Funders have been urged to provide financial aid for frontline organisations in the wake of recent anti-immigration riots.

A group of grantmakers and organisations have written to more than 100 funders, urging them to provide emergency financial aid to frontline organisations in the aftermath of the violent anti-immigration protests and riots that broke out across the UK at the end of last month.

This comes after a group of people with lived experience of UK migration systems sent a letter to charity sector leaders yesterday, urging them to support staff safety and wellbeing in the wake of the riots.

The latest letter was signed by the membership funding network Funders for Race Equality Alliance, the community grantmaker Civic Power Fund, the funder collaborative organisation Justice Together Initiative and Global Dialogue’s funder and charity insight programme Migration Exchange.

It says: “Recent riots and an emboldened far right events galvanise increased action and resources for anti-racist work, racial and migration justice, and tackling the far right, Islamophobia and antisemitism.”

The letter says affected people and leaders with lived experience, grassroots organisations and members of the global majority who are working in philanthropy “must be at the centre of this conversation” and that the “power dynamics in funding have to change for good”.

The signatories say they “do not want to address this urgency with short-term response and commitment” and outline four key priorities they will work towards with their combined networks, urging other grantmakers to get involved.

They have pledged to adapt their work and “build on learning from previous efforts to mobilise resources and centre anti-racism”. 

The letter says: “We are committed to working in partnership to support organisations and co-ordinating our efforts to support equitable and transformative long-term funding solutions.”

The Civic Power Fund has made its regrant capacity available so that resources can be “swiftly distributed” through an emergency action fund, the letter says. 

This fund will offer financial support for people who are afraid to leave their homes, distributing money for travel, food costs, resourcing community support spaces and costs associated with salaries, office and security measures.

The other signatories are supporting this through their co-ordination and networks, and are seeking “immediate top-up of this fund”.

The letter adds: “We urge you to fund the groups and organisations that are on the front lines in the fight against hate and the far right.”

The second priority is securing support for people from racialised communities to access wellbeing support and centre anti-racism in the wider sector’s response.

The letter outlines existing initiatives that focus on the wellbeing of people from the global majority who are working in the race, migration and philanthropic sector.

These include: the Black Wellbeing Collective’s Taking Care of You programme, its Employee Assistance programme, and the Justice Together Initiative’s Racial Justice programme. 

The letter urges funders to monitor their funding via the Funders for Race Equality’s audit tool, to ensure funds are distributed to the most vulnerable.

The tool helps funders to identify how much of their funding addresses racial justice work, produce a snapshot of current portfolios and create a baseline to help them track funding on a yearly basis, and implement targets and strategies to ensure they are advancing racial justice work.

The letter also points funders to an online event on 9 September organised by the Migration Exchange – a funder-only session that will focus on migration under the new government.

The signatories said that if funders are keen to get involved with any of these key priorities, they should contact the Funders for Race Equality Alliance.