Back to top

The Power of People, Partnerships and Place – One year on

In the height of the first lockdown, London Funders launched ‘The Power of People, Partnerships and Place’ – a report that looked back at the past six years of the London’s Giving movement. It summarised the lessons from working with emerging Place Based Giving Schemes in the capital, and outlined the principles of how pioneering and place-based approaches can transform our communities for the better.

One year on, it’s apparent that the ethos of collaboration extolled in the report is now even more important than ever. The Giving Movement emerged from a recognition that the complex task of achieving real change in communities at a time of uncertainty, austerity and a feeling of individual powerlessness can only be achieved by collaboration across the public, private and voluntary sectors – and this task has only become more complex as we begin to think about a post-pandemic world.

During the covid-19 crisis, Giving Schemes showed their value in their local communities and immediately stepped up to support those in need. Across the capital £5.5m was distributed by schemes in 2019-20, and they have acted as a trusted partner and collaborator to so many stakeholders locally. ‘The Power of People, Partnerships and Place’ showcased some of the examples of London’s Giving schemes working in new and innovative ways to achieve positive change in their communities – we recommend a read of these case studies. Over the past year we’ve seen many more inspiring stories about how place based giving has galvanised local residents, brought community groups together with businesses, distributed crucial investment on behalf of other funders, and convened networks locally.

‘The Power of People, Partnerships and Place’ showed the sector that it’s “about how you do it, not what you do”, and we’re seeing really exciting work within the Place-Based Giving movement which embodies the ethos of collaboration and desire to do things differently. This might mean working with community panels and decision makers to help shift the power dynamics in the way funding is distributed, or building new partnerships to identify ways of achieving social change. Following the publication of ‘The Power of People, Partnerships and Place,’ London Funders commissioned Camden Giving to create a Participatory Grantmaking Toolkit, and we’re working hard to embed these principles across the sector.

The report demonstrates that London’s Giving is part of a national and global conversation about the importance of place, citizen voice and cross-sectoral partnership to systems change. The pandemic has proven that place matters and pioneering place-based approaches can transform our places for the better.

If you’d like to find out more about  how London Funders can support you in your place based giving journey, check out our website here.