London Funders members’ meeting, Monday 13 October, 1.30 – 5 pm
Friends House, Euston WC1.
This meeting will look at some of the complexities and controversies in funding faith communities including the relationship between race, faith and culture, the government agenda and local faith based action.
Speakers:
- Professor Tariq Ramadan, President of the European think tank 'European Muslim Network (EMN)' in Brussels, senior research fellow at St. Antony's College in Oxford and visiting professor at the Erasmus University in the Netherlands. Through his writings and broadcasting, Professor Ramadan has contributed substantially to debate on the issues of Muslims in the West, Islamic revival in the Muslim world and on social justice and dialogue.
- David Rayner, Cohesion and Faith Unit, Department for Communities and Local Government
- Monica Needs, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham will present experiences of interfaith work and funding and Jim McManus, Assistant Director - Health Improvement, Barking and Dagenham Primary Care Trust will explore the outcomes of a health grants programme delivered through faith groups.
Presentations will be followed by facilitated discussion on issues raised by funders.
Reserve your place!
The meeting is open to all London’s funders and investors (free to LF members / £100 for non members). Download more information and a booking form.
Thursday 23 October, 9.30 - 11.30
Venue: London Funders
Several organisations have recently turned their big guns on to the accountability requirements which funders expect of their grant recipients or contract partners. For example, New Philanthropy Capital has criticised heavy-handed public sector commissioners in “Turning the Tables”.
Charities Evaluation Services (CES) has undertaken the biggest UK research study to date on monitoring and evaluation demands and practice in the third sector, involving over 100 funders and commissioners as well as more than 700 voluntary organisations.
The sector has improved rapidly in recent years in the use of evaluation but much of the message from this study, led by Dr Jean Ellis, is one of organisations struggling with the basics of evaluation and often disproportionate requirements from funders.
So should funders do more to tailor their requirements to an appropriate scale for the size of work funded? If reporting is mainly about compliance, is everything asked for really necessary? Can evaluation be structured more to help the funded organisation learn and grow?
Funders have a chance to hear direct from Jean Ellis and quiz her on her findings at a breakfast briefing organised by London Funders on 23 October 2008.
This briefing is free to members and friends of London Funders. To book your place, please contact Belinda.
The full research report and a summary briefing are available now on the CES website.