The ‘Built on trust, Starved of resource’ report by Voice4Change England is important reading for all of us who want to see a stronger, fairer London.
While there are many positive examples of organisations, partnerships and networks working together to create meaningful change, we know there is still more to do to ensure these experiences are felt consistently across London. Achieving lasting progress means recognising that systemic inequalities continue to shape outcomes and experiences, and reflecting on the role we can all play in addressing them.
We’re pleased to share this guest blog from Voice4Change England, reflecting on the findings of their latest sector mapping report and what they mean for London.
We welcome opportunities to listen, learn and reflect, and to work alongside partners towards positive systemic change. We hope this blog contributes to the ongoing conversation about how we can collectively build a stronger, fairer London.
Black History Month is a time to recognise Black history, celebrate achievement and acknowledge the contribution Black communities continue to make to our society. It is also a chance to ask a harder question: what needs to change if we are serious about racial equality today?
Voice4Change England‘s new report, Built on Trust, Starved of Resource: The BME VCSE Sector Mapping Report, offers part of the answer. It draws on the experiences of more than 300 voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations across England led by and serving Black and minoritised ethnic communities. These organisations are trusted, skilled, and deeply rooted in their communities, but the support around them is chronically under-resourced. Across England, more than half rated their individual capabilities as very strong, yet only 11% said the same of their assets.
London accounts for 40% of respondents (120 organisations) and has dense borough-level networks and strong links to national bodies. About 60% of these organisations are micro or small, with incomes of £100,000 or less.
London’s strengths also bring pressures. Many organisations rely on a mix of local Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS), such as One Westminster and Ealing Council for Voluntary Service, alongside sub-regional partnerships such as Integrate, Haringey Creates and Southall Community Alliance. 78.3% use infrastructure support at least quarterly, mainly for funding opportunities, networking, and training and resources. Engagement for policy influence and crisis support is much lower. Only 8.3% found mainstream infrastructure “very useful”, and 53.3% rated it merely moderate. They described it as generic, often missing the realities of BME service delivery. Specialist BME providers are often run by one or two staff, which makes sustained support and advocacy difficult.
Short-term project grants make long-term planning hard, and small organisations compete for money against better-resourced mainstream providers. Only 29.2% said funders’ priorities align well with their mission. Respondents also described a pattern: once a BME organisation builds a successful community model, local authorities redirect core funding to larger mainstream providers, wrongly assuming the smaller group no longer needs it.
The sharpest finding is about influence. In London, 86.7% said influencing local or regional decisions is difficult or very difficult. Organisations with deep community trust are still largely missing from the tables where decisions are made. This creates a paradox: London has some of the country’s strongest networks yet demand for specialist support outstrips capacity. The existing networks need to be resourced properly.
This is where the recommendations matter. Voice4Change England calls on funders to:
- move from short-term project grants to three-to-five-year core funding
- create dedicated funding streams for BME-led organisations
- co-design funding models with communities from the start
The report also makes the case for culturally competent “by and for” infrastructure, shaped by people with lived experience rather than a one-size-fits-all model. London respondents asked for exactly this, including “a specific CVS for BME charities” and peer-support groups for chief executives to reduce isolation and strengthen collective advocacy with councils. The findings also point to a need for support that moves beyond funding alerts towards hands-on help with bid writing and impact measurement.
Shared back-office services, such as HR, IT and legal or accounting support, could ease the load on small organisations. In London, 89.2% rated this idea 4 or 5 out of 5.
London organisations are also open to new technology as a way of easing resourcing pressures. 65.8% already use AI for administrative tasks, and there is a clear appetite for other tools. But AI brings its own challenges, and it should not replace sustained investment in resources and capacity.
Finally, the report calls for BME-led infrastructure organisations to have permanent seats at strategic decision-making tables, ensuring their involvement goes beyond tokenistic consultation. These organisations should have a meaningful role in shaping the policies and funding decisions that affect their communities.
This Black History Month we must remember that celebration without investment risks becoming symbolic. If we want to recognise the contribution of Black and minoritised communities, we must also invest in the organisations that sustain those communities every day.
BME VCSE organisations have already proved their value. The question is whether funders, policymakers and infrastructure bodies are ready to trust them with the resources, assets and decision-making power they need, particularly here in London. That would be a meaningful way to move from celebrating Black history to changing the conditions that shape the futures of Black and minoritised communities.
