Poverty and Inclusion – Research & Policy

Through this programme we will fund research or policy development work in two main areas:

• New ideas in economics. After the experience of the banking crisis and a world-wide recession, we are interested in the development of new economic policies for the UK that would reduce social injustice and economic inequalities.
• Community resilience: Reductions in public spending and an emphasis on pushing power and responsibility for services down to the local level represents a major shift in the relationship between the individual and the state. We are interested in research and policy work that looks at how, in this context, communities can be strengthened and enabled to take part in and benefit from the policy changes.

Our budget is limited, so to give an idea of the type of work in which we are interested, the following examples of work we have funded may be useful:

• The Young Foundation, “Diversity, Resilience and Communities”, a project looking at how the diversity and other characteristics of a community affect its resilience in the face of change;
• Demos “Civic Streets”, a study of how community involvement in two areas of Birmingham resulted in sustained regeneration;
• ippr, “New Era Economics”, a programme of work promoting new approaches to economics, fit for purpose in the post-crash era;
• Runnymede Trust “Generation 3”, researching young people’s attitudes towards race relations and community activism in Birmingham.

We expect that, where possible, research projects will be based in or include a West Midlands element.

We recommend contacting us for advice before making an application under this funding stream. Please click on the buttons below to find out more.