‘Lets change how we work, who we are and what we fund’

Our focus is on taking action, providing tools for implementation so that we are able to undertake a transformative and generational shift in practice in our sector.

Our Focus

We believe it is imperative for Philanthropy to become more Diverse, Inclusive, and Equitable in its practices for three main reasons:

Advance the common good

Those of us in philanthropy have dedicated ourselves to promoting the common good. Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in our organisations and grantmaking helps us live up to our values.

Increase effectiveness

Diverse perspectives within foundations can help build better relationships with grantees, improve team problem-solving, and lead to better outcomes.

Enhance impact

Our constituencies, from the communities we serve to our partners in business and government, are becoming increasingly diverse. We need to understand and reflect this rich variety of perspectives in order to achieve greater impact.

Undertaking the process of implementing a holistic DEI framework in a sector or foundation which has no history of this, can be challenging and difficult. In order to convey to others why this is important, how it can make us more effective and what is required, we felt that it was imperative that foundations build a community of support.”

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Members of the Coalition

The 17 foundations include:
Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation, The Barrow Cadbury Trust, Lloyds Bank Foundation, City Bridge Trust, The National Lottery Community Fund, Children in Need, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Friends Provident Foundation, Quartet Community Foundation, Milton Keynes Community Foundation, Wiltshire Community Foundation, Surrey Community Foundation, Leeds Community Foundation, Two Ridings Community Foundation, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, Comic Relief and Lankelly Chase.

“As funders we often support work that seeks to change the world but it is imperative for us to address inequalities and commit to greater diversity, equality and inclusion within our own organisations. This ensures we are more representative of the diverse communities we seek to serve, we better understand the structural inequalities that too often hold them back and we are more open to new and different experiences and views in our decision making. We know we have a long way to go so we are proud to join with all the foundations of the DEI coalition to learn, collaborate and advance the cause within the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales and our sector as a whole.”(insert space) Paul Streets CEO Lloyds Bank Foundation

“The DEI Coalition was founded and is led by Fozia Irfan FRSA, CEO of Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation. Fozia completed a Msc in Grantmaking, Philanthropy and Social Investment from Cass Business School and undertook a dissertation in the USA on the role of foundations in addressing inequality. Fozia is considered the leading national expert on implementing an equity-based approach to grantmaking and was awarded ‘Rising Star CEO’ in 2018 and one of the ’25 of the Most Influential Charity Leaders in the UK’ in 2019 by the Charity Times. She is also a Leadership Fellow at St Georges and a Churchill Fellow 2020.”