Empowering Communities: Q&A with Smallwood’s Tessa Dugmore

The Smallwood Trust is committed to addressing gendered poverty and promoting financial resilience, particularly among marginalised women. With generous funding support from the City Bridge Foundation for the Local Resilience Fund, Smallwood has been working with 16 organisations in Hackney and Newham to create The Women In Hackney Network and the Women in Newham Network.

We sat down with Tessa Dugmore, Programme Manager, to discuss the impact of this funding, the challenges faced by these networks, and the path ahead.

Q: Since the initial funding announcement, can you tell us a bit about what’s been happening on the ground with these 2 networks in Hackney and Newham?
Tessa: The funding allowed us to conduct a truly meaningful co-design process. We dedicated time to outreach, which helped identify key issues and focus the co-design group effectively. This approach naturally led into a participatory grant-making panel, supported by our partner, City Bridge Foundation.

The immediate impact has been the strengthening of relationships within the network – many partners are so busy with delivery, they often don’t have the opportunity to meet others working locally, let alone think about how they could possibly work together. These groups not only share information but also actively support one another. This level of commitment is crucial in ensuring that the network remains sustainable beyond the initial funding phase.

The mix of some larger, well-established organisations with smaller, volunteer-run groups creates an interesting eco-system offering support as well as sharing ideas and thinking outside the box. One group that was funded has worked voluntarily for over 10 years, was unregistered and had never received grant funding before.  This grant has now helped them achieve charitable status and their profile is raised as core network members – hopefully this milestone will help them attract more funding and formalise their work.

Q: The networks have now been set up—how are they working in practice, and what challenges have they faced?
Tessa: There have been some really big issues, such as key individuals in leadership roles falling ill. In one case, a leader was unable to participate in a strategic group, but instead of excluding that organisation, the other partners stepped in to support them. They were written into the bid despite their reduced capacity, demonstrating the wonderful, collaborative spirit within the network.

A lack of funding remains a major challenge as does retention of good staff. Many organisations benefited from emergency COVID-19 funding, but those reserves are rapidly running out. We’ve seen positive examples of organisations run by women with lived-experience retaining staff by offering flexible work arrangements and a caring work environment which really helps retention, especially for those who are caregivers.

Another challenge has been staff wellbeing. Some organisations are funding counselling for their teams, while others simply can’t afford it. Those who can access mental health support say it’s essential in preventing burnout when working with heavy caseloads and difficult circumstances.

Q: What are the key priorities for these networks moving forward?
Tessa: The priorities are slightly different in both areas but we’ve identified five main themes:

• Housing: This is a huge systemic issue where we are exploring alternative models for single homeless women who are furthest from mainstream support but also, because gendered poverty and child poverty are inextricably linked, for single mothers. Temporary accommodation is unfortunately the reality for many women but the quality of that accommodation can make all the difference to mental health if women can feel safe and supported.
• Access to quality advice: Ensuring women facing destitution can easily access reliable legal, financial, and social support services.
• Mental health support: Expanding trauma-informed counselling, with a focus on accessibility in different community languages.
• Immediate destitution assistance: Providing urgent support such as emergency housing, food, and transport for women in crisis.
• Long-term financial stability: Creating pathways out of destitution through employment support, training, and economic empowerment.

In addition, there’s a growing appetite for joint campaigning, particularly around issues such as no recourse to public funds (NRPF) and the right to work for women with precarious immigration status. Organisations are keen to hold local authorities accountable, especially as Newham is a Borough of Sanctuary and Hackney is working towards this status and they want to be part of the solution, everyone knows how stretched statutory services are.  What would be great is if Local Authorities embrace the creativity and support alternative solutions that some of our members are developing.

Q: How has the participatory model shaped decision-making, and what insights have we gained from this way of funding?
Tessa: Coming from a service delivery background, I’ve seen funding at its most bureaucratic. This experience has been completely different. There were a few essential criteria, but beyond that, we co-developed the fund with our partners and were able to deliver on all of their recommendations (apart from “more money”!).

This approach has fostered genuine partnerships rather than a traditional funder-recipient dynamic. We are engaged in a shared mission—supporting women facing gendered poverty—and we work collaboratively to ensure accountability and transparency.

Rather than imposing rigid monitoring frameworks, we ask organisations, What does success look like to you? This ensures that reporting remains meaningful and reflective of actual impact. It’s still early days, but I’m optimistic that this model gives us the best chance of making a lasting difference.

Q: How can organisations, funders, and the wider community continue to support and strengthen these initiatives?
Tessa: We are collaborating with the Women’s Budget Group who will be conducting research alongside our practical work. Their findings will provide crucial insights into gaps in the sector and policy areas that need change. We’ll be sharing and using this research with a wide range of stakeholders, including other funders and the local authorities.

We also need policy change. Many women in precarious circumstances are unable to work due to their immigration status. The will is there—women want to improve their lives and their children’s futures—but they need the right tools and opportunities. Gendered poverty is closely linked to child poverty, so investing in women is an investment in the future.

Hackney Network:

Newham Network: