Unlocking the Power of Place
Workshop explores place based funding approaches across the West Midlands
Our latest workshop on 27th March 2025, in Birmingham, convened funders, public sector representatives, and third-sector anchor organisations to delve into the complexities and best practices of "Place-Based Funding Approaches". This event provided a platform for rich discussion and knowledge sharing, aiming to equip stakeholders with increased understanding and learning needed to maximise the impact of their investments in communities.
The Growing Significance of Place-Based Funding
The workshop's context centred on the increasing recognition among major UK funders of the importance of 'place-based systemic change'. Over the past five years, there has been a notable shift towards not only driving impactful local projects but also leveraging place-based work to inform long-term alternatives to ineffective national systems. In some instances, funders are using local innovations to gain insights into how broader social and economic systems might be transformed. Simultaneously, smaller independent trusts, foundations, and public sector funders are prioritising place-based approaches due to governance mandates and the necessity of addressing both the symptoms and the underlying causes of poverty and social and economic inequality and disadvantage.
It was acknowledged during the workshop that defining 'place-based' funding approaches can vary significantly between funders. However, despite these differences in purpose, common themes, lessons, and positive changes are emerging over time. The WMFN workshop sought to explore these nuances, providing a comprehensive overview of the rationale, relationship dynamics, delivery mechanisms, opportunities, and challenges associated with place-based funding.
Expert Insights from Leading Organisations
The workshop featured contributions from several key organisations, each offering unique perspectives on place-based funding:
Power to Change: Natalie White, Portfolio Manager, shared valuable insights from Power to Change's "Empowering Places" programme. This five-year initiative focused on supporting 'locally rooted' anchor organisations to catalyse new community businesses in areas of high deprivation. The programme's holistic and collaborative nature fostered connections between local residents, community leaders, and changemakers, resulting in a stronger and more collaborative social impact ecosystem within marginalised areas.
Barrow Cadbury Trust, Lloyds Bank Foundation, and Sport England: Representatives from these organisations (Cathy Brown, Dale Cranshaw, Ann Johnson, and Hari Matharu) provided a comprehensive overview of their respective approaches to place-based funding.
Barrow Cadbury Trust’s Economic Justice Programme in Birmingham seeks to support the movement against economic injustice in Birmingham. By ‘movement’, the Trust means people and organisations who share the same broad aims for change (reducing economic injustice) but who may have very different approaches. The Programme is focusing on three types of activity: personal empowerment to enable people to influence policy and practice; campaigning and advocacy for change; and supporting organisations building alternative approaches.
Lloyds Bank Foundation's People and Communities initiative aims to strengthen small, community-led organisations and develop new ways to design and resource services for people facing complex issues. Their approach involves building strong relationships with a wide array of local stakeholders, including public agencies, VCSE organisations, businesses, and other funders.
Sport England's work is grounded in its 10-year vision, "Uniting the Movement," and seeks to tackle health inequalities by tailoring action to local characteristics. Their place-based approach focuses on integrating physical activity into various sectors, strengthening community and individual capacities, and addressing structural inequalities. Sport England is making significant investments to expand its place partnerships and drive systemic change.
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA): Charles Rapson, Social Economy Programme Strategic Lead, shared insights into WMCA's place-based approach to social economy development with 3 of the 9 anchor organisations represented to share involvement and benefits from the approach. This initiative, supported by the Commonwealth Games Legacy Fund and Power to Change, invests in specific places and empowers lead organisations to create and implement action plans for growing the local social and circular economy.
Key Themes and Outcomes of the Workshop
Participants engaged in focused discussions and knowledge-sharing around the following core themes:
Rationale for Place-Based Approaches: Examining the underlying reasons for adopting place-based strategies, including addressing persistent inequalities, fostering inclusive growth, and recognising the limitations of national-level interventions. The need for funding to follow a shared place based strategy first. Public sector mindset and organisational culture
Effective Partnership Working: Identifying the essential components of successful collaborations with diverse stakeholders, such as public sector agencies, community organisations, and local businesses. All stakeholders recognising, understanding and acknowledging their own capacity and capability. Funders and public sector offering more than money - contacts/connections, in-kind resources and influence.
Delivery Mechanisms, Opportunities, and Challenges: Analysing the practical aspects of implementing place-based funding initiatives, including effective strategies, potential obstacles, and innovative solutions. Backfilling VCSE leaders to focus on place based strategic work. Building in VCSE organisational resilience. Funders being flexible and responsive throughout the life of delivery. Funders planning an exit strategy.
Defining and Measuring Success: Exploring different methods for evaluating the impact of place-based funding and establishing clear metrics for positive change and sustainable outcomes between stakeholders that share the same goals but organisational requirements to justify funding is different.
The workshop provided a valuable platform for knowledge exchange, fostering a deeper understanding of place-based funding principles and practices. By bringing together diverse perspectives and sharing practical insights, WMFN facilitated a collaborative effort to drive more effective and impactful investments in communities.
Download Conference Materials
To further support learning and implementation, we are pleased to offer access to the materials and presentations from the workshop.
We encourage you to explore these resources and continue the vital work of empowering places and creating positive change.
This event was kindly supported and hosted by Rathbones
