Tuesday 14 th May 2019 Dominic Briant Foundation Strategy 2017 - - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

MTVH Migration Foundation

Personal reflections from a funder

Tuesday 14th May 2019

Dominic Briant

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Foundation Strategy 2017 - 2020

Communities have infrastructure to cope Comprehensive services that can resolve immigration crises Destitution or a return to it is prevented

Re-focussed grant money and neighbourhood investment New services alone or in partnership Improved support, training and guidance for housing colleagues

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TL;DR

Had funding from…

• Big trusts
• Local Authorities
• NHS
• EU
• Central Gov
• Family charities
• Private philanthropists

Lessons…

• I could have saved

energy by research

• Relationships are key
• People can tell when

you are confident in your idea (and not).

• There are
• pportunities…honest!

Givens…

• Accountability (or lack of) is one of the easiest ways to tell the difference between Trusts.

Purpose and who keeps track of it.

• Almost all Foundations/Trusts have more demand than supply
• Almost none have regular meaningful interaction with people in crisis
• Very few are focussed on one issue

Mysteries waiting to be solved…

• Connection with strategic environment
• Values (not as liberal as I might have guessed)
• How they get their money

I could have saved energy or… Context Matters

• 3 tribes: Local action, behemoth and those trying to work on ‘strategic

solutions’.

• Even with behemoth’s (e.g. BLF), there is a relationship or sorts in the form
• f reputation.
• It is competitive. I do a fair amount of saying no – usually because of funding

but almost as many times because the project doesn’t meet our aims.

• Good relationships are founded on trust and genuinely wanting to provide

value to the other person.

Relationships are key

Questions I rarely get asked

• Have you funded any other projects recently?
• What’s your approach?
• Are you looking to invest in any other projects?
• How do you usually make decisions?
• Do you fund with anyone else?

Things I rarely receive

• A follow up that helps me or shows understanding
• An opportunity to understand your organisation without

prejudice

Confidence and patience

• Some fads are now in their place
• People are searching for solutions and some will have gained

from financial uncertainty

• We know that demand and complexity will increase
• Trust in some larger charities has been tested
• Family trusts are known to change their strategy on a whim
• The Foundation sector has lost a direct voice from refugees

and asylum seekers Work for you

• Explain destitution in simple terms
• Capture people’s imagination
• Think who is best-placed to communicate/bid/apply

Opportunities

Thank you

Dom Briant

Head of Community Investment and MTVH Migration Foundation dominic.briant@mtvh.co.uk 07738 714 152