Race equality charity Runnymede Trust has made redundancies as part of a restructure in a bid to address financial challenges.
Runnymede Trust told Civil Society today that difficult funding conditions across the sector had necessitated a restructure so that the charity can continue its work sustainably.
It is understood that the London-based think tank recently reduced its headcount by five while other staff members have decreased their hours.
The Charity Commission confirmed that it has received a serious incident report from the Runnymede Trust in line with its guidance.
A Runnymede Trust spokesperson said: “Changes like this are incredibly hard and are never taken lightly.
“Restructures inevitably affect people who have given real commitment to this organisation and to the communities we serve, and we are acutely aware of the impact this has had on them.
“Our focus now is on moving forward constructively, including recruiting for positions that have been held vacant and generated by the process, and supporting our staff,” the spokesperson added.
Civil Society was told anonymously that affected workers were notified last month, with those handed redundancy letters now exiting the charity.
A source close to the charity told Civil Society that the reason given to employees for the changes was financial problems.
In its most recent accounts to 31 December 2024, the Runnymede Trust employed 24 people overall as it reported a deficit with an expenditure of £1.49m and income of £986,000.
The charity, registered in 1997, has been in deficit for the two most recent reporting years after its income declined from £1.93m in 2022 to £1.12m the following year.
While the charity received £1.22m from donations and legacies in 2022, this fell to less than £200,000 in the two subsequent years.
Meanwhile, the charity’s spending has tripled since 2020 when it was £449,000, increasing each year until 2024.
A letter seen by Civil Society claims that in January the Runnymede Trust “paused or discouraged” applications for grants of £30,000 or below on the basis that they did not fully recover costs.
The letter, sent last month by a group claiming to be an anonymous employee collective to the charity’s board, called for structural changes to be halted and an independent review into its decision to make staff cuts.
Despite the redundancies, the charity is recruiting a full-time head of communications as well as a part-time director of finance and operations and a project manager.
The spokesperson said: “The process was conducted within all applicable guidelines and legal obligations, and was overseen by the board.
“We never want to lose valued team members. This has been difficult and sad for everyone involved.
“For almost 60 years, the Runnymede Trust has worked to challenge racism and inequality," the spokesperson added. "We remain committed to our mission to tackle racial inequality and injustice, which remains as vital as ever.”
