The radically reimagined funding of social issues
Impact on Urban Health have partnered with The Ubele Initiative to co-design a grant-making system that enables grantees to have a voice on how grants are invested to address social issues, such as the health equity and safety of black and racially minoritised communities in Lambeth and Southwark.
The IOUH Safety Social Lab started in summer 2022, with leaders of 18 black and racially minoritised community organisations that deliver “safety net” services in the two boroughs, forming a learning coalition. The purpose of the social experiment was to co-design a grant-making system that enables community organisations to have a voice in how grants are invested to tackle social issues in black and racially minoritised communities.
After 15 months of learning activities, which included participation in interactive workshops, learning journeys, and deep analysis, the learning coalition identified four key areas for innovation and formulating solutions, the first of which is the ‘Radically re-imagining funding of social issues’.
About
Background
Impact on Urban Health have partnered with The Ubele Initiative to co-design a grant-making system that enables grantees to have a voice on how grants are invested to address social issues; such as the health equity and safety of Black and racially minoritised communities in Lambeth and Southwark.
Benefits
Our grant-making model, called ‘Radically Reimagined Community Investing’ (RRCI) is designed to shift from a competitive, hierarchical model of funding to a cooperative, ecosystem-driven approach. This system fosters collaboration between funders and frontline organisations, ensuring that funding decisions are driven by the needs of the communities and not solely by market competition.
Why RRCI?
By moving from a hierarchical “them” and “us” 'ego-system' model, to one of common intention, transformation and 'eco-system' based funding, the RRCI offers us the opportunity to address structural weaknesses of the existing and arguably broken funding system.
Join us in prototyping RRCI
Funders & Grant Partners
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The places that we grow up, live and work impact how healthy we are. Urban areas, like inner-city London, have some of the most extreme health outcomes. Alongside their vibrancy and diversity sit stark health inequalities.
At Impact on Urban Health, we want to change this. We believe that we can remove obstacles to good health, by making urban areas healthier places for everyone to live.
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The London Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark are our home. They are some of the most diverse areas in the world. It is here that we invest, test, and build our understanding of how cities can be shaped to support better health. We’re focused on a few complex health issues that disproportionately impact people living in cities, and we work with local, national and international organisations, groups and individuals to tackle these.
Our place is like so many others. So we share our insight, evidence and practical learning to improve health in cities around the world. Impact on Urban Health is a part of Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation.
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We are an independent foundation operating solely in the London borough of Lambeth and our earliest records date from c1620. Discover our story here.
Our Vision is a Lambeth in which all young people can thrive.
Our mission is rooted in our beliefs. Long term and present injustice and unfair discrimination contribute to poverty, and flow from it. Poverty leads to exclusion from opportunity and from full participation in society.
In all aspects of our work we are determined to treat people fairly, to respect individuals, and to do all we can to address the impact of poverty on modern lives. -
We tackle poverty by creating opportunity, offering a range of economic and social support, primarily to young individuals, schools and community groups so as to transform their prospects in the borough of Lambeth.
Project Steering Group
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Adrian Jones
Adrian founded YourStory in 2003 to holistically help young people across all aspects of their development and growth.
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Margaret Pierre
Margaret brings over 25 years of experience in the third sector and is a consultant specializing in community engagement, leadership coaching, and organisational change.
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Chris Dusu FCCA
A Principal Associate of Impact Accountants, he acts as the Reporting Accountant of the Damilola Taylor Trust, one of the firm’s charity clients.
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Damilola Taylor Trust
The Damilola Taylor Trust (DTT) is committed to providing inner-city youths with opportunities to play, learn and their lives free of fear and violence, and with optimism for a future where opportunities flourish.
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Respeito
We are Respeito, a charity that works to end domestic abuse in the Portuguese speaking community in the UK.
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Grace Gbadamosi
Grace has extensive experience working within Public and Third Sector spheres, including 20 years as Strategic and Policy Lead for a local authority.
Get in Touch
For more information about RRCI or how to become a project partner.