2024 Board Shadowing Programme Launched

Thank you for your interest in our 2024 Board Shadowing Programme. This has now closed for applications.

What is the Programme?

The Board shadowing programme is about opening doors for women with lived experience of gendered poverty and/or working at grassroots community level. The programme aims to demystify the roles of trustees and boards, especially within grant-making and funding organisations.

“My image of a Board before joining Smallwood was that of a closed off group of people, and the programme has opened up a space that feels welcoming and truly values women’s lived experiences in its decision making.” –  Rachel Brown, 2023 Shadowee

Who can apply?

We are looking to select 4 women with lived experience of financial insecurity who have an interest in the work of the Smallwood Trust, and who would like to further their own personal and/or professional development.

We recognise that you are even more likely to have faced barriers, in our sector and others, if one or more of the following represent you:

  • You have lived experience of the criminal justice system
  • You are Black, Asian or racially minoritised
  • You don’t have socio-economic privilege, and/or you identify as working class
  •  You identify as D/deaf or disabled or both

We warmly welcome all applications.

Time Commitments 

The 2024 programme will run from February 2024 to December 2024. 2024 participants will also be invited to the Board Away day in the first quarter of 2025.

There is one Board away day and four Smallwood Board meetings in 2024 which are currently scheduled as follows:

  • Board Away Day: 27th February 2024, 10am to 4pm, In Person likely to be in London
  • Board Meeting: 25th April 2024, 4pm to 6.30pm, on Zoom
  • Board Meeting: 18th July 2024, 10.30am to 2pm, In Person London or Birmingham
  • Board Meeting: 17th October 2024, 10am to 12.30pm, on Zoom
  • Board Meeting: 12th December 2024, 10am to 2pm, In Person Birmingham, usually includes lunch with trustees and staff

There are usually 2-3 other sub-committee / Grant Panel meetings each year which run for around 1.5 hours.

Monthly catch-ups and briefings (optional) would usually last for up to one hour.

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