The Tudor Trust has announced a switch to invitation-only funding, with the grantmaker pledging £10m to racial justice organisations in its first round since a major restructure.
As part of its new strategy, the trust is focused on providing larger, but fewer, longer-term grants to charities tackling racial injustice.
The grantmaker has no plans for open applications, with its second round of funding since the restructure is also set to be invite-only when it begins in June.
A spokesperson told Civil Society it was continuing to review its grantmaking models but hoped to avoid relying on “lengthy, competitive application processes”.
“We want to move away from traditional funding models that can create a sense of competition and pitting organisations against each other,” they said.
“For this reason, we have no immediate plans for open applications.”
£10m funding round
In 2023, the Tudor Trust announced a review of its operations after closing to grant applications the year before.
Its previous board stepped down to allow for a new cohort of trustees to come in to focus on racial justice.
As part of its new mission, the trust has restructured its leadership to bring in a more diverse board and staff.
The trust, which has assets of £230m and committed just under £16m in grants for the 2023-24 financial year, is now focused on funding organisations that tackle the root causes of systemic inequity and racial injustice.
The first round of funding will award a total of £10m to 18 organisations across the UK that advance racial justice and drive systemic change.
Eleven of the 18 fundees will receive a total of £9.3m in flexible and unrestricted long-term funding distributed over periods of up to six years.
The other seven, smaller organisations that are still developing their strategic ambitions, will receive one-off unrestricted grants of £100,000 each.
The trust said the funding round would allow it to test a different grantmaking model that shifts power from trustee-led decision-making to staff who are closer to the issues on the ground.
Organisations that are already receiving the trust’s grants will continue to be funded until the end of their existing agreements.
‘A future shaped by those with lived experience’
The trust’s chief executive Raji Hunjan said: “This marks a defining moment for the Tudor Trust with racial justice now embedded as the lens through which we will tackle all forms of injustice.
“Our transformation is about shifting power and building deeper relationships with our grant partners.
“By committing £10m to organisations driving racial justice and systemic change, we are investing in a future shaped by those with lived experience alongside their communities.
“To truly live their ambitions, the organisations we are partnering with have been funded in a way that moves us away from a scarcity mindset and instead focuses on what it takes to unlock their full potential and enable them to thrive.”
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