Panel discussions include:

Building community wealth

Economic growth is high on the agenda for the newly elected government – but how do we ensure that growth is actually benefitting the communities hardest hit by structural inequality? Analysis from Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that even if the UK achieves the highest GDP per capita growth among G7 nations, poverty is projected to fall only slightly, from around 14.5 million people to 14.3 million. In other words, ‘business-as-usual’ economic growth will still see poverty levels in the UK broadly unchanged.

How do we ensure that economic growth benefits our communities and those at the sharpest end of political, social and economic inequalities? How can funders – both private and public – contribute to building the wealth of the communities and places they support? How do we ensure that communities have ownership of the assets and growth they generate? What can we learn from other places who are trialling new approaches to community wealth?

For this discussion, we’ll be joined by experts and trailblazers who are leading work on building community wealth – we’ll ask them how they’ve approached economic development in their area, the role of collaboration and how they’re working with communities to build inclusive wealth.

Confirmed speakers include:

Matthew Brown, Leader of Preston Council and Senior Fellow at The Democracy Collaborative

Councillor Matthew Brown is Leader of Preston City Council in the north of England, where he has been widely credited as the driving force behind the ‘Preston model’, an economic strategy at the city and county level that presents a comprehensive, interlinked approach to community wealth building as a practical and transformative alternative to austerity and disinvestment. First elected to represent the Tulketh ward in 2002, Councillor Matthew Brown subsequently took on portfolios that included community engagement and inclusion, social justice and policy initiatives, leading to his election in 2018 as Council Leader, and to a position as an advisor to the Labour Party’s Community Wealth Building Unit. Matthew is also a Senior Fellow for the Democracy Collaborative, a US-based think tank who have pioneered the thinking on Community Wealth Building to represent radical new approaches to transforming local economies.

Mathu Jeyaloganathan, Chief Investment Officer – Community Wealth Fund, London Borough of Camden

Mathu is the Chief Investment Officer of the Community Wealth Fund. Previously, she was Head of Investments at UnLtd, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs where she launched the UK’s first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion focused social impact investment fund. Prior to UnLtd, Mathu was the Social Finance lead with World Vision, where she helped to launch and operate World Vision’s impact investing funds focussed on emerging market economies.

Melanie Thomas, Vice President, Community Foundations Canada

Melanie Thomas is Vice President at Community Foundations of Canada, the national network to over 200 community foundations across the country that collectively has $7 billion dollars in assets and reaches over 90% of Canadian communities. Prior to working in philanthropy, Melanie completed her business and law degrees and worked in private practice, banking international development and telecommunications. In the not-for-profit sector, Melanie was an Executive Director of Ivey’s LEADER Project. The initiative coached entrepreneurs in emerging markets to envision, launch, and/or scale new ventures. Melanie has also been in the courtrooms of Cambodia and the brothels of Mumbai to fight trafficking and exploitation of underage girls with International Justice Mission.

Engaging, learning and building power with grassroots groups

According to data analysed by the Civic Power Fund, only 5.7% of UK foundation giving in 2020/21 went towards work tackling injustice last year. The data also showed that “the majority of grants are supporting organising work focused on a specific social issue, rather than shifting power to a specific community”.

We know that many of our members have a strong desire to shift power to the communities they support and many have been taking steps to realise this ambition. But we also know that this work takes time and that there are things we as funders need to unlearn to truly build the power of community groups and grassroots movements tackling the root causes of injustice.

For our second panel of the day, we’ll be joined by funders, activists and changemakers who have decades of experience in organising, resourcing and building the power of communities and grassroots movements. They’ll reflect on the key learning from this work, what they think funders’ role is in creating change from the bottom-up, and what we can learn from the movements and organisations fighting for a better future.

Confirmed speakers include:

Ludovic Blain, Executive Director, California Donor Table

Ludovic was hired as CDT’s first full time staff-person in 2009. He was the first person of colour and first immigrant to head a state donor table. Previously, he was a leader in building people of colour-centered movements around closing the racial wealth gap, environmental justice, media justice, campaign finance and voting rights. Ludovic has also led capacity-building work in Haiti, Canada, Denmark and The Gambia. Under Ludovic’s leadership, CDT’s family of entities has mobilized more than $55 million across tax statuses to build and sustain progressive people of colour-centered policy and political power building and wielding infrastructure across California. He’s worked with regional and state leaders to found power building groups that have beat back right-wing movements and infrastructure to deliver House majorities, elect progressive Mayors, state legislators, District Attorneys and local races. While doing this, Ludovic have also developing power wielding progressive governance infrastructure with them to ensure the maximum progressive outcomes of policy, initiative and candidate wins. Ludovic is a Bronx native, Berkeley resident, and a graduate of the City College of NY. He serves on several boards, including the Proteus Action League and the State Leadership Project.

