Comic Relief will distribute a further £3m in funding to support communities experiencing racial inequalities in the UK.
The funding is provided in partnership with the National Emergencies Trust (NET), Barclays and the Clothworkers’ Foundation, and expands on a £3.4m fund for BAME-led groups originally created in July by NET and Comic Relief.
The £3.4m was granted to 10 BAME-led groups which were then tasked with distributing it to micro-projects and organisations on the ground.
Comic Relief said that the decision to expand the fund was taken “due to an overwhelming response” to the first round of funding.
£2.15m to new applicants
Of the £3m, some £2.15m will go to new applicants, while £800,000 will be granted to groups that had applied for funding in July.
Comic Relief said it is “looking to recruit 10-15 new intermediary technical partners with the skills, expertise and networks to distribute and manage funding to a range of locally led grassroots projects”.
Applications for The Global Majority Fund opened online on 2 November and will be accepted until 30 November at midday.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, campaigning groups including #CharitySoWhite have asked for a proportion of emergency funds to be ring-fenced for charities led by people of colour, in response to the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on their communities.
A few funders have responded by creating dedicated funding pots, such as the National Lottery Community Fund’s Phoenix Fund. The Resourcing Racial Justice fund also launched back in May to support individuals and communities working towards racial justice.
‘A lifeline during these very challenging times’
Mutale Merrill, CEO of BAWSO, one of Comic Relief’s intermediary technical partners, said: “Given the fact that even in normal times, communities experiencing racial inequality are disproportionately represented in all indicators of poverty, funding from Comic Relief specifically for these groups is a lifeline during these very challenging times.”
Ruth Davison, chief executive at Comic Relief, said: “Across the UK, communities experiencing racial inequality have been disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which right now is showing no end in sight. It’s a distressing time for many, and local projects closest to the communities they support need us to step up.
“We are delighted to be partnering with the National Emergencies Trust and The Clothworkers’ Foundation once again to provide millions more in funding and help more people through this incredibly difficult and uncertain time.”
