Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) - Cost of Living Summit
 
BVSC is bringing the sector together to collaborate on the crisis through a Cost of Living event. Participants will be enabled to share experience, plans and ideas to support their communities. The whole day event, funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, will take place on 1 November, venue and details to be confirmed.  Please save the date! The WMFN will be supporting this event.
The event will include speakers on Cost of Living topics, workshop discussions and action planning.  The draft agenda includes:Employment and Volunteering; Finance and Funding – what finance and funding is available to support both individuals and organisations through the crisis and how can we best use available resources? Food Poverty; Utilities - Fuel/ Water/ Digital Poverty; Housing Poverty; Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Community Impacts- what are the wider community impacts (e.g. community facilities; crime and community safety; health & wellbeing) and what can we do to mitigate these.

Stratford Town Trust - Annual Review 2021

Stratford Town Trust was established, as it operates today, in 2001, when The Guild and College estates separated from Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council. Their 2021 Annual Review is now available.

Direct financial support was provided to 44 local charities and every school in the town plus indirect support to many others through their community hub, Foundation House.  In addition, the Trust has worked across the year to make a positive contribution to the town through initiatives such as the creation of the Hugh Clopton Trail which is a self-guided walk developed in collaboration with the University of York;  a return to their regular programme of music at the bandstand across the summer months; support to Stratford in Bloom and the delightful Christmas Lights. Progress on their commitment to the environment has been made in securing Town Green status for Rowley Fields thereby protecting it in perpetuity; collaborated with local groups as part of Great Big Green Week; and ongoing work to achieve Local Nature Reserve status for The Lench Meadows.
 

SPORTED - Impact Report 2021-22

SPORTED launches its latest Impact Report. You can find it HERE
 
Nearly 3000 free services were accessed by community sports groups in the Sported network. Almost £500,000 grants distributed and 91% of Sported members are satisfied with their free Sported membership.
 
The report also details the grant giving services, how it has been increasing the amount of work they do in ‘place’ and it highlights how much they are doing to tackle inequalities in the community sports sector.

CLES - The Community Wealth Building Summit 2022 18th November, Birmingham
 
The CLES annual Community Wealth Building Summit will take place on 18 November 2022 in Birmingham and will challenge an audience of local government leaders and policy makers to explore how community wealth building can be used as a tool, not just to survive the problems we face this winter, but to learn from them. Find out more.

Bright Blue and British Future - Reducing Racial Equality in modern Britain
 
Bright Blue and British Future have recently published an essay collection 'An agenda for action: Reducing racial inequality in modern Britain'. The collection brings together a wide range of leading decision makers and opinion formers to share their constructive approaches to addressing racial disparities in modern Britain. The book argues that it is time to turn away from a "stuck and polarised debate on institutional racism towards ambitious, actionable policies to reduce racial inequality in modern Britain".

Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR) - Funding Experience Survey results
 
More than 1,200 charities told IVAR what 10 funder actions would make a real difference to their funding experience. The resounding message for grantmakers is simple: get the basics right. 
 
Over the autumn, IVAR will be working with their community of 100 Open and Trusting Grantmakers, and a group of 30 charities, to explore how foundations can integrate the survey findings into how they work. IVAR hope that many funders beyond their community of grantmakers will also use the findings to develop their practice.  Download an advance copy of the report here.