Our phase one grantees
Community safety and resilience
Community safety is about supporting people to feel safe. It is about how local individuals and community groups come together, drawing on their local resources and expertise to support themselves and each other to build resilience in their community. Safety was the single biggest issue that mattered to UK communities – cited by one fifth of participants in the Institute for Community Studies report Safety in Numbers (2020).
Bristol 247 CIC
Mission
Leveraging the knowledge, trust and connections of our community reporters to help us understand the challenges our communities face and involve them in the solutions.
Background
Bristol 247 CIC is a local independent media organisation and social enterprise. This project aimed to bring new voices to local media by capturing the lived experiences and ideas of communities from some of Bristol’s most deprived and disengaged wards, whilst continuing to upskill and further develop a group of community reporters.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, community reporters interviewed three distinct resident groups of Shirehampton to gather a range of perspectives on the challenges faced by local communities. Though engaging with some community groups proved difficult, the role of the community reporter proved vital in the success of directly engaging residents of disparate groups in conversations with others that share similar challenges. Recognising the importance of this role led to a change in research tact to identify the approaches used by community reporters to develop relationships with residents. This is now helping to inform Bristol 247 CIC’s development of their community reporter initiative and their approach towards research and community engagement across the organisation.
Centric Lab
Mission
Creating a toolkit for justice-led Health Impact Assessments, to enable marginalised communities to identify risks to health and wellbeing as a result of local ‘regeneration’ work.
Background
Centric Lab and Clean Air Southall & Hayes (CASH) joined forces in 2018 after they collectively identified a clear mismatch between the regulation and policy guidance that safeguard peoples’ health and the reality experienced by communities. The Health Impact Assessment is a policy instrument that was identified to put power back in the hands of local authorities and communities.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Centric Lab organised 9 workshops with CASH to co-design a toolkit for justice-led Health Impact Assessments. This galvanised engagement with local residents and led to interest from other grassroots community groups. Having now carried out a Health Impact Assessment for their local area, this is supporting CASH in their campaigning work to protect the health of their community.
Culture Access CIC
Mission
Using lived experience as data to promote learning and enable the wider participation, access and inclusion of deaf and disabled people.
Background
Culture Access CIC is a deaf and disabled led organisation with proven experience for promoting self-advocacy and support for deaf and disabled people in Greenwich. This project brought together a culturally diverse group of people with different access needs to share their lived experiences, with view to improving accessibility for disabled people in the community and tackling social isolation.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, research was undertaken exploring ‘access’ from a participant perspective and their experiences of transport, city circulation, British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter and support staff availability. After sharing and discussing their experiences, the group co-created a cookbook that disabled people could access which was distributed to local libraries and community centres. Findings from the research and copy of the book were also shared with Greenwich Council as an example of how listening to and considering the needs of disabled people could help to develop resources to support their accessibility. The council acknowledged how this project had helped contribute to a bank of knowledge held around access for disabled people, helping to highlight specific challenges faced by members of this community. They also credited the project for creating a network of local disabled people who in themselves have reported increased levels of connection and self-advocacy. The council aim to continue to engage, consult and listen to this group to support decision making around access in the future.
Generations Working Together
Mission
Breaking down barriers through intergenerational dialogue to create resilient, safer communities that are safe to grow up and grow old in.
Background
Generations Working Together supports the development and integration of intergenerational work across Scotland. Through participatory research, this project aimed to test if forming intergenerational relationships between younger and older people could help alleviate perceived fear of crime, reduce ageism, build empathy and encourage social connections between people of all ages.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Generations Working Together engaged with 79 participants over a 3-month period (48 older people aged 50+ and 31 young people aged between 8-24). Their findings revealed that there’s a real appetite across both sets of generations to get to know each other; that both care about their communities; and that they want to be sociable, learn from each other and make decisions together. This has led to increased levels of confidence and connectivity, with creative, solution-focussed ideas coming from the participants themselves. These will see both sets of generations connecting with each other whilst making their communities’ safer places to live.
