In 2019 we continued our work funding grassroots groups, influencing other funding bodies and strengthening our internal organisation. We secured a large grant from the Lankelly Chase Foundation which helped us to reach our target of two funding rounds in the year. We continued to engage more members in the work of the Edge Fund through involving them in scoring applications and establishing more working groups.
REVIEW FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST JANUARY 2020
In 2019 we continued our work funding grassroots groups, influencing other funding bodies and strengthening our internal organisation. We secured a large grant from the Lankelly Chase Foundation which helped us to reach our target of two funding rounds in the year. We continued to engage more members in the work of the Edge Fund through involving them in scoring applications and establishing more working groups.
GRANTS
Funding Round 10:
Round 10 opened in March 2019, there were 105 eligible applications that were scored by members. The Funding Day was held at the Liverpool Quaker Centre on 1st June. This was the day that Liverpool beat Spurs in the Champions League, so the crowds and the atmosphere in the city were unforgettable.
There were 33 projects funded. The top 15 scored applications were voted on at the Funding Day, to select which 3 would get a £3,000 grant. The rest of the projects received between £500 and £1,500. See our website Previous Grants page.
12 grants went to race-related projects, 9 of them Black-led. 9 projects related to low income/working class issues including housing and benefits, 6 each for migrant, disabled and systemic change projects, which included police brutality, 4 women’s projects, 3 each for LGBTQI and environmental and 1 Gypsy/Roma/Traveller. That adds up to more than 33 because many projects covered more than one area, eg. Black women. 8 projects were in the South of England, 4 in London, 2 in the Midlands, 5 in the North of England, 4 in Scotland, 1 in Ireland and 7 UK wide.
Funding Round 11:
Round 11 opened in October 2019 and there were 90 eligible projects that were scored by members. The Funding Day was held at Bristol Quaker Meeting House.There were 29 projects funded. Again, the top 15 scored applications were voted on at the Funding Day, to select which 3 would get a £3,000 grant. The rest of the projects received between £500 and £1,500. See our website Previous Grants page.
9 projects were classified as systemic change, which in this instance included campaigns relating to the police and the justice system, and 3 physical centres that support a range of radical organisations. Many of the others had systemic change goals too, but were classified as follows: 8 low income/working class, mostly related to housing struggles, 6 migrant-run, 4 disabled and health, including mental health, 3 each race-related and LGBTQI, 2 each women and environmental, and 1 Gypsy/Roma/Traveller. Again, that adds up to more than 29 because many projects covered more than one area, eg. mental health and low incomes.
The geographical distribution was as follows: 7 in the South of England, 2 in London, none in the Midlands, 7 in the North of England, 4 in Scotland, 2 in Wales, 1 in Ireland and 6 UK wide.
INFLUENCING FUNDERS
Working to influence other funders to adopt participatory grantmaking and devolve power to communities and groups with lived experience of the systemic inequalities, oppressions and systemic barriers is an important part of what we do. The Influencing Funder group is where this work takes place.
After engaging with the Lankelly Chase Foundation over the last few years in March we successfully secured a grant of £70,500 to fund an action inquiry process so that they could learn more about participatory grantmaking, shadow and support us in our model of participatory, member-led funding.
In July Rose and Isis attended the annual EDGE European retreat that took place over three days at La Bergerie de Villarceaux near Paris. We were one of 32 organisations that took part in activities dedicated to building community and changing philanthropy for systemic change. The retreat was an opportunity for the participants to share learning, initiate and deepen collaborations and plan joint actions aimed at influencing the wider philanthropic sector to address systemic crises and shift more resources towards systemic alternatives. Isis was amongst five members who presented approaches and challenges in their work. Self-curated “Open Space Conversations” addressing the question “Building community and changing philanthropy for systemic alternatives: What is to be done?” took place. Outcomes included a recommendation to involve activists and movements working on Decolonising Philanthropy/Racial Justice in the next retreat and to instil better awareness of the language used in our daily work, and the power-structure within our organizations.
Isis applied and was accepted to the 2019-2020 cohort of EDGE’s Global Engagement Lab (the GEL) that kicked off in October in Montreal. Twenty-five funders from across the world took part and explored values and challenges of systemic change philanthropy including identifying systemic alternatives that centered working with movements and Indigenous Peoples, and how philanthropic practice can be rooted in this learning. GEL is a six-month (extended due to COVID-19) international learning, organizing and community-building programme funders comprising two retreats aimed at relationship-building in order to deepen philanthropy’s understanding of systemic change and foster equitable partnerships in support of global social movements. The “GEL Family,” collaborate to organise and run webinars, support each other toward activating the principles of philanthropy for systemic change, it provides:
- An invaluable inside exploration of the most progressive concepts and strategies of our times, mentored by movement leaders and a community of like-minded colleagues to help you put your learning into practice.
