The National Lottery Community Fund and Global Fund for Children have opened the Phoenix Fund, a £1 million emergency fund for Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities across England, to applicants.

The Phoenix Fund is accepting grant applications from micro and small BAME-led organisations, with a turnover up to £100,000, that are working with people of any age and providing essential and emergency services, support, and education tailored to BAME communities.

Survey data from the Ubele Initiative, a convening partner of the Phoenix Fund, shows that nine out of ten micro and small BAME organisations are at risk of closing within three months due to COVID-19. This research helped prompt the convening of BAME-led infrastructure and community groups from across England, starting in May 2020 and leading to the co-creation of the Phoenix Fund.

‘The Phoenix Fund has the potential to disrupt some of the prevailing ways in which grants are made in the UK. Not only does it promote participatory approaches, which cut through power dynamics inherent in grantmaking, but it also facilitates collaboration among an intergenerational group of skilled and experienced BAME leaders who hold deep knowledge of community needs at this challenging time,’ said Yvonne Field, Founder and CEO at the Ubele Initiative.

To learn more about the Phoenix Fund and apply for funding visit thephoenixfund.org.uk.