JustLife
Mission
Creating change through democratising access to knowledge and increasing understanding of intersectional experiences of emergency and/or temporary accommodation(E/TA).
Background
Justlife works to make peoples stay in temporary accommodation as short, safe and healthy as possible. Often, people living in E/TA are treated as a homogenous group, leading to services that are neither safe nor effective, and in many cases, can be actively harmful. Through peer research, this project aimed to access the knowledge held by the diverse E/TA community in an ethical, effective and genuinely empowering way, helping to inform the systemic changes needed to improve service delivery.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Justlife engaged 5 peer researchers in a learning and development programme, all of whom had first-hand experience of living in E/TA and represented the minority experiences lost in service design for homelessness, specifically neurodivergence, sexuality, class, disability, age, gender and ethnic and cultural background. The programme provided peer researchers with a safe place to discuss their experiences, and define their knowledge and research, to help inform the changes needed within service delivery of E/TA in Brighton & Hove. This project has led to increased levels of confidence and validity in the peer researchers themselves, and a co-produced peer research manual has been drafted for testing to support the homeless sector engage peer researchers in E/TA service design and delivery.
MadLab
Mission
Developing a youth-led research centre to drive decision making about tech training and support young people into high-quality jobs
Background
MadLab is a grassroots innovation organisation working with technology and people to address challenges and shape solutions. The Covid-19 pandemic widened access to online and hybrid learning programmes, but major national and regional initiatives have failed to increase the skills and, therefore, job prospects of Greater Manchester residents – particularly young people. This project aims to change this narrative by developing a youth-led research centre, supporting young people to articulate the challenges they face when engaging with online learning programmes and co-design solutions to these.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, MadLab supported a group of ‘Young Researchers’ – young people from different internal programmes – to design and undertake research, gathering the lived experiences and perspectives of their peers and other participants. This work is helping to inform the co-design and delivery of inclusive digital learning programmes as well as generate evidence-based recommendations towards improving participation and engagement. These have been shared with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Digital Skills Network and locality leads, and learnings from this project are helping to shape the authority’s development of ‘M-Levels’.
Own Merit CIC
Mission
Evidencing a resettlement model for prison leavers that empowers them and reduces homelessness and reoffending, supporting people to rebuild their lives after prison.
Background
Own Merit CIC Co-Founders, Darryn Frost and Steve Gallant met when using a Narwhal tusk to tackle a terrorist on London Bridge in 2019. They set out to work with prisoner communities to hear their stories, understand their experiences, listen, learn, and ambitiously work with them to pilot an accommodation solution tailored to their needs. Many prison leavers become homeless within 3 months, and prison leavers made homeless are over 50% more likely to reoffend within a year, according to Ministry of Justice data. This project aimed to help residents become self-sufficient and better prepared for a crime-free and healthier future.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Own Merit CIC partnered with HMP Five Wells, communicating with 1300 prisoners. The team secured and prepared a property, which is now housing 3 men who would have otherwise been homeless. The project was a successful pilot that has fostered positive relationships with key stakeholders and proven the viability of the model.
Torbay Community Development Trust
Mission
Developing a replicable model that empowers residents through community resilience.
Background
Torbay Community Development Trust has been operating in its current form for 10 years and has a focus on asset-based community development. This project was created to explore the concept of community resilience, what this means for Torbay and what a resilient Torbay community would look like.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Torbay Community Development Trust carried out a review of frameworks for community resilience before tasking their team of Community Builders to ask resident groups their thoughts on the concept. 79 responses were collected and analysed, enabling greater understanding of local perceptions and priorities. This identified that the core aspects of community resilience in Torbay are the importance of support, unity, empowerment and collaboration.
Environment and sustainability
Across the UK, there is increasing focus, work, and action to promote a more sustainable environment. This category supports community groups that are creating knowledge about the social, health, environmental, and economic impact of climate change on their communities, and using their knowledge to take action to improve their environment in a sustainable way that will benefit the planet and people’s lives.
