The Phoenix Way (TPW) is a national collaborative partnership created during the COVID-19 pandemic as a response to the structural inequalities which Black and racially minoritised communities and community-led organisations face in relation to influencing and accessing grant funding in the UK. Its principal aims are to:
“The Phoenix Way seeks to ensure that no community is left behind.”
The Phoenix Way will develop a pioneering model that can be replicated by others to ensure that communities facing poverty, exclusion and discrimination influence decisions that impact their lives. By putting communities in the lead, The Phoenix Way seeks to ensure that no community is left behind.
Find out about the current round of grant funding as well as eligibility criteria and information about how to apply.
The Phoenix Fund was launched in 2020 in order to put racial justice at the heart of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund was devised and led by Black and racially minoritised community group leaders from across England and established with the support of The National Lottery Community Fund and Global Fund for Children.
The fund was targeted at Black and racially minority-led community groups impacted by COVID-19. £2.4 million was distributed (£0.4 million in infrastructure support and £2 million in grants to 184 community groups) across all regions of England. Around 1400 applications were received, demonstrating the high demand for this targeted funding opportunity.
In response to this unmet demand, the Phoenix Way partnership was formed in 2021 by the community members who led the development of the Phoenix Fund as a way of building on this work and creating a process which would support systems change.
The Phoenix Way exists to drive transformational change at regional and national levels by adopting a racial equity and social justice lens and creating learning which impacts the wider funding ecosystem and Black and racially minoritised communities and community organisations.
The wider aims of The Phoenix Way are to:
In 2023, The Phoenix Way will launch and begin disseminating targeted funding to Black and racially minoritised community-led groups impacted by the cost-of-living crisis across England. The partners will establish a regional infrastructure support to deliver the Phoenix Way’s funding opportunities.
The first round is open to applications now. It is a £1m emergency grant funding round for Black and racially minoritised community organisations who may already have or will suffer disruption to their programmes due to current inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.
Successful organisations will be working with young people or women and girls who are at risk.
The Phoenix Way will also award Regional Infrastructure Grants to the following 6 English regions: North West, North-East and Cumbria, South West, The Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber and London and South East.
The Phoenix Way’s future funding rounds, including multi-year funding, will open in the summer of 2023 and will also include organisations and groups located in Wales. Register your interest in future funding rounds here.
Round 1 was launched on 30 March 2023. Applications will be accepted until midnight on 8 May 2023.
To apply, please follow the link below to the application platform.
If you have any questions, please use one of the following contacts:
Global Fund for Children: [email protected]
The Ubele Initiative: [email protected]
Global Fund for Children (GFC) UK Trust, created in 2006, is a UK registered charity (UK charity number 1119544). We work to generate vital income, create new fundraising opportunities, and raise awareness of the invaluable work of GFC’s grassroots grantees. Our aim is to extend the reach of GFC in the United Kingdom, Europe, and beyond.
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