At the end of this week, I will be stepping down from my role as Chief Executive of Cripplegate Foundation and Islington Giving, after seven wonderful years.
Working with Cripplegate Foundation and Islington Giving hasn’t been just a job for me. It’s much more personal than that. I too am an Islington resident and have been for decades. In fact, I heard about Islington Giving before I was lucky enough to get my job here, and immediately signed up as a supporter and fan, as it seemed to be the perfect way to support local communities and do something about inequality when I wasn’t quite sure where to start.
“Working with Cripplegate Foundation and Islington Giving hasn’t been just a job for me. It’s much more personal than that.”
I have loved working with the most fantastic team and boards of the Foundation and Islington Giving, and our outstanding partners: so many businesses, other trusts and foundations, the Council, our donors and supporters, our resident grant makers and, perhaps best of all, all those voluntary and community sector organisations who we have been able to fund.
They are doing the most extraordinary work on the frontline, day in, day out, helping to make people’s lives in the borough better. Across Islington, community organisations are supporting young people’s mental health, helping families through difficult times, reducing isolation, creating opportunities for connection and ensuring local people have a voice in shaping their communities. Whether through groups such as Help on Your Doorstep, Brandon Centre, Parent House or All Change, the impact is felt in countless individual lives every day. As a Foundation and as part of the Islington Giving coalition, everything we do is a means to that end.
“Over the past years, Cripplegate Foundation and Islington Giving have been focusing on the way we do things, in addition to the money we distribute.”
Over the past years, Cripplegate Foundation and Islington Giving have been focusing on the way we do things, in addition to the money we distribute. One of the things I’m most proud of is how we have strengthened the role local people play in shaping our work. Through our participatory grant-making programmes, 147 residents have joined us thus far as paid and trained grant decision-makers, bringing their lived experience, insight and local knowledge to decisions about where funding should go. It has been inspiring to see the thought, care and commitment people bring to this role.
More broadly, we have tried to listen carefully to residents and community groups across Islington, learning from their experiences and using what we hear to shape our priorities, our funding and the way we work. We always ask ourselves whether there are different or better ways to understand what local people need, want and are facing, and then apply that learning to how and what we deliver. And we have taken a deep look at our grant making to see if there are gaps and to make sure our funding is reaching as many communities and groups as possible.
“I am thankful for and will miss the work, the team, our partners, our supporters, our resident grant makers and all those groups doing such extraordinary work on the frontline.”
We have worked hard to ensure that Cripplegate Foundation board members are more diverse and reflective, in all ways, of the communities we serve. It has taken years, but we are getting there.
We have thought carefully about how we invest our resources, particularly the Cripplegate Foundation endowment. Slowly but surely, we have started to invest in ways that focus on social impact alongside financial returns. And we have worked alongside the voluntary and community sector, always striving to be a partner – and cheerleader – for the sector, not just a funder.
I am thankful for and will miss the work, the team, our partners, our supporters, our resident grant makers and all those groups doing such extraordinary work on the frontline. I will miss working with all these people but will continue to be deeply committed to Islington and its communities.
I’ve been working closely with our new CEO, Victoria Benson, to ensure a smooth transition, and I wish her all the very best in this fantastic role. I’m excited to see what the next chapter for Cripplegate Foundation and Islington Giving brings.