Corra Strategy 2020 – 2030
Corra’s new strategy is a response to the world we live in, and to the one we want to play a part in building. It is long term because making a difference on the big challenges will take time. At its heart is the strong belief that when people find their voice, they unlock the power to make change happen.
Everything Corra does is focused on working towards its vision and mission:
Corra’s vision is for a society in which people create positive change and enjoy fulfilling lives.
Our mission is to make a difference with people and communities, by encouraging positive change, opportunities, fairness and growth of aspirations, which improve quality of life.
Corra loves working with so many people, communities and organisations in Scotland and beyond. Partnership will continue to drive Corra’s approach, bringing together a wealth of expertise to make a difference towards bold, shared goals.
Three big changes
Over the decade from 2020 to 2030, Corra will try to help bring about three big changes, so that:
- The power to create change rests with people themselves.
- People with ideas for radical change are supported, skilled, connected and confident.
- People are working together to respond to the big challenges facing Scotland.
CHANGE ONE: The power to create change rests with people themselves
The most powerful, meaningful change starts with people. For this to happen, we all need to be able to participate (in communities, in decision making, in society), to find our voices and make ourselves heard. Everyone should have power, control and the sense that they can make a difference through what they do. Too many people feel that their voice isn’t heard or listened to and that decisions that affect them are taken by other people.
Corra will work to support people and communities and challenge the barriers that get in their way, with the aim of more people having the power to create change.
CHANGE TWO: People with ideas for radical change are supported, skilled, connected and confident
Radical change is needed if we are to respond to many of the challenges we face. The potential for this comes from people or small groups within communities of geography and interest. The people who know best how to respond to challenges are those who are most closely affected by them. Often though, they can’t access the support that would tip the odds in their favour. This might include funding that comes with trust and time… opportunities to build and share skills… and the chance to make connections with others, in Scotland and beyond.
Corra will develop this type of support and aim to make it more widely accessible to people as they pursue radical change.
CHANGE THREE: People are working together to respond to the big challenges facing Scotland
We can only rise to the challenges we face if people work together across groups, organisations and sectors. The most powerful way to find new solutions is by bringing lived and learned expertise to the table. This type of social change needs a whole range of tools, including: making best use of data; funding; helping people build their confidence and skills; networking; learning, sharing and campaigning.
Corra will continue to work with others, creating spaces – where they are needed – for people to share, learn, collaborate and influence together.
What we’ll do
Having a ten-year strategy means that Corra can develop new ways of working as well as building and deepening partnerships. The foundation will continue to work alongside communities and make grants, with a growing focus on supporting voice, power and action.
Voice and participation – shifting power
Strengthening people’s voices and shifting power to communities will be a theme across Corra. This will include working alongside communities and offering support that is flexible, directed by them and free from traditional constraints. It will mean increasing participatory approaches within grant programmes, for example through lived experience panels and models of community-controlled funding. Corra will try to influence decision making, using learning and evidence and creating opportunities for people who hold power, and those furthest from it, to come together.
People in Place – connecting communities and creating change
Corra will continue to develop relationships with people and organisations in Scottish places. This will mean building on the collaborative approach to ‘getting alongside communities’, as well as new projects like Participatory Scotland. Corra hopes to support communities to connect with each other and to use their voice and power to influence wider system change.
Henry Duncan Grants – offering trust and time
Grassroots charities make a big difference to the lives of millions of people throughout Scotland. Henry Duncan Grants play a small role in supporting their work and will continue to be a priority for Corra. Groups which access Corra’s grants have frequently said that they want more flexibility, fewer restrictions and access to multi-year funding. In response, Henry Duncan Grants will offer standard grants of up to five years, which will be unrestricted wherever possible.
Within the £1m a year funding pot, a small amount will also be available as micro grants. This will enable organisations with an income of up to £50k to apply for grants of up to £1k. This will be a rolling programme with no closing dates and minimal paperwork.
To make the biggest impact it can, Henry Duncan Grants will focus on a different theme each year, with grants aimed at:
2020 – Enabling families to cope with the impacts of poverty
2021 – Improving mental health and wellbeing
2022 – Supporting children and young people facing challenges
2023 – Increasing opportunities for disabled people and people with long term conditions
2024 – Supporting people experiencing inequality or discrimination
The focus on themes will mean that Corra is able to create opportunities for people to come together to share learning and influence wider change.
Families affected by drugs and alcohol – creating lasting change
Corra is committed to the rights of children and young people affected by drugs and alcohol. It delivers a range of partnership work in this area, at the heart of which is a promise to listen to children and young people.
Funding will continue to be an important part of Corra’s contribution. However it will also develop and deepen its work to build connections and networks to connect change on the ground to change in wider systems.
Partnership – achieving more by working together
Corra believes the challenges communities are facing mean we need to work together. This means working alongside a wide range of people, including communities, charities and other grant makers. Corra will also continue to manage grants on behalf of others, often working closely to make sure the money has a wider impact on policy and practice.
How we’ll work
A ten-year strategy means not knowing all the detail of what Corra will do over that time. However, there are a number of key principles about how Corra will work.
Corra believes in its mission and vision and uses this as the touch stone for everything it does. It believes it can best work towards this by:
- Listening – the voices of people and communities, and the wisdom that comes from their direct lived experience are at the heart of Corra’s approach.
- Getting alongside others – Corra is a collaborative foundation, working alongside others on the basis of shared power and mutual trust.
- Being willing to be bold – Corra develops and tests new approaches, taking considered risks and supporting others to do the same.
- Being the best it can be – Corra tries to be the best organisation it can, particularly in relation to: good practice in grant making; participation; diversity and inclusion; transparency; and climate impact.
