In 2020 we completed our first funding round, raising and distributing £6,350 to seven grassroots groups. This was a trial to see if it worked in Bristol and if there was a need for it here. We wondered if there were enough small, community-led groups in Bristol that needed funding – and we’ve learned there definitely are! In December 2024 we completed our sixth round, distributing over £26,000 to 30 groups. Here’s a round up of how things went. 

Application process

The application process starts with fundraising. Each round we give out all the money we have and have to start from scratch again. We set up the crowdfund in December 2023 and it ticked along slowly, until in September 2024 we finally passed the £10,000 line and then opened for applications. 

In this round we had our newly worded criteria, with more emphasis on groups most affected by inequality, and we lowered the annual income threshold for groups to £10,000. Groups could apply via a Google form, email, audio file, video or over the phone. Most came in written form, one was taken via voice note. We had 37 eligible applications. 

Feedback on application process

“The form was easy to complete and I was glad to be able to freely write about what my group does. Communication from Redistro was great and quick. The only thing is that I wish individual email responses were a bit quicker”.

“It was really straightforward, and the regular updates from you about progress, when to expect to hear etc was really helpful”.

“I found it really easy and accessible to apply. I’m not very tech-savvy so I really appreciated the simplicity of the online form, that wasn’t too long or overwhelming. I would say it took an hour to fill in the application, which is less than it has taken me to fill out some recent job applications, which was great! I wasn’t aware of any support available for the form however, if I had needed help”. 

“It was accessible for me. Even knowing I had the option of doing it in other ways made it less intimidating and meant I was more able to start the application”.

Fundraising

We always aim to continue raising money right until the last minute (and to beat the previous round, which in this case was £20,600). This time we raised a total of £26,472. This was all from individuals except for £3,800 from Headfirst and £512 which was part of the proceeds from a week-long DIY music event at the Old England pub. £7,800 of the total raised was donated by Redistro collective members. In total, we had 59 donations (some people donated more than once), with fourteen of £200 or more (ten of those were £1,000 or more). The largest donation was £5,000. 

Decision-making process 

Once the process begins we contact all our previously funded groups and ask them if they would like to be part of the shortlisting panel to decide which applications get funded. The decision-making is entirely done by this panel, with Redistro collective members present at the meeting to take notes and answer any questions about the process. This time we had a total of 14 people offer to be part of the shortlisting panel. We noticed that there weren’t many people who’d come forward from queer and trans+ led groups, so we put a call out for some extra people from these groups to ensure we had a good balanced panel. 

The panel initially read and score a batch of applications and then send these scores back to Redistro collective members. After this there is an in-person meeting to decide which groups will be funded, using the scores as a starting point. We had so many applications this year that we didn’t manage to make decisions about all 37 groups in one meeting. This meant we had to have a second shortlisting meeting online. In the end, 20 groups received the full amount they asked for (mostly £1,000 but a couple of £500) and the balance was shared between the remaining 10 groups (who received £747.20 each). You can see a full list of the funded groups on our website.

As a thank you for their contribution, each panel member is given £50 for scoring and £50 for attending the shortlisting meeting. The total amount paid to the panel this round was £1,050. 

Feedback on decision-making process

“I love Redisto and think it’s all so beautiful. I just wonder if sometimes there is so much desire to leave it to all the past applicants to make the decision (and for it to be consensus decision making) that it can take a long time or be more complicated to get to the end decision”. 

“The scoring I found quite difficult initially as I had not done anything like it before. It felt hard comparing and judging applicants as my automatic setting is to want to just help everyone. The groups shortlisted were all worthy of funding”. 

“The process on the day felt very open and inclusive and fair. Louis facilitated it amazingly and his manner throughout was exemplary. He approached the whole day with care and respect and I thought he was amazing”. 

“I think it was done with extreme care and consideration. Well done to the team who make this happen!”

“Shortlisting panel was straightforward and easy to access with all the applications being clear to read and scoring system was easy to follow. Great communication and understanding from Redistro with clear instructions”. 

“Think Redistro make it really clear and accessible that when marking applications to be aware and conscious of our own privileges and power but maybe could be clearer about internalised bias and having our own relationship to things like defining ‘radical’. 

Meeting our Round 6 groups

On 7 December 2024 we had a day with our Round 6 funded groups. We had a challenging start to the day, with Storm Darragh bringing in rain and gusts of wind and meaning many people could no longer make it, and then we couldn’t access the venue we’d booked! Thankfully the downstairs space at the lovely Cafe Kino was free so we moved there. 

During the day, Redistro organising group member Louis facilitated some group sessions focusing on Collaboration and Needs and Offers. The groups got to know each other a bit and there were some rich discussions about What do groups need? What can groups offer? We shared a tasty lunch and there was a fun, warm atmosphere. 

“I met loads of really awesome people running amazing work and hopefully will get to do some work alongside a few.”

“It was good to meet other organisations who had received funding and what they used their funding for. Meeting people/organisations in one place gave the opportunity to link in to their activities to further work with my organisation”.

“I have regained a sense of hope for my life and the world. Thank you!!”

“I felt proud to be part of Bristol’s grassroots scene”

“It really encouraged me, seeing other individuals trying to help and improve the lives of marginalized groups. I found it really very moving, that so many people had the belief in themselves to do good, and also to receive funding. It was a very hopeful experience.”

Learnings and reflections

We were happy to have raised more money this time and to have supported more groups, and had so much involvement of previously funded groups in the decision-making. We also had a lot of positive feedback about how accessible the application process was, and some other responses showing that it meant a lot to those in receipt of the funding:

“I felt hugely overwhelmed and grateful for the funding. Not only does it mean I can run positive and uplifting art groups for people in the community, but it is also a way of saying the work I am doing is valuable, appreciated and important and that I can be trusted to produce this work without being micromanaged. It really means a lot. It’s hugely impactful for someone like me who works by myself and runs my workshops all on my own. It’s basically like someone cheering you on saying ‘You can do this, I believe in you, the work you do is great and we see its value!’ which means an awful lot.

There were also some challenges. The fundraising continues to be a slog – hence our desire to do more direct work with people who have inherited wealth. There is also a huge amount of behind-the-scenes admin and organisation done by Redistro collective members, which at times can be unmanageable and leave us feeling burnt out. 

The shortlisting process is becoming more difficult as the number of applications increases. It takes a lot of time for the panel to read and score them. When the panel meets it can be tough to say no to any of the applications. It’s difficult to make decisions as people have different levels of knowledge about the issues and communities involved in the application, and different opinions about which groups should receive funding. 

Even though there was good representation of Black and racially minoritised people involved in decision-making (6 of the 14), fewer groups led by Black and racially minoritised people were funded this time – 50% of all funded groups compared to 70% over our previous 5 rounds. While this is still a lot higher than your average funder, it felt disappointing given how underfunded their work is. One possible reason is that in the past we’ve had a higher proportion of applications from groups led by Black and racially minoritised led people but it seems more people heard about the funding round this time which meant they made up a smaller percentage of overall applications. We’re also not receiving many applications from groups led by disabled people and we don’t seem to be reaching groups further on the outskirts of Bristol very well. 

We continue to be inspired to do this work, but there is always lots to learn. Our upcoming plans include trialling a new model (more to come on this!) and working with some social media volunteers to help us with our comms.