Children in Wales
Mission
Empowering young peer researchers to investigate how climate change affects young people in terms of their health, education, opportunities, and social lives.
Background
Children in Wales is committed to prioritising children’s perspectives, breaking down age and location barriers that prevent young people’s views and ideas from being heard. This project was inspired by young people identifying climate change as a key priority, as well as limited opportunities existing for young people to participate in environmental projects.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Children in Wales established a climate change group of young peer researchers. 12 young people were supported to complete peer research training, providing them with an opportunity to learn about research methodologies, ethics and analysis skills to inform climate change policy and research. This enabled the creation of a mechanism for young people to co-create the conditions for research and innovation, unlocking the collective power of communities in Wales to tackle climate change.
Climates Hebrides CIC
Mission
Supporting community involvement and adaptive action in climate change efforts within the Outer Hebrides through interactive participatory mapping activities and creative practice.
Background
Climate Hebrides CIC aims to tackle climate change in the Outer Hebrides through education, training, activities and action. This project aimed to develop a tool that would gather and map different climate change challenges experienced by communities across the Outer Hebrides to help inform climate adaption planning and policies at a strategic level.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Climate Hebrides CIC engaged with groups and organisations typically excluded from climate changes discussions including Neuro Hebrides, Community Land Outer Hebrides and Stornoway Trust. Capturing their experiences and logging these on Mapping for Change has created a direct link between communities, climate change challenges and the authorities responsible for addressing climate change threats in the Outer Hebrides.
Cobra Collective CIC
Cobra Collective CIC
Mission
Helping food-growing communities across the UK find their voices and participate in radically hopeful storytelling to reduce food poverty, mitigate climate change and transform policy.
Background
Cobra Collective CIC, together with Reading International Solidarity Centre and Talking Tree Climate Emergency Centre are a network of community food-growing (CFG) advocates. This project addressed their collective need to communicate how CFG initiatives, that are important for food security and sustainability, have the power to connect people to one another, learn from each other and share their knowledge to help influence local policy makers. Using a participatory visual storytelling methodology, this project empowered under-represented groups to tell their stories about CFG initiatives before they disappeared, allowing decision makers to engage with and act on them.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, the network delivered 8 workshops to approximately 200 community food-growing participants, training up 6 youth digital eco warriors in participatory video techniques in the process. There are now hundreds of local people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds talking about, and engaging with, CFG initiatives via the two ‘Incredible Edible’ initiatives that launched out of this project. These have led to conversations with local businesses exploring food growing and cooking demonstrations to highlight the benefits CFG initiatives have on health and wellbeing. This project also instigated weekly knowledge-exchanges between CFG initiatives and Community Food and Climate Change officers at both Reading and Spelthorne Council.
Global Grooves
Mission
Exploring the incremental shifts in knowledge and power necessary to develop a more sustainable model of energy generation and consumption in Mossley.
Background
Global Grooves create environments for Carnival arts to happen, bringing people together to learn, share, collaborate and develop through dance, music and visual arts. This project offered the local people of Mossley a chance to engage in a climate positive response to the damaging effects of climate change and test to see if Micklehurst Brook could generate meaningful amounts of power.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Global Grooves engaged local people of Mossley, including gardeners, councillors, engineers, IT consultants, students and coders in a series of research and knowledge exchange workshops, generating increased confidence and engagement in sustainability initiatives. Through online engagement and media outputs, their project gained momentum and exposure, leading to increased local interest from volunteers and Mossley Town Council who are now exploring a feasibility study on hydropower in Mossley and restoring an old mill.
Homebaked Community Land Trust
Mission
Creating a community-led and area-based retrofit programme to tackle fuel poverty in Liverpool.
