In 2023, The Henry Smith Charity established a DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) working group to refocus our efforts on DEI both within the organisation and in our external grant-making activities.
As a social impact funder, we must live our values, particularly our commitment to DEI. Our DEI working group is the driving force behind these efforts, ensuring that staff, trustees, and volunteers feel empowered to embed DEI principles in their work.
The recent rioting and violence targeting minoritised communities in the UK was a reminder of the importance of being both proactive and responsive in supporting those affected.
We condemn the riots and the rhetoric that surrounds them. We are actively supporting both grant holders and staff affected by offering flexibility with grant spending, for example reallocating funding to address unforeseen costs or to address unanticipated needs arising as a result of the rioting.
Establishing Foundations
In early 2024, our DEI working group introduced a new set of DEI definitions for the organisation. These serve as a foundation for ensuring that our DEI principles are woven into all policies, processes and guidelines, shaping how we work internally and externally. These definitions also support our grant-making activities, helping us engage more meaningfully with stakeholders at all levels,
We view DEI as something that should be embedded throughout our organisation. The contributions from staff across our teams below explore these definitions, show how they shape our work, and demonstrate how DEI influences our practice across the board.
“Equality means introducing participatory decision-making approaches in our grant making to share power and address power imbalances”
Why define DEI?
Anand Shukla, Chief Executive
When I joined The Henry Smith Charity in May 2022, one of my key priorities was developing a DEI strategy. Whilst a lot of good work had been undertaken in respect of our recruitment practice as well as being part of the DEI data standard funder collaboration, it was clear that different understandings of foundational terms were creating barriers to progress. This led us to begin by defining key DEI terms in the context of The Henry Smith Charity and its work.
Through thoughtful discussions with the DEI working group, we developed our understanding of big concepts like equality, diversity and inclusion in our organisational context. I was not sure what to expect from the working group discussions, but I was delighted at the commitment, insight, and care the group took in considering each of the terms. So, what does this mean for us in practice?
Equality means:
- Introducing participatory decision-making approaches in our grant making to share power and address power imbalances
- Implementing a more relational grant making approach, including greater transparency and accountability
- Becoming more flexible and supportive in working with others to achieve agreed outcomes
Equity means:
- Learning about the barriers faced by colleagues, grant applicants, recipients, communities, and the people they work with
- Reviewing our internal processes and taking active steps to adapt how we work to reduce the barriers may be creating for grant or job applicants
- Putting sharing learning with each other, grant applicants, recipients and other funders and sector partners at the heart of our strategy
Diversity means:
- Focusing on supporting people from minoritised backgrounds, especially in terms of professional development support
- Improving representation at governance and leadership levels within civil society
- Collaborating closely with people with lived experience (one of our key strategy ambitions)
Inclusion means:
- Implementing relational and participatory approaches to grant making and making sure those with lived experience are centred
- Becoming a learning organisation by taking the time to learn about, face and address the impact of our own biases on others and acknowledge our place in upholding systemic bias
As we implement our new strategy, these DEI principles and definitions will be embedded in our grant programmes and ways of working. Transparency is key, and we are committed to sharing the lessons we learn, both positive and negative.
“We have updated our recruitment practices to reduce bias and improve accessibility, ensuring a diverse pool of candidates”
Development of the DEI Definitions
Shreya Shukla, Grants Coordinator
To ensure our definitions were inclusive, we collaborated with Srabani Sen from Full Colour consultancy, using their ‘Journey of Trust ©’ model to gauge trust within the organisation from a DEI and anti-racism perspective. We also drew from the Association of Charitable Foundations’ Stronger Foundations framework, which supports and encourages philanthropic organisations to evolve with societal needs.
Through workshops and consultations with staff, trustees, and volunteers, we created our DEI definitions, establishing clear principles that will guide us going forward.
Supporting Our People: What Is Underway?
Holly Green, People & Culture Manager
At The Henry Smith Charity, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, supportive environment for our staff. Over the past year, we have made progress in improving recruitment, development opportunities, and offering open conversations about challenges affecting our team, especially those from minoritised communities.
We have updated our recruitment practices to reduce bias and improve accessibility, ensuring a diverse pool of candidates. For example, we use a technique called application ‘blinding’ to help us assess skills and experience, which reduces factors that can lead to biased decisions. We also post roles on job boards specifically for those from minoritised backgrounds to extend opportunities to a broader pool of candidates.
Planned initiatives to extend reach even further include outreach methods like open days and reviewing schemes supporting disabled candidates. We will also provide mentoring, shadowing, and work placements to both internal staff and external candidates. Additionally, we are working to diversify our board.
We have also introduced confidential, one-on-one support for staff and volunteers impacted by recent violence targeting minoritised communities. We are partnering with expert consultancies Full Colour and Clore Social Leadership to deliver this, so that everyone feels supported.
In terms of policy updates, we have introduced a menopause policy and are providing training for line managers. We have also improved support for neurodivergent employees, with training led by a neurodiversity specialist to help line managers better understand and support their teams.
Transparency is central to our approach to DEI. We have begun collecting and analysing DEI data internally, focusing on areas like the gender and ethnicity pay gaps, which will increase accountability and improve our practices.
While there is lots more to do, we’re proud of our progress and committed to supporting our staff as we improve practice and embed DEI principles across the organisation.
James Tulloch, Learning and Evaluation Manager
New Research on Funding Equity
James Tulloch, Learning and Evaluation Manager
We are working with The Social Investment Consultancy and the VCSE Observatory to gather data on DEI practices among UK funders. This research will explore:
- The equity of the UK funding landscape
- The impact of current practices on equitable funding
- How DEI data influences funder practices
We will share the findings once published and use the insights to inform our future grant making strategies.
We look forward to sharing more DEI developments and projects across our grant-making, HR, development and partnership work and are committed to becoming a model of good diversity, equity and inclusion practice in our sector.
Authors:
Anand Shukla, Chief Executive
Ellen Rowland, Communications Manager
Holly Green, People and Culture Manager
James Tulloch, Learning and Evaluation Manager
Shreya Shukla, Grants Co-ordinator