£2.2m Awarded in Women’s Urgent Support Fund Round 2 

The Smallwood Trust is delighted to announce that £2.2 million in grants have been awarded to 39 organisations in Round 2 of the Women’s Urgent Support Fund (WUSF).

From both rounds over £5.4 million has been provided by The National Lottery Community Fund—the UK’s largest funder of community activity— for this programme as a direct response to the cost-of-living crisis and the disproportionate impacts it continues to have on women and the organisations that support them.

Thanks to National Lottery players, Round 1 and Round 2 of WUSF will now support 113 women-led organisations across England to continue to deliver critical specialist support to 20,000 women over five years.

If you’d like to learn more about Round 1 and the organisations we are funding, please click here.

Intersectional Grant-Making

WUSF has strategically adopted an intersectional approach, targeting at least 50% of the grants allocated to organisations that support women experiencing racial inequality and/or disabled women, reflecting our commitment to tackling the systemic inequalities affecting these groups such as increased food poverty and instances of domestic violence as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. In addition, the Fund also prioritised organisations that support women with No Recourse to Public Funds, single mothers and LGBTQ+ women experiencing financial insecurity who have been disproportionately impacted by the crisis.

We understand that organisations led by and supporting these groups offer unique services for women experiencing poverty, yet have been historically underfunded. This is unfortunately common. In 2021, a total of £4.1 billion worth of grants was awarded to charities, but the women and girls sector received just 1.8% of these. 

As a specialist women’s grant-maker that prioritises organisations tackling gendered poverty, it is integral to Smallwood’s mission to invest in such life-saving services.

Significant Challenges in the Women’s Sector

Round 1 received 472 applications and Round 2 received 462 applications each (934 in total) – more applications than Smallwood has received for any grants programme before – further highlighting the severe and ongoing underfunding of the women’s sector. 

Many applicants described critical financial situations, with stretched reserves and rising demands due to the cost-of-living crisis as well as the increased scarcity of funding and stripping back of government funded services which has resulted in increased pressure on non-profits to fill service gaps. The overwhelming number of applications—exceeding the available budget—underscores the fragility of this sector and the urgent need for continued investment. 

WUSF will be putting £5.4 million into the women and girls sector during this time. This is in addition to the multiple programmes Smallwood currently hosts which supports women’s organisations across the UK, including place-based change and our award-winning Community Grant Partners.

Funding Impact

The funding, ranging from £15,000 to £60,000, will support these organisations over the next three years to deliver essential services. The main areas the funding will support are:

– Salaries of vital frontline workers
– Increased running costs such as rent and utilities
– Essential items such as food, sanitary products, clothing and baby supplies
– Increased support for frontline staff including clinical supervision and mental health provisions

These grants will also strengthen the capacity of the recipient organisations to navigate and respond to ongoing economic challenges by ensuring their frontline services can keep running, support staff retention and bolster small organisations who may be receiving funding for the very first time.

Looking Ahead

As other funders pause their programmes, the Smallwood Trust’s dedication to being a specialist women’s funder continues to recognise the importance and life-saving value of women’s organisations and services. While the completion of Round 2 is a significant milestone, the overwhelming demand for support calls for further action to address the severe funding gaps in the women’s sector. 

If you are interested in supporting or partners, or want to learn more about creating a funding programme for women’s organisations, we encourage you to get in touch with us.

We will be announcing the recipient organisations in the coming weeks.

For more information about the Women’s Urgent Support Fund visit https://www.smallwoodtrust.org.uk/womens-urgent-support-fund/