Black Lives Matter UK have released a further £350,000 in funding to black-led organisations and campaign groups across the country, bringing the total money redistributed since 2020 to more than half a million pounds.
BLMUK received £1.2m in donations from over 36,000 people following widespread protests during the summer of 2020.
In what is described as one of the largest investments in anti-racist and black-led community organisations in nearly four decades, a further 17 groups have now received money in BLMUK’s second round of funding
The organisation said it donated to groups that stood “shoulder to shoulder” with its goals of ending the hostile environment and border controls, defunding the police in favour of investing in communities, transforming education, and supporting black arts and culture, amongst others.
The organisation released £169,733 to different campaign groups in 2021, as well as a further £40,000 donation to United Friends and Families campaign, which supports those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody. Another £10,000 was donated to “urgent” campaigns.
In total, BLMUK has given £569,733 in funding and donations so far.
Paul Boateng, who was Britain’s first black cabinet minister, said funding of this scale on black empowerment has not been seen since the money provided by the Greater London Council in the early 1980s.
Lord Boateng, who was chair of the GLC police committee and vice-chair of its ethnic minority committee, said: “Its absence in intervening years has deprived the community of a valuable source of innovation and impactful community development. BLMUK grants have the capacity to make a real and lasting difference.”
A spokesperson from BLMUK said: “We are so excited that 17 excellent black-led UK organisations and campaign groups have now received £350k from BLMUK. We look forward to seeing the impact it will make over the coming two years. BLMUK is thankful for the trust, encouragement and patience we’ve received from all of our 36,300 donors over this period.”
Ten groups received grants of up to £10,000 as part of BLMUK’s development fund, which was set up to support relatively new groups that have struggled to access funding. These are:
Peaks of Colour
The Blak Ark
Decolonising the Archive
Unjust UK
Black Obsidian Sound System
Black People Talk
Black Medics Scotland
Account Hackney
Aya African Learning Community
Class 13
Seven other groups were given money as part of the impact fund, which provided grants of up to £50,000 to organisations that have been operating for five years or more, and which have an annual income of less than £200,000. These are:
Reproductive Justice Initiative
Afruika Bantu Saturday School
Out & Proud LGBTI
The Hope Project Scotland
492 Korna Klub
Manchester Migrant Solidarity
National Mikey Powell Memorial Family Fund
During BLMUK’s first round of funding in 2021, half of the groups who received some of the £170,000 were based outside London.
Dr Annabel Sowemimo, a community sexual and reproductive health doctor and co-director of the Reproductive Justice Initiative, said: “The grant from BLMUK will be transformative for our work. This funding gives us the opportunity to hire someone dedicated to delivering free workshops, answering people’s queries, addressing people’s issues in a timely fashion, and building connections to other organisations working in this space. Having the freedom to focus on this work instead of being very anxious about where our funds are coming from is incredible”
Evie Muir, founder of Peaks of Colour, a Peak District-based “nature-for-healing” walking group, said: “As a by and for grassroots community organisation, it’s important that we access funding that aligns with our values, but these are hard to come by. We’re so humbled and thrilled to receive the BLMUK fund.”
