In 2023, we received a grant from The City Bridge Foundation through the Propel collaboration, a long-term funding collaboration that is focused on putting money and power in the hands of communities who are best placed to make change happen.
Almost two years since the first Propel grants were made, London Funders (the membership body for funders in the capital and who powers the Propel collaboration) have brought together the learning that has emerged so far to inform the next stage of the collaboration and deepen our collective understanding of what it takes to both fund change and change funding. It also highlights what funded organisations are learning about creating change with and for their communities and what they need from funders to deliver this work.
As an organisation we’ve learnt about challenging norms, adopting broad thinking practices, active listening and community voice. Our approach to systems change begun with identifying key inequalities, which was done through Youth Participotary Action Research (YPAR), engaging with 279 young women aged 18-30. We’ve now produced a comprehensive report, available upon request.
Key findings show that secondary education in our community is strong, consistently outperforming local and national averages at the GCSE level. However, a significant gap emerges when considering higher education and professional qualifications, with only 18% of survey respondents holding Level 4 qualifications or higher, compared to over 50% in Hackney. Barriers such as financial constraints, childcare responsibilities, and a lack of tailored education pathways are significant hurdles for many women. Despite these challenges, there is overwhelming interest in higher education within the community, particularly among young women aged 21-24. Their aspirations are tempered by a need for culturally and religiously sensitive educational frameworks, as seen in successful international models. The data also highlights a strong correlation between higher education and increased earning potential. Yet, systemic challenges—ranging from resource limitations to societal expectations—continue to hinder upward mobility for minoritised women, often confining them to low-paying roles within a narrow range of sectors.
With an additional 2 years ‘Expand’ funding from the City Bridge Foundation, we’ll be developing our networks and partnerships to begin the journey of systems change, scaling our youth work and reforming education opportunities for minoritised young women.
Read the executive summary and the full report on Propel’s website here.
Propel is powered by London Funders and is supported by a a cross-sector group of funders, including Bloomberg, City Bridge Foundation, The National Lottery Community Fund, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and key advice funders, including Trust for London, and London Legal Support Trust. More information about the Propel collaboration is available here.
