ACEVO and Voice4Change England have announced an 18-month programme of activity to drive anti-racist practice in civil society.
The project follows on from a report in 2020 called Home Truths, co-written by race equity expert Sanjiv Lingayah, which found that 68% of charity staff of colour had experienced, witnessed or heard stories of racism in the sector.
Home Truths 2 will include a survey to learn about Black and minoritised experiences in mainstream civil society.
It will involve meetings to support Black and minoritised civil society groups to influence, hold to account and engage with mainstream organisations on anti-racism and race equity.
The project will include race equity learning sessions for civil society organisations on topics such as intersectionality, race equity, anti-racism, ethnic pay disparities audits and actions.
A group of around 50 civil society leaders already taking substantive action towards race equity will also participate in a year of facilitated small group work as part of the project, sharing practices and demonstrating what ambitious action can look like.
The National Lottery Community Fund provided £120,000 of funding for the project, which is also being supported by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, Charities Aid Foundation, John Ellerman Foundation and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
‘So much more to be done’
Jane Ide, chief executive of ACEVO, said: “Though some civil society leaders and organisations have moved decisively forward over recent years, as a sector there is so much more to be done. For that reason, the Home Truths team has reassembled to advance solutions in Home Truths 2.
“I’m incredibly proud of the role ACEVO has played in bringing these issues to the fore, and deeply committed to the work we are now launching that will help the sector as a whole move forward, at pace, towards becoming a truly anti-racist, equitable and just sector.”
Kunle Olulode, director of Voice4Change England, said: “The first Home Truths report showed us that racial inequality in the charity sector holds it back from fulfilling its core purpose and stalls progress towards racial equality in society.
“Three years on from the publication of that report, Voice4Change England is excited to be once again working with ACEVO to drive forward the development of practical solutions and tangible action on anti-racist practice within mainstream civil society to ensure that not only will the charity sector become a better place to work for everyone but also drive progress towards real social equality in our society.”
Phil Chamberlain, England director at the National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Thanks to the dedication of staff at the Home Truths 2 project, and thanks to the money raised by National Lottery players, this funding will be used to provide positive action to improve race equity in civil society.
“Our funding plays an important role in strengthening communities and we are delighted to see it being used to positively contribute to anti-racism.”
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