Tara Flood, Strategic Lead for Co-production, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham

Tara Flood is a disability rights activist and has worked in the Disabled people’s movement for many years at a local, regional, national and international level. She is currently the Strategic Lead for Co-production at the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham - key to this role is to actively build the capacity of local Disabled People’s Organisations to ensure their independence of voice and sustainability. Tara is committed to realising the Disabled People’s movement mantra of ‘nothing about Disabled people without Disabled people’ and actively campaigns to create social and political change, focused on removing systemic, intersectional barriers and delivering equity and inclusion for and with all Disabled people. She was involved in the discussions at the United Nations in the development of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and is now working to get the Convention fully implemented.

Throughout her career Tara has worked with organisations led by Disabled people, allied organisations, human rights organisations, statutory agencies and Government departments, both in a personal and professional capacity, and is committed to the voices and experiences of ALL disabled people being at the heart of discussions and decision making about our lives. Tara is a Steering group member of the Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance, an advisory panel member of Trust for London and City Bridge Foundation’s Disability Justice Fund and also sits on ROFA’s International Committee.

Chanda Thapa (Magar), Programme Director, International Funders for Indigenous Peoples

Chanda Thapa (Magar) is the Programme Director for International Funders for Indigenous Peoples, is a global community of funders dedicated to Indigenous Peoples worldwide to promote thought leadership and strategic collaboration between the funding community and Indigenous Peoples. Chanda has over 10 years of experience advocating for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and promoting gender equality in Nepal and across Asia. With a solid background in rural development and development studies, Chanda has held a leadership role at the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), where she played a pivotal role in bolstering the organization’s foundations. Her efforts focused on strengthening its internal structure and cultivating wider Indigenous movements, including the establishment and enhancement of networks dedicated to Indigenous Women and Youth in the Asia region.

Investing in community leaders

Community leaders are at the heart of social change, but too often they lack the resources and long-term support needed to sustain their impact. How can funders play a more proactive role in ensuring that these leaders have the capacity to lead transformative change?

This panel will explore how funders can strategically invest in and collaborate with community leaders, providing the financial, technical, and emotional support required for lasting progress. Our speakers will share insights on what effective investment in leadership looks like, how funders can nurture long-term partnerships, and why supporting leaders is critical to building thriving, empowered communities.

Confirmed speakers include:

Fiona Kanagasingam, Vice President, Equity and Culture, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Fiona Kanagasingam joined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF, the Foundation) in 2022 as the Foundation’s first vice president, equity and culture. She is a key member of the Foundation’s leadership team, reporting to the president and CEO, responsible for internally advancing RWJF's mission and vision by building the strategy for and operationalizing equity, diversity, and inclusion Foundationwide.

Fiona comes to RWJF with more than 20 years of organizational development and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) experience, and has managed change and scaled impact across multiple sectors as both a consultant and executive leader. As a consultant, she has advised numerous nonprofits, foundations, and funder collaboratives looking to build the will, skill, and alignment for organizational change and social justice. She has partnered with these organizations through the BIPOC Project, an organization she co-founded in 2016 to build authentic and lasting solidarity among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), to undo Native erasure and anti-Black racism, and to ensure these focus areas are conditions for sustainable racial justice work within organizations and movement spaces.

Nick McGirl, Co-founder and Managing Director, ChangemakersXChange

Nick McGirl is co-founder & Managing Director of ChangemakerXchange (CXC), a community of over 1200 of some of the world's highest impact young innovators, activists and changemakers. Nick is also the Co-initiator of The Possibilists, a global alliance of 20 of world's leading youth social impact networks and bi-annual study of young changemakers' impact and challenges.

Prior to CXC, Nick worked for 8 years at Ashoka, the world's first and biggest network for social entrepreneurship. He launched Ashoka's education work in Turkey & Europe, initiating an alliance of organisations aiming to transform education in the country and an online platform hosting shareable best practices in education which cultivate 21st century skills. He also worked on one of the world's first social impact bonds with young offenders in London for Catch22, and on the first pilot of the International Citizen Service, a flagship program of DFID in the UK, engaging youth from disadvantaged backgrounds in international development.

London Funders' Autumn Conference 2024