At the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT), our mission is to support those who tackle the root causes of conflict and injustice. We firmly believe that grassroots movements, led by people most affected by these issues, are vital for achieving lasting change.
For past three years, we've tested a pilot Grassroots Movements Fund, providing £1.5million through 22 grants to grassroots organisations.
We are committed to continuing to fund grassroots movements.
The pilot fund has now ended, and after careful deliberation, external reviews, and consideration of the pilot fund's operating costs and governance model, we have concluded the Grassroots Movements Fund as it previously operated.
In the future, we plan to make £750,000 a year in funding available for grassroots movements through a specialist intermediary partner. This will ensure funding continues to be led by those with direct knowledge of the movements and in in the most effective and impactful way possible.
Our commitment to funding grassroots initiatives will also continue across our permanent grant programmes.
We have already been in touch with all Grassroots Movements Fund grantees to confirm their funding will continue as planned. We extend our sincere gratitude to the dedicated staff who ran the funding pilot and to our grant-making panel. Their contributions have been instrumental in shaping our approach to funding grassroots movements, and the lessons they have shared will continue to inform our work.
We will share more about our plans for this new funding model as details are confirmed.