Funders working together to shape a fairer West Midlands

We are the only cross-sector membership network for people and organisations who give funding to communities in the West Midlands.

Join the network for funders in the West Midlands

  • Join a vibrant community of funders and organisations across the West Midlands. Gain insights, share challenges and successes, and connect with peers for collective growth and intelligence sharing.

  • Explore collaboration opportunities to share resources and co-create funding solutions. Align your efforts with regional and national strategies to maximise your impact. 


  • Engage in workshops, seminars, and conferences tailored to grant-making and funding. Stay informed on strategic and operational updates within the region, with exclusive access to knowledge-sharing events.

  • Enhance your grant-making approach through peer learning and expert-led events. Stay ahead of trends such as participatory grant-making and the integration of AI in funding practices. 

  • Leverage shared data, research, and insights to refine your funding strategies. Gain a clear understanding of regional funding gaps and emerging social issues through our intelligence network.

  • Stay informed on issues impacting the third sector and funding priorities in the West Midlands. Our insights keep you updated on how regional developments influence support strategies. 

  • Regularly connect with funders, public bodies, and key stakeholders through thematic events, roundtable discussions, and conferences. Focus on key topics like funding “cold spots” in the region. 

  • Elevate your profile within the regional funding landscape. Contribute to events and working groups, gaining visibility in discussions shaping West Midlands funding strategies.

Latest News & Events

News
West Midlands Funders Network and Heart of England Community Foundation partner with Local Trust to deliver Big Local legacy programme
West Midlands Funders Network and Heart of England Community Foundation partner with Local Trust to deliver Big Local legacy programme

West Midlands Funders Network and Heart of England Community Foundation are joining forces to deliver the Big Local Legacy Learning Programme, a new initiative launching in June/July 2026. Funded by Local Trust and the National Lottery Community Fund, the programme will capture and share learning from Big Local areas across the region.

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From curiosity to practice: What the funding sector should do next on AI
From curiosity to practice: What the funding sector should do next on AI

WMFN has been exploring data and digital issues since 2018. Now, as generative AI reshapes the funding landscape, our 2025 Annual Conference brought together members, practitioners and experts to ask the questions that matter most. Ambassador Pauline Roche reflects on the energy, the ethics, and what funders should do next.

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Assessing and Funding Community Interest Companies – Funders Learning through Sharing Practice
Assessing and Funding Community Interest Companies – Funders Learning through Sharing Practice

Funders from across the West Midlands came together on 28 April to explore the opportunities and challenges of assessing and funding Community Interest Companies (CICs), sharing practical experience and strengthening collective understanding. The session highlighted both the potential CICs offer and the complexities they present for funders.

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Charity campaigning and political activity: legal guidance for funders
Charity campaigning and political activity: legal guidance for funders

As elections approach and public debate becomes more polarised, charities and funders are navigating complex questions about campaigning and political engagement. This article summarises key insights from a West Midlands Funders Network briefing with legal expert Kirsty McEwen, outlining the rules, risks and practical considerations for charities influencing policy while remaining within the law.

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Featured
Support Infrastructure and Devolving Power
Jun 24
Support Infrastructure and Devolving Power

This session draws directly on the experience of Big Local areas in the West Midlands. It examines different models of infrastructure support, the practical challenges of building resident-led governance, and how organisations responded when partnerships broke down and had to be rebuilt.

Visit: Turning Ambition into Reality with Grace Mary to Lion Farm Big Local in Sandwell
Jul 16
Visit: Turning Ambition into Reality with Grace Mary to Lion Farm Big Local in Sandwell

Grace Mary to Lion Farm Big Local in Sandwell is one of the West Midlands' strongest examples of what long-term community investment looks like. This visit includes a tour of their hub and community enterprise activity and a chance to meet with young people involved in the Wallace Youth Project.

Equity, Inclusion and Representation
Sept 3
Equity, Inclusion and Representation

Equity and inclusion are easy to commit to on paper. This session is about what they look like in practice — the barriers that emerge in community governance, how discrimination can take hold, and what it takes to genuinely challenge it.

Meet Our Members

Statement - January 2025

West Midlands Funders Network is proud to announce its commitment to advancing racial equity in the West Midlands, by signing the Birmingham Race Impact Group (BRIG) Anti-Racist Pledge. 

Our first actions will be to deepen our understanding of anti-racism and strengthen our practices as a Network as part of our current three-year strategy. 

We will incorporate opportunities into our programme of work for us and Network members to learn how to embed anti-racist principles and practices into funding policies and processes, and to play our part in creating an anti-racist West Midlands.

Join our network

Join us today and begin working with organisations who are committed to shaping a fairer and stronger West Midlands.

 
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