative, on behalf of The Phoenix Way Partners, have 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 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.
The Phoenix Way 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.
I’m delighted to announce this new and innovative fund – £50 million for Black and Minoritised communities, awarded by leaders and decision-makers at the very heart of those communities, thanks to National Lottery players. This is a truly collaborative effort – combining National Lottery funding with the reach, lived experience, and expertise of The Ubele Initiative and our Phoenix Way partners – so that vital money and support reaches some of those communities that need it most, but can often struggle to access it.
By shifting out of our comfort zone, admitting we don’t always have all the answers, and by instilling collaboration into everything we do, we can reap rewards of working alongside expert organisations to ensure that National Lottery funding is genuinely for everyone.
Chaired and led by The Ubele Initiative, The Phoenix Way National Steering Group is made up of leaders from Black and Minoritised communities from across England. Partners on the co-designed programme include:
The National Lottery Community Fund
The Ubele Initiative
Black South West Network
BRAP
Centre for Knowledge Equity
Global Fund for Children
Imkaan
Impact Hub Bradford
Kanlungan Filipino Consortium
Lancashire BME Network
Maslaha
South Asian Health Network
Ten Years’ Time
Voluntary Action Leeds
Lives of Colour
