The document discusses plans to establish an endowment fund in Barking and Dagenham, London to support the social sector. It notes that the area has experienced de-industrialization, population growth, and the election of far-right councilors in the past. In response, local leaders developed a model of community engagement and civic participation to empower residents. The proposed endowment fund would provide sustainable funding for social infrastructure and non-profits. It would be governed inclusively with community representation and focus on sustainability, participation, and supporting future generations.

1. An Endowment for the Social
Sector in Barking and Dagenham
London Policy Network 11th March 2021

2. Period of de-industrialisation,
unprecedented
population growth and
demographic change
2006
Election of BNP
councillors
Creation of the B&D
Model of community
engagement
2010
Defeat of BNP
Cllrs and Nick
Griffin
2014
New leadership
and the
emergence of
Civic Socialism
Past Present
2015
Independent
Growth
Commission
Our Journey
• The participation & engagement agenda comes from the fight against the far right.
• From the B&D model of Community Engagement comes an approach to local government
that is resident-first, moving away from paternalism and towards participation.
• This is a communitarian belief that people need to feel agency over their lives in order to feel
invested in a community.

3. Strategic Framework
• Participation is rooted at the at heart of our Strategic
Framework, with both our VCSE Strategy and Corporate Plan
for 2020 to 2022 embedding the principles of Participation
and Engagement throughout the Council’s services.
• In the Single Performance Framework for 2020-2022,
Participation and Engagement makes up a quarter of the
framework, a significant chunk.
• This commitment to Participation has helped to create the
conditions in which an Endowment fund can be created for
and run by the Social sector. This is a genuine transferring of
power through collaboration and partnership, which is
enabled by our supporting Strategic Framework.

4. Role of Social Infrastructure
• A strong and independent Social Infrastructure is key to
this new approach. The newly formed BD_Collective and
BD Giving are actively building the capacity of and with
the Social Sector and the Endowment will further
support that growth.
• The Social Sector will continue to be supported by the
Endowment as it provides a sustainable and transparent
source of income for the long-term.
Building
Capacity with
Social Sector
A Relational
Council
Developing
Opportunities
to Meaningfully
Participate
Facilitating
Democratic
Participation

5. Making it easy for everyone to give to things that matter” – Emerging
model
Crowdfunde
r
Local
lottery
Every One
Every Day
Volunteering
Barking &
Dagenham
Giving
Endowment
Fund
Neighbourho
od Fund
FUNDERS COMMUNITY
BUSINESS
Procuremen
t
(Social
value)
Corporate
volunteering

6. Key decisions
Decisions by Cabinet in the past couple of years include:
• A decision to designate the entire borough as the ‘neighbourhood’ for the
purpose of spending NCIL collections
• A decision to distribute this funding through a pot of money immediately
accessible, i.e. the Neighbourhood fund, and to invest the rest of it to support
the community in the long term.
• The overall ambition to move from a model where the council does itself, to
one where it partners with and entrusts others to do.

7. Core principles of the endowment
• Sustainability, with a particular focus on future generations.
✦ any expenditure which risks depleting the capital is the exception not
the rule
✦ People, planet, profit
• Inclusive participation: involving the community in setting the overall
direction of the fund and reviewing its performance and impact
• Representation: ensuring that local people have a chance to make
decisions concerning this fund, including by sitting on any governing or
advisory board that might be established

8. Design workshop feedback

9. Governance

10. Thank you!
Twitter: @givingbd
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/barking-dagenham-giving
Website: bdgiving.org.uk/endowment-fund/
Contact: geraud@bdgiving.org.uk