Communities and organisations strengthened thanks to multi-year funding partnership

Nearly 2,500 people were supported thanks to the first round of grants from the Bartlett Group Fund. 

 

About the Bartlett Group Fund

The Bartlett Group Fund is our partnership with the Bartlett Foundation, which supports organisations to address the challenges young people in vulnerable circumstances face. The funding is flexible, so organisations can put it towards what’s most helpful for their work. That could be for specific projects, to support the organisation’s capacity and resilience or to cover core costs. 

We ran the first round of the Fund in 2022, awarding six multi-year grants totalling £170,000, to community organisations in Leeds and Bradford. 

 

The impact on communities

The organisations worked closely with people experiencing poverty and extreme challenges in life, supporting those facing barriers to education, employment, health and food security. 

Muslim Women’s Council used their grant to continue their large-scale weekly soup kitchen, The Curry Circle. Over the 3 years, they provided tens of thousands of meals, as well as free period products, meeting increased need from the community as a result of the rising cost of living. 

One of their attendees said “The Curry Circle has supported me weekly by providing hot meals and valuable advice on other services available. The meals … helped a lot with getting by when I was struggling with putting food on the table. I have now started receiving the relevant benefits and everything is sorted financially”. 

 

The impact on the organisations

As well as directly supporting members of the community, the flexible nature of the grants has meant they’ve had a significant impact on the organisations, too. All 6 of the organisations reported an increase in organisational capacity each year. They also used some of their grants to invest in organisational and staff development, which helped to improve staff wellbeing and skills, as well as young people’s programming. 

Step 2 said “In terms of sustainability, the grant has helped us grow our skills, develop new approaches, and gather evidence of impact. This puts us in a stronger position to secure future funding and continue offering creative, flexible support for families”. 

Collectively, the organisations have raised more than £624,000 in additional funding, thanks to their grants. 

 

What’s next for the Bartlett Group Fund

In 2025, we awarded a further six multi-year grants through the Bartlett Group Fund, bringing the total invested to £350,000. 

We’re proud to continue our partnership with the Bartlett Foundation and offer flexible, long-term funding to support our communities. 

If you’d like to talk to us about how we could work together to develop a fund of your own, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at info@leedscf.org.uk.