Background
Homebaked Community Land Trust was created by local people due to the failures of top-down regeneration. The Cosy Homes project was launched in response to local fuel poverty rates being double the national average and local homes scoring in the lowest 20% for domestic energy efficiency. The project aimed to work in an equal partnership with local authorities to break down silos in the local retrofit landscape.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Homebaked Community Land Trust worked in collaboration with 5 community anchor organisations and engaged with 1000 residents through public facing events, 1-1 conversations and a survey to raise awareness of the benefits of retrofit. New cross-sector connections and strong momentum for an area-based solution has emerged. Liverpool City Council have acknowledged the importance of community leadership and public-civic partnerships in delivering their domestic decarbonisation goals under community wealth building principles, and have invited Homebaked to the table alongside Planners, City Development, Housing Associations.
Landworkers’ Alliance
Mission
Developing and refining agroecological practices across the UK through landworker knowledge exchange.
Background
Landworkers’ Alliance is a community made up of farmers, growers and foresters across the UK. They share a vision for a better food and land-use system for everyone and are engaged in agroecological practices which are better for people and the planet. Agroecology is the application of ecological principles in farming; working to produce food, fuel and fibre in harmony with the environment and people. Agroecological practitioners stand at the forefront of building a sustainable food, fuel and fibre system. Within this community, small-scale research is already refining and advancing farmers’ methods, but is limited in scale. By pooling knowledge and equipping farmers to carry out further research, it is hoped that this project will support the development of agroecological practices and increase the rate of change towards more sustainable farming practices.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Landworkers’ Alliance held a series of co-design workshops with a range of agroecological practitioners to identify key areas of research interest. These included biodiversity, sustainability and resilience, productivity, and community impacts of different agricultural practices. Practitioners shared their perspectives and experiences on these topics, and together developed methodologies for knowledge creation to fill gaps in their existing collective knowledge. By centring farmers’ experiences and priorities, this project has progressed swifty from knowledge creation to on-the-ground impact, with practitioners already developing their practices in-line with their learnings. These are also being used to inform Landworkers’ Alliance’s advocacy work, with findings being shared with policy makers and academic institutions. This adds to a growing body of evidence showing that farmers’ knowledge is key to effective innovation.
Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council
Mission
Establishing a replicable model for engaging underrepresented groups in research
Background
Surrey County Council wanted to develop a research project that would centre on the often-overlooked voices of minority ethnic groups. Their project, ‘Climate Connections’, aimed to empower a group of ‘Eco Warriors’ – Muslim women and girls in North Surrey – to engage their communities in peer research, sharing their perspectives on climate change. It was thought that these may challenge existing perceptions of minority ethic attitudes towards nature, climate change and green space. In doing so, Surrey County Council hoped to test, and learn from the process, to develop a replicable and scalable model to peer research that could help capture the seldom heard voices of underrepresented groups.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Surrey County Council engaged the Eco Warriors in peer research training and guided them through a ‘data safari’. Their learning, responses and reflections helped generate the groups research questions, prioritising what they thought most important to ask their communities. Co-designing the research in this way generated confidence and feelings of self-worth amongst the group. It helped them to overcome the “threatening” stigma attached to the term ‘research’ as something “done to people of colour”. Allowing the research questions to reflect the unique experiences of the Eco Warriors meant that they felt valued as individuals rather than being treated as a monolithic group. This approach also helped surface areas of concern and tension amongst the group, stimulating a civic response to address how local commissioning decisions are made and how these could be more relevant to the needs, values and cultural life of Muslim communities in Surrey.
Westcountry Rivers Trust
Mission
Upskilling communities to achieve clean and healthy waters by putting people and their priorities at the heart of citizen science.
Background
Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT) have cared for the rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands and esturaries of the Westcountry for 30 years. Climate change is a serious concern across the southwest, impacting the environment, community, and the economy. With public interest intensifying from media coverage of water pollution issues, Westcountry Citizen Science Investigations (CSI) address shortfalls in Government-funded monitoring by empowering communities to collect data, track pollution and take action over poor water quality. This project aimed to widen participation by building on their existing citizen science model to create a network of local catchment communities that lead river groups and identify the key questions they want answers to.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Westcountry Rivers Trust began to refocus their existing methodology for engaging with volunteers. They brought together 40 ‘top tier’ volunteers, named the ‘River Guardians’, to feedback, review and help co-create the final model for The Westcountry Rivers Collective – a volunteer programme that will create and train an empowered network of local catchment communities with an authentic voice. Since piloting the model, they have seen a significant increase in sign-ups for their CSI programmes, mostly led by the community-driven formation of catchment specific river groups. Shifting to a more networked approach has increased coordinating capacity and encouraged self-governance amongst local communities, thus welcoming an increase in volunteer numbers more effectively. This has helped reduce capacity challenges on the central WRT team and positions local organisers to firmly lead the water quality improvements sought by their communities.
Open category
As an open fund, we invited applications from communities whose innovative ideas sat outside the two core themes, but still demonstrated plans and methods to build stronger community connections in research and innovation.
Camden Giving
Mission
Developing a community-led approach to exploring, understanding and tackling the root causes of racism in inner cities, using the London borough of Camden and Birmingham as comparison points.
Background
Camden Giving created this project in partnership with Birmingham based brap to address a shared challenge in both Camden and Birmingham – the ongoing impact of structural racism on resident outcomes. The project aimed to support local residents to play an active role in research and learning about their local area by working with older and younger generations together.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Camden Giving and brap worked with a diverse group of individuals facilitating discussions on how racism manifests in areas like geography, employment, housing, education, safety and community infrastructure, including carrying out ‘Walking Ethnography’ tours. Challenges were identified such as limited political representation and educational exclusion practices. As a direct impact of this work a thirst for community activism from project participants was clear.
Devon Community Foundation
Mission
Addressing food insecurity in North Devon by connecting vulnerable residents with local food producers to voice their concerns and share their ideas around accessing local food.
Background
Devon Community Foundation developed this project in response to the challenges faced by vulnerable residents of North Devon in accessing good quality affordable food in what is predominately an agricultural area and home to a host of local food producers and farmers,
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, young rural residents visited a local farm and foodbank users conversed with local food producers. Together, they shared their interests and ideas, as well as their challenges and concerns around food insecurity, accessing local food and cooking with local ingredients. These conversations have begun to unearth how to bridge the gap between local food producers and local people, with participants valuing the opportunity to develop their knowledge and share their experiences with those who can directly affect their access to local food.
Groundswell
Mission
Exploring how to make participatory research safer and more supportive for researchers with lived experience of homelessness.
Background
Groundswell aims to create solutions to end homelessness that come directly from people with lived experience. They acknowledge, however, that not all peer research is sufficiently trauma informed or supportive for those researchers with lived experience of homelessness themselves. This project set out to scope a trauma informed approach to peer research that could equip research institutions to better support researchers, both psychologically and practically.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Groundswell interviewed 17 people with relevant professional or personal experience, identifying good practice as well as knowledge and process gaps. After reviewing academic literature alongside conceptual frameworks and ‘good practice’ guides and toolkits, they presented their findings to 16 stakeholders in a Community of Practice event. In doing so, this project connected peers with one another, forging new relationships and potential collaborations. It introduced partners to new ways of thinking and strengthened Groundswell’s reputation with academic and charity partners, helping to establish them as a thoughtful leader in the sector and a strong partner for academic research. Groundswell have also started to apply their learning from this project to their practice, helping to better support peer researchers and inform future project plans with newly identified target audiences. They are also exploring how to use their learnings to influence funders and Research Ethics Committees (REC), with one REC chair having already committed to findings ways to embed this learning in their practice.
Northern Ireland Youth Forum
Mission
Promoting a youth-led approach to research and activism
Background
Northern Ireland Youth Forum empowers young people to lead research and lobbying activities based on the pillars of Rights, Research and Social Justice. With experience of delivering youth-led research, this project aimed to enhance and further develop the forums practice of youth-led research and activism.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, 23 young people engaged in 16 ‘speaking truth to power’ sessions, exploring research, innovation, and methods of engagement. They received training in research methods and data analysis, and applied these in practice, using findings to create a manifesto for change which they presented to local influencers and key decision makers.
Purple Patch Arts
Mission
Developing accessible and inclusive research practices that challenge the research sector to create supportive environments in which learning-disabled people can take an active role in research.