- An opportunity to help inform EDGE’s strategies and programs, so we can better organize our wider philanthropic community from transactional to transformational responses that better address the root causes of the crises we face.
OUTREACH AND EVENTS
Radical Sharing Forum:
We ran our first Radical Sharing Forum since November 2015 in Glasgow in October 2019. This was an all-day event run at the Glasgow Quaker Meeting House and attended by over 30 people from about 15 different groups. Although we would have liked to have used the Forum as an opportunity to hear from previously-funded groups, the majority of those attending had not received funding from us. Several have since applied. We developed and ran the programme in partnership with Tripod, a cooperative which runs training and strategic planning for radical groups in Scotland. The day was based around sharing the strategic focus, skills, challenges and needs of those present.
Connecting Systems, Lankelly Chase event:
Melissa was invited to attend a two-day event hosted by Lankelly Chase called “Connecting systems thinking pollinators and networks: building a community of practice.” This was a space for those working in systems change to come together and build a Community of Practice made up of individuals and organisations working for systemic change.
The Hum workshop:
The Facilitating Group (FG) and staff took part in a training day on decentralised organising at the end of July 2019, funded by Lankelly Chase. The aim of this session was to learn about how Edge Fund’s internal processes, such as support for staff, and how we develop practical roles and responsibilities across the network, and to develop them in ways that are true to Edge Fund’s radical values. Although the Edge Fund has always taken a radical and participatory approach to funding processes, we recognise that in terms of day-to-day running of the organisation, it can be all too easy to fall back into mainstream processes of ‘HR’ and decision-making! By learning about different processes for decentralised organising, we hope for Edge to be able to practice its values more fully, and to create more opportunities for participation across the membership.
Nati and Rich from The Hum had surveyed participants confidentially and designed a session to learn about how we could:
- improve decision-making processes across the FG, staff and membership
- build and look after relationships within these groups
- create wider opportunities for participation amongst the membership
As a result of this session, decision-making processes between the FG and staff have been improved, the Welcome Group has been re-started (a working group which holds responsibility for reviewing membership applications and supported new members), and proposals are being created to develop more working groups within the membership (for example, an Accessibility Working Group and and Accountability Working Group).
STAFF, MEMBERSHIP AND THE FACILITATING GROUP Mumbi leaving, Melissa hired:
After having been with us for five years, Natasha Mumbi Nkonde, our Regional Organiser for The South of England, London, and Wales left us in October 2019. We received 26 applications for the post, and hired Melissa Céspedes del Sur, a feminist anti-racist organiser based in London.
Facilitating group: Rakesh joined
After coming to our AGM in 2019, Rakesh Prashara joined the Facilitating Group in September 2019. Rakesh is a climate activist and based in the North East of England. (For more information about the Facilitation Group and how to get involved, please see the Edge Fund website)
OTHER WORK
Annual leave/Edge closing over Xmas policy:
Following advice from staff, a decision was made to “close” Edge Fund for a week over the Xmas/New Year’s period. This is in addition to bank holidays, which staff are entitled off, and their regular annual leave allowance.
GOVERNANCE AND THE COMMITTEE
Committee members are drawn from a wide background and are selected to ensure they bring relevant experience, skills, diversity and understanding to the discussions and decision making process of the committee. The committee meets formally on a regular basis to review the activities and the finances of the society and to ensure its effective management and governance.
In the financial year to 31st January 2020 Isis Amlak continued to act as chairperson throughout the financial year and to the date of this report. Patrick Boase continued to act as treasurer throughout the financial year and to the date of this report. Louise Foreman continued to act as secretary throughout the financial year and to the date of this report. Mark Brown and Aderonke Apata continued to act as a member of the committee of management.
COMMITTEE’S RESPONSIBILITIES
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the society’s rules adopted upon incorporation and in accordance with applicable law and regulations. The committee members are satisfied that the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the society and of its surplus or deficit at the period end.
In preparing the financial statements the members are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
- state whether the policies adopted are in accordance with the appropriate SORP on Accounting Regulations and with applicable accounting standards, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and assume that the society will continue in business.
- The members of the committee are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose, with reasonable accuracy at any time, the financial position of the society and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. They are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the society and hence for taking responsible steps for the prevention and detection of fraud or other irregularities.
SHARE CAPITAL
The society is limited by share capital. The liability of each member (133 in total) in the event of winding-up is limited to £1.
RESERVES POLICY
The society’s policy on reserves is to keep £80000 to £100000 as a reserve fund which is sufficient to cover one funding round and the society’s management and administration expenses for a minimum period of six months.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The annual general meeting was held and the accounts approved on Saturday 25th July 2020.