Turning Evidence into Action: Funders Gather to Explore the Civil Society Covenant and Sector Resilience
WMFN members, infrastructure leaders, and policy specialists gathered at Rathbones in Birmingham on 25 November 2025 for a timely and thought-provoking West Midlands Funders Network (WMFN) workshop: “Turning Evidence into Action: Funding the West Midlands VCSE under the Civil Society Covenant.”
At a time when the role of civil society in delivering social value is under increased scrutiny, the event set out to unpack the UK Government’s Civil Society Covenant (CSC), interpret the latest data on the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector and grants given, to explore how regional funders can respond to emerging pressures and opportunities.
Kwabena Osayande, Equalities and Diversity Manager at the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), opened the session with an overview of the Civil Society Covenant – a national framework aimed at strengthening relationships between state institutions and civil society through collaboration, trust, transparency, and inclusion.
While not a funding programme, the Covenant is positioned as a strategic lever to embed civil society into public sector planning and delivery. Osayande stated that WMCA plans to align the CSC with its Faith Covenant and broader inclusive growth strategy, describing it as “a transformative governance approach” that can reframe how public bodies engage with community organisations.
A copy of Kwabena’s presentation can be downloaded here.
Professor Daniel King of Nottingham Trent University presented findings from the Wave 10 VCSE Sector Barometer Report, co-developed with NCVO. The report painted a stark picture of a sector under sustained pressure:
57% of organisations reported an increase in demand for services in the last quarter.
45% reported a decline in financial health.
Staff wellbeing is suffering, particularly in smaller organisations with limited resources.
Only 42% of respondents felt confident about their organisation’s long-term sustainability.
King emphasised the importance of public and philanthropic funders recognising not just the services delivered, but the infrastructure and workforce wellbeing that sustains the sector. A copy of the Daniel’s presentation can be found here.
Copies of the 11 barometer reports published to date can be found here.
Katherine Duerden of 360Giving then shared findings from their UK Grantmaking 2025 report, revealing valuable insights into the flow of grant funding across the UK, the pattern and gaps:
A significant share of grant funding remains concentrated among larger, London-based charities.
Smaller charities, particularly those operating locally or led by marginalised communities, continue to face barriers in accessing grants.
In the West Midlands, there is a diverse ecosystem of funders, but gaps remain in joined-up funding strategies and data sharing.
Discussion encouraged funders to engage more actively with open data platforms to inform more equitable and place-based funding approaches. Access a copy of Katherine’s presentation here, plus an interactive version of the visualisation of WM funder connections here.
Throughout the event, participants engaged in facilitated roundtable discussions, drawing connections between the Covenant’s policy intent, potential for regional data trends, and their own funding data.
Key themes emerging from the group feedback included:
The need for cross-sector partnership models rooted in trusting relationships and shared learning.
A call for funders to invest in VCSE infrastructure and workforce wellbeing as core priorities that can sustain the role and work of civil society organisations long term.
The importance of using data and lived experience to shape funding strategies that reflect community realities.
Funders not already signed up to 360Giving to give up their grant data to provide a more detailed and nuanced picture.
Looking ahead, the Covenant provides a framework, but it’s up to funders, infrastructure bodies, and public sector leaders to turn its principles into action. The data shared made it clear: there is a need for coordinated, evidence-informed investment that supports not just services, but the people and systems that deliver them.
