A number of foundations have issued emergency funding to charities in response to the riots which spread across the UK earlier this month.
The Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF) said many of its members have contributed top-up funding to extend this support to more groups.
The Civic Power Fund has also set up an Emergency Action Fund, which is responding to urgent needs of the existing grantees and partner referrals within 24 to 48 hours.
Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales (LBFEW) said it contacted all the charities it partners with who they knew would be most impacted because they are led by or they support racially minoritised or migrant communities.
“The responses we got back from charities were harrowing,” it said in a blog, “they told us about the fear their staff, volunteers and people they support faced and the trauma they were forced to relive”.
It also saw charities worked at speed to secure premises, relocate asylum seekers, provide additional safeguarding and mental health support to staff and those they work with, share safety information with people at risk, and shift services online.
LBFEW wrote to 162 charities it currently supports to inform them they will be making an unrestricted payment of £2,500 to contribute to their unforeseen costs.
Additional support so far
ACF said its members have taken other actions in response to the riots including sharing advice and resources and communicating with grant partners.
A blog by Jim Cooke, head of practice at ACF, reads: “The sickening violence and hatred we have witnessed in recent weeks have shone a spotlight on the persistent and systemic issues of racism and Islamophobia that we must all confront together.”
It adds these riots were not an isolated event, and funders will be called on to do much more in the months ahead to counter their root causes and pursue a more just and equitable society.
The blog continues: “People with lived experience of migration, people of colour, and others working with grassroots and social justice organisations have been clear about what they want to see from funders now.
“For ACF’s part, we stand ready to support our members in their work to rise to this challenge with both urgency and sustained commitment.”
This week it plans to publish more about how foundations can respond in the longer term, but adds “it is important to note that for those who are already providing flexible, patient funding to migrant and racially minoritised groups, reaffirming and continuing this support can also play a significant role in the emergency response”.
ACF highlights that some foundations who have a high profile and reach, for example, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, have been sharing advice and resources and amplifying messages from funded organisations on social media.
Migration Exchange (a collaboration of funders and organisations in the UK migration and refugee field) has advised independent funders to communicate with grant partners, particularly those led by people targeted by the far right and in areas affected, to understand their current needs.
It adds funding for wellbeing support has been a particular focus, which has been highlighted in an open letter signed by many individuals with lived experience of the UK migration system and professionals within the sector.
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