Invitation to Tender: Racial Justice consultant

Although Esmée has funded organisations addressing racial inequity for some time, we only introduced a specific racial justice priority in October 2022. In 2023, we made £3.5m of grants under this priority. As we are new to funding more intentionally in this space, we know we have a lot to learn. We want to reflect with organisations we have funded on:

• How we can best support funded organisations beyond funding
• How we can improve Esmée’s funding practice more generally
• Ideas on how we best shape our support under this priority over the next three years

This contract will be for three months, beginning in April 2024, for listening and development (at around 5 days a month). We will then pause to consider progress, and potentially commission a further 6 months of work.

We have a budget of £11,000 for the three-month contract. [Edited: We have updated this to account for inflation. £11,000 is based on a maximum daily rate of £600 plus VAT]. Proposals should be budgeted with this in mind, and costings should include VAT.

Esmée will arrange and provide any rooms and catering for meetings, and pay for the time and expenses of any organisations who engage. We are also committed to resourcing ideas for support that come out of this process.

What we're looking for in a consultant

• Experience of facilitating and convening organisations to work together;
• Knowledgeable about racial justice and the work of organisations pushing for racial justice in the UK;
• Awareness of the challenges of working in the Racial Justice space
• Experience of supporting leaders;
• A commitment to equity in their work – this might be through anti-oppressive practice, participatory methods, or working in a community-led way;
• Evidence of a clear communication style; and
• A good working relationship with high levels of trust and honesty.

We expect this process to be iterative, and are looking for a consultant who is happy to work in this way.

Sending your proposal

If you're interested in tendering for this work, please:

• Read the full invitation to tender
• Email your proposal to Gina Crane at communications@esmeefairbairn.org.uk

The closing date for proposals is: 17 March 2024. If you have questions about this brief, please send us an email.