UK funders come together to launch the £5.3m Early Action Neighbourhood Fund

The Fund was launched in February 2015.

Commenting, Dawn Austwick, Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund, said:

“This is an exciting moment, building on 12 months’ work but with aspirations to change the way early action is approached long into the future. It is also a great way of working together as funders, drawing in best practice, learning and experience from all the partners. Our collective funding can enable people in Hartlepool, Norwich and Coventry to identify and solve problems early; experiences we can all learn from.”

Commenting, Judith McNeill, Grants Director of Comic Relief, said:

“Early action makes sense. Why wait until problems are entrenched and harder to solve? By targeting funding early, we will see better outcomes for individuals, families, and communities and hopefully show that by using limited resources in a different way we can stretch them further and help more people .”

Commenting, Caroline Mason, Chief Executive of Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, said:

“Acting early to help people become more able to deal with life’s challenges is common sense, but far from common practice. Foundations like Esmée Fairbairn can do this because we can fund and think over the long-term. We hope that this fund will demonstrate the value of early action to other funders, commissioners and to the voluntary sector.”