Meet the Changemakers
Lessons from a radical new approach to funding communities in Southwark
What happens when you fund people before the structures exist? When you back an idea before it has a track record, a bank account, or a 2,000-word application behind it?
In Southwark, we found out.
Meet the Changemakers
About the programme
Changemakers is a two-year programme in which United St Saviour’s Charity funded Active Communities Network to devolve micro grants of £1,500–£2,000 to 48 individuals and community groups across Southwark — many of whom had never accessed formal funding before.
The application could be completed on a phone. There were no requirements for annual accounts, guarantors, or lengthy evaluation plans. Just an idea, and someone willing to back it.
What followed was remarkable. Football scouting events. Free fitness classes for women who rarely left the house. Hip hop workshops. eSports sessions. Cooking skills. Trauma support for refugee families. Drum-making with children. Financial literacy classes. And much more — all designed, led, and delivered by people rooted in their communities.
What we learned
The conventional funding landscape finds organisations once they already exist — once they have track records and the language of grant applications. But the ideas that eventually become those organisations often start somewhere much earlier and much less visible.
Changemakers sat at that earlier moment.
Over two years, we learned that:
- For many first-time grantees, receiving a grant was as much a psychological milestone as a financial one — a signal that their idea was worth pursuing
- The money mattered, but the relationship mattered more — grantees attributed their progress to the support, presence and trust of the ACN team as much as the grant itself
- Community leaders consistently need support with three things above all: access to premises, peer relationships, and recognition of the emotional weight the work carries
- A small grant at the right moment can be the difference between an idea staying in someone’s head and becoming something real
- Not every community project needs to become a formal organisation — a healthy funding ecosystem creates multiple routes forward, not just one ladder
The people behind it
“It wasn’t a lot of money — but it was a vote of confidence. Belief played a pivotal role.” — Bob, Manara Training
“The biggest thing was having a place for young people to be seen by academies — for free. It takes the pressure off parents.” — Dean, Southwark Residents
“It was a vote of independence. I had self-doubt — but I grew in confidence and skillset.” — Aziza, Akaash
Read the report
Meet the Changemakers sets out the full findings from the programme — including nine concrete recommendations for funders who want to replicate what worked.
Changemakers Learning Report May 2026
About the organisations
United St Saviour’s Charity has been rooted in Southwark since 1541. Its mission is to foster a united Southwark with strong, inclusive and equal communities where everyone can thrive. Through its Community Investment programme, the charity funds and supports grassroots and community-led organisations, with a particular focus on equity, empowerment and prevention.
Active Communities Network is a youth and community development organisation formed in 2007, with its roots in Southwark. With a vision to tackle inequality, inspire change and create opportunities, ACN works with young people, their families and community stakeholders — and has the deep local relationships that make programmes like Changemakers possible.
Changemakers is not a pilot to be wound down. It is evidence of a model that works — one that sits at a critical point in the funding ecosystem, meeting people before any other funder would reach them.