Flexible Funding on ‘the Edge’ - Investing Where It's Needed, Not Just Where It's Noticed

Having worked at Children on the Edge for over 25 years now, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the impact of flexible funding for the communities we work with time and time again. It’s honestly pretty remarkable. 

Our big blue sky goal is a world where every child thrives, regardless of their background or the circumstances they face. We partner with communities living in some of the toughest situations in the world. It’s not a stretch to say that those situations are far from predictable.

Shifting ground

The "edge" for many of the children we work with is a continually shifting landscape and what a community needs today might be drastically different tomorrow. To paint a picture, a sudden influx of refugees may need emergency shelter, food or sanitation. A military attack could explode a children’s pre-school in seconds. Government bulldozers can flatten entire communities with no warning. In such volatile environments, the constraints of tightly earmarked funding can actually be a hindrance.

Letting communities lead

This adaptability isn't just about responding to crises. Flexible or ‘unrestricted’ funding provides us with the agility to grow programmes organically. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, it enables our local partners, with their vast understanding of their own communities' challenges, to make informed decisions. They can allocate resources as needs are identified, methods are tested and new opportunities arise, instead of having imposed decisions and rigid plans. It gives them room to innovate, to test what works best and expand successful pilots. This communicates respect. It reinforces local leadership and community ownership, a principle that has always been central to our work and one which we are continually increasing our investment in.

Out of the spotlight

Then there's that awkward fact that some work simply doesn’t grab people’s attention. It can be the most critical, heartbreaking situation, but could easily miss out... We’ve always worked with those children who are genuinely overlooked, we go to places ‘where the camera doesn’t click’ and sadly, if it’s not hit the news cycle, you can guarantee it won’t be plain sailing funding a response. Over the years, some of our most vital, groundbreaking work has been invisible to the media, but thankfully, beautifully sustained by our unrestricted funds. 

The dreaded C-word

Agile funding also enables us to invest in the less visible aspects of our work. This includes strengthening local skills, dedicating resources to proper compliance, investing in the training and development of our staff, and ensuring robust, participatory monitoring and evaluation systems. ‘Core costs’ get a lot of bad press these days, but these are just a few of the many, many elements that are crucial for ensuring the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of our programmes. 

‘You’ve got this’ 

To me, flexible funding says, “We trust you. You’ve been doing this since 1990 and you’ve seen a thing or two. We can see your track record and we want you to do what you do best’’. Some might feel this smacks of unaccountability, but we absolutely love showing our supporters what their money has achieved. We’re committed to transparency and have robust financial management systems in place. We want to ensure every penny is used in the most effective and efficient way, so communities have the very best shot at making a tangible difference in the lives of their children. 

Courageous funders

Naturally I could write a whole blog on how amazing our restricted funds are too, but what got me thinking at the start of this year was being awarded a flexible funding grant, thanks to Postcode Lottery players. This is the fifth time we’ve been supported by Postcode Lottery and they have always shown incredible agility in their support of the communities we work with. This year is our first unrestricted fund from them, and frankly we want to celebrate it. We absolutely love how they invest in organisations that tackle power imbalances and ensure development is truly led by local communities. They champion courageous funding that believes in the potential that organisations can be the drivers of positive, lasting change.