Background
Purple Patch Arts is a registered charity based in South Leeds working across Yorkshire to bring life-long learning opportunities to adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. They use creative approaches including dance, drama and music to make learning accessible and fun. This project sees learning-disabled and non-disabled researchers working together to learn from each other and design and implement accessible and inclusive research practices.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Purple Patch Arts engaged 5 learning-disabled researchers across 11 research sessions, exploring what research is, who does it and its accessibility. Through this work they created a set of recommendations which they intend to share with partners across their network to challenge the research sector and make research inclusive and accessible to learning-disabled people.
The Shoebox Enterprises CIC
Mission
Facilitating community research in Race Inequality Target Areas (RITAs) in Norwich
Background
The Shoebox Enterprises CIC, in partnership with Norwich City Council, are taking an assets-based approach to community development. Their pioneering ‘Community Connectors’ initiative sees Community Connectors having non-agenda led conversations with residents of Mile Cross, North Earlham and Mancroft, areas identified by Norwich City Council as Race Inequality Target Areas (RITAs). These conversations help surface the passions, interests and needs of local residents, and these insights are used to make progress towards equality and well-being. This project aimed to test and develop new approaches to community engagement, supporting Community Connectors to reach new audiences.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Shoebox Enterprises CIC trailed new approaches to community engagement including door knocking, hosting a community boardgame event, running a community photo competition and developing the digital skills and social media literacy of their Community Connectors. Over four months of on-the-ground delivery, their Community Connectors conducted 568 conversations, an increase of 38% compared to the previous 4 months. They reached new audiences including men under 40 in Mancroft, those socially isolated and inactive in community activity, and Chinese residents in North Earlham. This has helped surface new insights, revealing ‘health’ as reoccurring topic and a priority area for action. Shoebox Enterprises CIC have since been commissioned to collate insights from Community Connector conversations around smoke cessation and cancer screening provision awareness.
Starting Point Community Learning Partnership
Mission
Developing our own understanding of research to promote self-driven exploration and action
Background
Starting Point is a place that sparks positive change in communities of Woodly. For too long, however, their communities have been passive participants in research, being researched on without knowing why and what happens to their data. This project aimed to change that narrative by building Starting Point’s confidence and capability in research to uncover the most pressing issues facing their communities today.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Starting Point used participatory research methods including LEGO serious play and a co-created survey to collect insights from local people on issues that were impacting them the most. These were collated, analysed and interpreted to create a ’12 point ask’ of actionable recommendations for community development that will be presented to newly elected councillors. Although new to research, this process has also helped to highlight Starting Point’s strengths as an organisation and they are using these, along with learnings from this practice, to support them in other areas of their work.
Wakefield Libraries
Mission
Testing how a community research network can integrate with public services to shape a district approach to heritage collections.
Background
Wakefield Libraries, the Wakefield Historical Society and the West Yorkshire Archive Service have access to the John Goodchild Collection – a wide variety of records capturing the heritage of Yorkshire from the 12th Century onwards. This project aimed to encourage communities to own their own histories contained within parts of this collection by exploring how to improve community access and engagement with it.
Impact
During Phase 1 of the Community Knowledge Fund, Wakefield Libraries chose two little-known historical events contained within the collection relating to the local communities of Newland, Normanton and Altofs – a 1541 conspiracy to assassinate King Henry VIII and a purported battle over the eviction of the Knights Hospitallers from their Newland Estate. Taking an iterative approach to exploring the collection, Wakefield Libraries delivered a series of local workshops and events that built on from one another, informed by what the community wanted to know and share, rather than what the experts wanted to tell them. This generated interest from residents as well as community leaders and led to the discovery of unknown local research pertaining to the events in question. Approaching the collection in this way has empowered those involved, developing their knowledge and skills whilst generating feelings of cohesion and pride in their shared local heritage. Wakefield Libraries have since been asked to feed this work and learnings from the project into Wakefield’s Heritage Strategy for the entire district.