Date/Time: Tuesday 8 September 2026, 11:00am–1:00pm
Format: Online
Cost: Free
Places: Limited – register to secure your space
About this event
Firs and Bromford Neighbours Together, covering the Firs and Bromford estate to the east of Birmingham city centre, worked with grassroots organisations to create a place where "all feel welcome, all feel that they belong, and all feel that they can flourish". This online session explores how long-term place-based investment approaches can understand, measure and communicate impact in ways that are meaningful to communities—and why community building and social infrastructure are central to sustainable outcomes.
The session will examine:
How impact is defined, measured and communicated in place-based programmes, and the relationship between this and power dynamics
Community-defined impact and outcomes, rather than purely output-driven measurement
The realities and complexities of long-term community change and the role of residents in shaping what gets measured
What wider stakeholders should consider when funding, resourcing, designing and supporting future neighbourhood and place-based programmes
Who should attend
This session is open to anyone working in or around place-based and neighbourhood change. It will be particularly relevant to funders, local authorities, voluntary and community sector organisations, community infrastructure bodies, and public health stakeholders.
You will come away with:
A deeper understanding of the relationship between community building and long-term impact
Recognition of the limitations of purely output-driven measurement approaches
Insight into how power and participation shape impact and outcomes in community-led work
Practical reflection on how funding and commissioning practices influence community-led approaches
Tools and frameworks for measuring meaningful change, supporting community leadership, and managing conflict constructively
Delivered by West Midlands Funders Network and Heart of England Community Foundation, in partnership with Local Trust.