A national charitable funder has announced it will now focus its investment in three English cities as it considers its long-term future.
In its strategy, which it expects will be its last as a charitable funder, the Blagrave Trust said it would focus on young people and communities in Birmingham, London and Portsmouth.
The funder said it would invest £17.5m across the three cities by 2030 through grants, capital investment and wider support.
It chose the three cities based on research conducted by Clearview last year and said it hoped that by focusing its resources, it could “create deeper and more sustainable change”.
As part of its strategy, the charity will adapt existing programmes to focus on these areas and close two programmes, the Young People in Policy Fund and Regional Programme.
Some of the charity’s commitments to national programmes, including its climate justice programme Roots & Routes, will continue for at least the coming three years.
Once it has moved into place-based working, it will develop additional new grants programmes “that are appropriate for the area”, it said.
Trustees to consider charity’s future existence
Blagrave Trust, set up in 1978 and endowed in 1981, will deploy the “substantial majority” of its charitable assets over the next decade in furtherance of its purposes, its strategy reads.
The funder reached this decision after considering the scale and urgency of the challenges young people are facing, its available resources and history, among other things.
“Having done so, our trustees have concluded that our charitable assets are much more likely to achieve greater public benefit if they’re intentionally deployed over the next decade to build lasting community infrastructure, youth leadership, local capacity and locally accountable assets, rather than preserved indefinitely in our endowment”, the strategy says.
“The purpose of this new strategy is, therefore, to convert financial assets held by the foundation into enduring charitable benefit: places, relationships, leadership, governance structures, skills, networks and community assets that can continue to support young people beyond the life of Blagrave itself.
“As our financial assets reduce, the assets held in community ownership increase, supporting lasting change for future generations of young people.”
The funder said its trustees intended to reflect on whether it “has a useful continuing role to play beyond the next 10 years”.
It added that any future decision about its role, charitable status or legal form would be made “thoughtfully, transparently, taking advice where needed, and after taking into account all relevant factors”.
Charity cannot continue to stretch resources
Blagrave Trust’s chief executive Eli Manderson Evans said: “We believe in the capacity of young people to lead amazing change.
“But they’re facing unprecedented challenges today, with increasing inequality and division.
“We can’t deliver meaningful impact by continuing to stretch our resources across the country.
“We also need to listen more deeply to young people to determine where we should focus our resources.
“That’s why we’re proud to be taking a bold new approach; employing local members of staff in each place to build relationships at a place-based level, hear from young people, and use what we learn to invest in their leadership, their communities, and in spaces where their ideas can thrive for generations to come.”
In 2024, Blagrave Trust gave out £2.71m in grants and ended the year with £39.6m in total funds, according to its accounts.
