Beyond the Black Square - £1.2m in funding for women-led racial justice organisations
The Phoenix Way are proud to announce that we’ve just awarded £1.2m in funding to racial justice organisations led by Black and racially minoritised women.
Led by The Ubele Initiative and supported by Global Fund for Children, we selected 10 chosen organisations to receive grants of between £50,000 and £170,000 over a period of one to two years.
Successful organisations were shortlisted by a steering group of Black and racially minoritised women community members at a residential, as a final part of the decision-making process.
This steering group also began the co-creation of a shared leadership programme that will support the our funded partners beyond their grants, the spokesperson added. You can find more about the process below in a short film produced by ourppls.
The full list of funded organisations are Operation Black Vote, GirlDreamer, House of Dread, Youth the Gap CIC, Sistren Legal Collective, Unjust CIC, Five x More CIC, Anima Youth, Milk Honey Bees and ADHD Babes were nominated by community individuals and organisations through an invitation process.
The organisations had to demonstrate that 70 per cent of their leadership were women, as well as 70 per cent being black or belonging to a racial minority.
“ This round marks the first time we’ve been able to fund work addressing the root causes of racial discrimination.”
We formally launched the funding on the 30th of April in London at the Conduit through an event celebrating the work of the women-led organisations by showcasing their achievements through panel discussions with sector leaders.
May 2025 marks five years since George Floyd’s murder and the stark racial disparities exposed during the Covid-19 pandemic. While these events initially spurred commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, recent shifts - particularly in the United States - have raised concerns about the long-term dedication to racial justice.
The Phoenix Way continues to lead this charge with its community-led approach to improving socio-economic outcomes for black and racially minoritised communities across the UK.
This month’s funding of £1.2m represents a significant step forward in empowering women-led organisations working tirelessly for racial justice.
Take a look at more highlights from the event
