A Participatory Evaluation of the Comic Relief Supporting and Sustaining Specialism Programme for the Black & Minoritised women-led by and for sector (2022-2023)

Imkaan conducted a participatory evaluation of Comic Relief’s Supporting and Sustaining Specialism Programme: a unique ring-fenced fund for specialist ending-VAWG B&M women-led by and for organisations supporting B&M women and girls. 

Ten grants were issued to individual B&M women-led by and for organisations and partnerships across England. The Programme intended to build community and collective voice in a sector subjected to systemic marginalisation and destabilising under-funding. It ran for 12 to 15 months and funded critical, life-saving support through complex case work, institutional advocacy, in-house legal advice, housing, and mental health and wellbeing sessions. As a result, supporting over 3,500 B&M women and girls across England and 1,500 frontline workers from B&M women-led by and for organisations.

The learning from this evaluation is a call to all funders and commissioners of VAWG provision to create a more equitable anti-racist grant-making approach which sees and values the B&M women-led by and for sector as key experts, partners and collaborators in creating social change, justice and advancing the human rights of B&M women and girls.  

Imkaan warmly thanks all the funded partners for their longstanding commitment to delivering  innovative, evidenced and unique pathways of support despite external challenges: Africa Advocacy Foundation, Anah Project, Apna Ghar Women's Centre, Foundation of Women's Health Research and Development (FORWARD), Imece's Women's Centre, Latin American Women’s Aid (LAWA), London Black Women’s Project (LBWP), The Phoebe Centre, Saheli and Southall Black Sisters. and all of their partners.

Find the full report here