The Pocressi Initiative is committed to funding and collaborating under an inclusion and anti-oppressive framework.
We select Impact Partners who already either have a detailed anti oppressive strategy, or are committed to working with us to improve this framework using measurable goals and timelines.
In the summer of 2020, much of the philanthropic and charitable sector were forced to talk about diversity and inclusion, and the need for change became more obvious for those of us who are privileged enough to choose not to engage. We have seen some change in this field regarding inclusion, but in TPI’s opinion- not a lot. We strive to work with and learn from other UK based funders who’s partnerships are with majority black and brown led organisations.
The need, in stats
The below is an extract from the research report “Diversity and Inclusion in the UK Addictions and Criminal Justice Sector” by Bonnie Chiu, MD of TSIC, in partnership with The Pocressi Initiative.
Leadership
The diversity and inclusion agenda is an increasingly relevant one for the social sector to consider. In the UK, only 6% of charity CEOs are from ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to 19.5% of the country’s population (2011 census). Over two thirds (68/100) of foundation trustees are male. Of these, 99/100 are white, and 3% are aged between 25-34.
tHE SOCIAL IMPACT
Many social issues have a bigger impact on ethnic minorities.
In Criminal Justice: 26% of the prison population are ethnic minorities. If our prison population reflected the makeup of England and Wales, we would have over 9,000 FEWER people in prison. That’s equivalent to 12 average sized prisons.
The potential lack of cultural and ethnic knowledge and understanding among majority White led services can not only neglect the needs of marginalised groups, but cause lasting harm and trauma.
In The Addiction Sector: a UKDPC report (2010), was the first study to systematically look at drug use among ethnic minority groups, which further highlighted the lack of knowlegde, understanding and design that the addiction treatment sector offers, which is primarily built to serve White Cis service users. This in turn limits the effectiveness of interventions for non White folks seeking support and understanding.
We can learn valuable lessons from other sectors, such as social investment which have started to embed diversity and inclusion in their work. We have also done a lot of learning from anti racist and anti oppressive US based funding organisations.
Our aims can be summarised as follows:
Broaden the appeal of the charity sector to attract more talent
Address systematic Racism and White Supremacy in all its forms
Ensure fair access to beneficiaries, so that no one is discriminated or deterred from using services
Provide more effective solutions and services that take into account the specific needs of non- White people.
Check out our blog for our published research on this topic. If you want to learn more about our process or share your own work around this, please get in touch.