The most powerful, meaningful change starts with people. Amplifying the voices of those furthest from power is central to Corra’s ten-year strategy. One of the ways Corra has put this into practice is through the involvement of people with lived experience in the grant-making process.
This new series of reports outlines the process involved in setting up two decision-making panels; Scottish Government’s Challenge Fund and the first round of Comic Relief’s #ShiftThePower. These follow conversations with participants, reflecting on what worked well and what could work better. It’s a privilege to deliver these funds on behalf of the Scottish Government and Comic Relief and to have the opportunity to design processes where lived experience is central in decision making.
The series includes:
A Lived Experience Insight Briefing (also see below) giving an overview on involving people with lived experience in grant making.
More detailed panel reflection reports on The Challenge Fund and Comic Relief #ShiftThePower Fund.
Sharing key learnings on participatory grant-making
The reports aim to share key learnings from this process, with the hope they may be used as a resource for organisations who share Corra’s interest in participatory approaches. Corra is only at the beginning of this journey of learning and will continue to consider how to build more opportunities for people to be involved in all stages of grant-making.
‘All panel members interviewed valued the experience, felt they had been listened to and were able to influence the decision-making process.’
– Comic Relief Lived Experience Panel Reflection, Corra Foundation
Overall, participants found the experience to be positive and worthwhile, bringing those involved unexpected personal benefits to do with confidence building and skills development. Corra would like to thank those involved and highlight how much value their participation brought to the process.
‘Meaningful engagement of people with lived experience is an essential principle and one that is increasingly recognised in service design, delivery and evaluation and also in grant making. It takes a bit of planning, but if you get it right, it adds incredible depth and rigor to the assessment process.’
– Matthew Gilbert-Straw, Challenge Fund Panel Coordinator and Corra Grant Advisor
