Please join Trustees for the WMFN AGM and discussion on Wednesday 20th November 1pm - 2pm. If you are interested in becoming a Trustee or becoming more involved please do join us at the AGM to find out more……

Join us for a facilitated workshop by Adapta Consulting on understanding the current scope of AI in funding and the pros and cons of its use. Adapta Consulting will explore funders current use of AI, policy and practice approaches and share any current good practice.

Come to the next members roundtable exchange and sharing any changes in funding strategy or programmes; insights from grantmaking or evaluations. IVAR will join to share current thinking on approaches to monitoring and reporting.

Join our one day Annual Conference as we explore the rise of participatory funding, where communities have a say in resource allocation. Discover if this approach is right for you, learn from real stories, and journey towards fairer, more effective funding. You will have the chance to learn, reflect and network with colleagues across the funding sector in the West Midlands.

This joint hands-on workshop with Birmingham City Observatory and Digital NNS is a follow-on from the WMFN November 2023 seminar on the latest ONS data insights. Feedback from members indicated an interest to explore in more depth and become familiar with different data sets with funding data that can help improve understanding of how data can be used to support work on funding, hence this event.

Places are limited.

The next Members Roundtable Exchange will be held on Tuesday 23rd April starting at 12.30pm. Please book your place and join us. Bring funding programme updates or insights and evaluations from funding programmes. An update on Birmingham City Council’s 2024-25 budgetary announcement and implications for the VCSE is planned.

You are invited to the first roundtable exchange of 2024 to be held online. This is an opportunity for members to share updates on funding strategies, grant programmes and learning and insights from funding and research. A particular agenda item will be an update on Birmingham City Council Section 114 and potential implications for the VCSE and services.

WMFN Trustees welcome you to join them for the 6th AGM on Wednesday 22nd November starting at 1.30pm @ Investec office. The formal business will be followed by a presentation and discussion on the next 3 years strategic priorities

The latest ONS data (2021) provides public policymakers with further evidence of demographic and household changes in the UK. Latest data sets help to inform further policy and service priorities in the West Midlands and Birmingham. Members are invited to attend the in person seminar @ Investec, Birmingham to better understand the implications for funding priorities at both place and community interest levels.

We are delighted to announce the launch of the West Midlands Charity Forum (Investec, VWV, WMFN), a joint series of roundtable discussions for the charity sector on sustainability and environmental issues. The first roundtable discussion is on ‘Better Streets for Birmingham’.

You are invited to the next members roundtable exchange. The theme will be on the Winter support for vulnerable households and individuals and responses to the cost of living crisis.

One year on from the WMFN 2-day online Annual Conference on Funders responding to the climate emergency, we are bringing funders that attended back together, to share their progress and provide an update on where they are in their journey. It will be an opportunity to hear the outcome of an ACF annual survey reviewing progress of over 100 signatories to the Funders Commitment to Climate Change; progress of members and others against the 5 climate change pillars; any tools used that were effective in moving forward and learning from what is working, and different ways of investing responsibly and sustainably.

WMFN Annual Conference 2023 is taking place on the 27th June 2023 and is themed on Learning from the Pandemic. Our Full Programme is due to be announced shortly.

The roundtable discussion will be based on Chatham House rules, where members can share experience of funding social enterprises and CICs. If you are already funding SE and CICs, or might be considering them as well as those not sure, this would be a great opportunity to share experience and knowledge.

We know that many funders want to change their relationship with voluntary and community sector organisations led by and for Black and minority ethnic groups. An important first step is understanding where your funding is going at the moment, and to help funders analyse their portfolios a group of funders, led by Debbie Pippard at Barrow Cadbury, developed a tool to enable funders to understand their funding patterns. Join this workshop to find out more about the tool.

On 25th April 2023, we invite you to our next members roundtable exchange. This is an opportunity to share programme updates and developments; learning and insights; information on themes / regional issues, operational challenges, or grant making practice. The theme for this exchange will be sharing any updates and developments or learning on EDI. This is also a safe space.

This is an opportunity for funders to improve understanding of different faiths and faith based organisations and the importance of its role in different communities of interest and place. The workshop will also examine the importance of faith and faith values in partnership with other stakeholders in addressing urgent social needs through social action.

what funders should consider when assessing and reviewing good governance and key organisational policies of applicants and grantees?

Members only event. Funders sharing programme updates, learning insights and local issues and news .

Members only event:

Join the next roundtable exchange and share programme updates or changes, insights from grantmaking programmes and evaluations and reviews undertaken with members.

WM funders sharing practice of assessing funding applications. Consider and reflect on what is good practice using an EDI lens.

On 12th July, we invite you to our third members roundtable exchange. This is an opportunity to share programme updates and developments; learning and insights; information on themes / regional issues, operational challenges, or grant making practice.

Turn2Us - a national charity providing practical help to people who are struggling financially will share their insights and learning from their work in the West Midlands, their grant search tool, common application form and an example of a more collaborative targeted approach to addressing poverty.

This consultation event is an opportunity for Charity Bank to discuss with members of WM Funders Network that have experience of engaging with a wider range of communities of place and interest to understand how they might broaden their products and services.

Nearly a year ago WM Funders Network held its 2-day online EDI conference. The feedback from the sessions were positive and constructive. Many funders that attended were on a journey to strengthening their EDI approach and looking at their current strategy and practices.