Breaking the Cycle: funding initiative for Black and Minoritised Ethnic-led organisations to deepen our collective understanding of economic and racial injustice in Birmingham 

Background 

Many people living in Birmingham struggle to make ends meet. The way our economy works means the gap between rich and poor is growing and it’s getting more and more difficult for people to move out of poverty. Where you are born, your social class, your racial identity and your gender have a big impact on your chances of financial security and wellbeing. This is economic injustice – the way the current system leads to big divisions between rich and poor and makes it difficult for people to move out of poverty.  It intersects with racial injustice and results in people from many Black and minoritised ethnic backgrounds being more at risk of experiencing cycles of deprivation that can persist across generations.  

Breaking the Cycle is focused on how economic injustice impacts Black and minoritised ethnic groups.    It aims to deepen our understanding of how economic injustice and racial injustice relate to each other in Birmingham. What are some of the root causes of this inequality? How does it operate? What can we do to break these cycles to create a better city? 

brap and Barrow Cadbury Trust are working in partnership to identify and support up to six small organisations led by and for people from Black and minoritised ethnic backgrounds to explore this connection between economic and racial injustice.  Listen to this audio file to hear Asif from brap and Debbie from Barrow Cadbury Trust explain more about this Breaking the Cycle opportunity. 

We will be holding briefing sessions about the programme on 6th and 11th November. Please email [email protected] if you would like to attend. 

Who is this programme for? 

We are looking for organisations: 

• That are led by and work with people from Black and minoritised ethnic groups. 

• Whose work has a connection to poverty and the inequality that it creates for Black and minoritised ethnic people.  You do not have to be an anti-poverty organisation, but must be working on an issue that has its roots in economic or racial injustice (examples include housing, criminal justice, education, health and many others) 

• That want to learn with others to influence change in Birmingham 

• That can show how the funding we will provide will help them move towards challenging structural racism and showing how resources could be better used to serve the needs of Black and minoritised ethnic people impacted by economic injustice. 

What are we trying to do? 

• Build capacity of Black and minoritised ethnic-led organisations interested in exploring the connection between economic and racial injustice in Birmingham 

• Deepen our collective understanding of the root causes of structural inequality and share this learning more widely to support the city to address economic and racial inequality and its consequences 

• Support funded organisations to find out more about the relationship between economic injustice and Black and minoritised ethnic communities in the work they do. For example, if an organisation works with Black and minoritised ethnic women, finding time to learn more about and reflect on the underlying causes of economic and racial inequality experienced by those it works with. 

 This programme includes:  

• Up to £15,000 core funding over 12 months to give you space to develop your ideas about tackling economic and racial injustice in your work, try out new activities and share your views about how to tackle economic and racial injustice with a wider audience. 

• Participation in a peer learning group (facilitated by brap) to collectively explore economic and racial injustice and think through how we can make an impact on these issues  

• Access to individual support from brap to discuss and build your ideas and share your learning and work with a wider audience. 

What will be expected of me if I participate? 

The main purpose of this programme is to help you explore your ideas, the funding is provided so you can pay for any cover or additional staffing you need to free you up to attend learning sessions, and to help you explore and deliver the ideas you develop from those sessions. 

We ask that funded partners participate in the following ways: 

• Attend learning sessions (approx. 5 over 12 months) with a small group of other funded partners to share learning and discuss racial and economic injustice in your work and the city of Birmingham. 

• Commit to sharing your insight with other Black and minoritised ethnic organisations to help the group develop a more informed view about the roots of economic and racial inequality and how we can break the cycle  

We also hope you will also become an active member of Economic Justice Brum, for example attending our Economic Justice Brum meetings, which bring together people interested in changing how the economy works in Birmingham. 

How to apply  

You can apply to us in writing using this application form or using video with this shorter form.   

If you apply via video, it should be no more than 8 minutes long. Make sure you follow the guidance in the introduction to the video application form.   

Timeline 

Closing date 2 December 2024
Shortlisting December 2024
Meeting shortlisted candidates January 2025
Final decisions end January-early February 2025 
Funding and learning programme starts April 2025
Funding and learning programme ends March 2026 

We will be holding briefing sessions on Wednesday 6th and Monday 11th November and are offering 1:1 sessions on 13th November to discuss individual applications. If you would like to register for any of these, or if you have any questions, please email [email protected].