The pandemic was a difficult time but let’s not go back to the way things were before

For many, 2020 and 2021 were years to forget. But amid all the turmoil, confusion and hand sanitising, many organisations stepped up to do what they do best: ensure communities were safe, supported and heard. The question is, were we there for those organisations as they were there for local people? Black-led organisations or those working for Black communities have generally found it harder to access funding and this was exacerbated by the pandemic. One Black and ethnic minority Covid emergency fund was nearly seven-times oversubscribed. Others distributed proportionally less funding to Black-led groups. One in ten Black-led organisations closed at the start of the pandemic and most found themselves struggling to get through 2020 (if, indeed, they did).

Black-led organisations or those working for Black communities have generally found it harder to access funding and this was exacerbated by the pandemic.

A line-in-the-sand moment