Where things were:

As a result of COVID19, various emergency funds needed to be developed to support diverse leaders impacted in 2020/2021. His organisation TSIP had already been working with IUH for at least two years designing public health programmes.

What was needed:

The goal was to set up a fund that would work differently from traditional funds. The aim was to both get emergency funding to organisations and to create the space for IUH to build relations with organisations in order to grow sustainable relationships. 

Stephen in action:

Since May 2020, Stephen has worked with Impact on Urban Health to design, deliver and go to market with emergency funds. He also drove multiple COVID recovery campaigns within TSIP and Centric to alleviate business pressures of the pandemic. The work funded organisations who usually missed out on funding due to an array of barriers. Innovative models were used such as removing the application process, focusing on core costs/unrestricted grants and a collaborative process. 

What happened next:

This work involved a number of incredible programs – with two being the core. The first was the development of Community Researchers based on Stephen’s concept of Mixed Teams. By bringing community allies into TSIP, Stephen started to transform the organisation from a high-performance middle class (HPMC) entity to one which balances this HPMC focus with a commitment to delivering quality work.

The second piece of work was The Giving Lab, an innovative community funding model that empowers people to design and fund their own solutions, without the harmful and problematic consequences of competitive funding we see in the social sector. The work continues today and is expected to grow across the UK.