From 2019 – 2022, MigrationWork CIC had the great privilege of contributing to MiFriendly Cities project in the West Midlands. A key part of our work was delivering the ‘social innovation strand’ which saw 13 migrant lead organisations funded to run community projects, that supported the projects overall mission to make the West Midlands more migrant friendly. The projects did fantastic work locally – a music project supported budding musicians; a local political engagement project got local migrants voting; CARAG’s ‘Right to a Home project’ lead to the organisation securing funding for a house for homeless migrants – a significant achievement for a migrant lead organisation.
Having worked together over the years, in the final year, the group of organisations decided to establish the Network of Migrant Innovators (NOMI), in order to stay connected, to work together, and possibly to run future projects together. They were supported to establish by us at MigrationWork and by Melvin Lyons, who was brought in especially for this role. Faced with the challenging prospects of securing further funding beyond the MiFriendly Cities project deadline, this report gathered reflections about some of the challenges that migrant lead organisations face in accessing funding. Key issues include the institutional bias that exists from largely white lead funding organisations, who simply do not understand the issues faced by migrant communities, or some of the barriers to applying in the traditional ways.
This report offers a valuable insight, from the lived experience lens of migrant lead community organisations. This is a key piece of literature for all funders looking to keep up to date with matters of diversity and inclusion.
Since the end of the MiFriendly Cities project, members of NOMI sadly continue to report barriers that they face accessing funding, which were cited in this report – the issues have not gone away.
