All We Can (the Methodist Relief And Development Fund)

Quick Stats

• Charity Number: 291691
• Annual Giving: £2.46 million (charitable activities, 2024)
• Partnership Model: 15-year commitments to partner organizations
• Geographic Focus: International (Africa and Asia)
• Application Process: No public application process (invitation/selection-based partnerships)
• Total Staff: 27 employees
• Total Trustees: 11

Contact Details

Address: Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR

Phone: 020 7467 5132

Email: info@allwecan.org.uk

Website: www.allwecan.org.uk

Overview

All We Can, the operating name of The Methodist Relief and Development Fund (founded as part of the Methodist Church's international development work), is an international development and emergency relief organization working to see every person's potential fulfilled. The charity focuses on serving the world's most marginalized communities, rooted in Christian faith, and operates with total annual expenditure of £2.97 million (year ending August 2024).

In 2019, All We Can was shortlisted for the Charity Awards in the Grantmaking and Funding category for its innovative “Walking Together in Partnership” model—a revolutionary 15-year commitment to partner organizations that was described by awards judge Danielle Walker Palmour as “unheard of” in the grantmaking sector. The organization explicitly moved away from traditional project-based funding after identifying that such systems often created dependency, instead choosing to support fewer partners more intensively with flexible funding that includes full overhead cost recovery.

In 2021, All We Can partnered with Y Care International (YMCA's international development agency), combining workforces while maintaining independent entities. CEO Graeme Hodge now leads both organizations.

Funding Priorities

Partnership Approach: “Walking Together in Partnership”

All We Can does not operate through traditional grant programs. Instead, they work through long-term partnerships (15-year commitments) with select local organizations, churches, and emerging initiatives that share their vision and values. The model focuses on:

• Organizational Capacity Development: Supporting the whole organization's mission rather than individual projects
• Flexible Funding: Covering core costs and overheads on a full recovery basis
• Power Sharing: Recognizing local partners' expertise and reducing the imbalance between international NGOs and local organizations
• Sustainable Relationships: Building funding diversity so partners can secure multiple funding sources for organizational resilience

Geographic Focus and Current Partners

Ethiopia (since 2012):

• Help for People with Disabilities Organisation (HPDO)
• Addis Hiwot Rehabilitation and Reintegration Association (AHRRA)
• Integrated Rural Development Association (ADEHNO)
• Alem Birhan Self Help Community Based Development Association (ABSHCBDA)
• Sunarma (highlighted as exemplar partner)

Liberia (since 2005):

• Camp for Peace
• Rural Human Rights Activists Programme (RHRAP)
• Efficient Research and Development Institute (ERDI)
• The Self-Help Initiative For Sustainable Development (SHIFSD)

Sierra Leone (since 2017):

• Pikin-to-Pikin Movement
• Mamie Foundation
• Advocacy Movement Network (AMNet)
• Methodist Church of Sierra Leone

Malawi (since 2018):

• Eagles
• Foundation for Civic Education (FACE)
• Adolescent Girls Literacy+ (AGLIT+)
• Churches Action in Relief and Development (CARD)

Uganda (since 2018):

• Sustainable Multi-Sectoral Action for Development (SMAD)
• Concern For Children and Women Empowerment (COFCAWE)
• First African Bicycle Information Organisation (FABIO)
• BUBA (Bukedi Bee Keepers Association)

Zimbabwe:

• Centre for Gender and Community Development Zimbabwe (CGCDZ)
• Zubo Trust
• Health, Education and Food Security Organisation (HEFO)
• Methodist Development and Relief Agency (MeDRA)

India (since 2007):

• Rural Education Activities for Development (READ)

Priority Areas

All We Can works toward “sustainable long-term change to end the cycle of suffering caused by poverty, inequality and injustice” through:

• Community-led development solutions
• Capacity building for local organizations
• Emergency relief and disaster response
• Addressing poverty, inequality, and injustice
• Supporting marginalized communities
• Working through faith-based and secular local partners

Emergency Response

In addition to long-term partnerships, All We Can responds to humanitarian crises:

• Ukraine Emergency Appeal (partnering with United Methodist Church in Ukraine)
• Bangladesh (supporting Rohingya refugees)
• Other disaster responses as needed

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Governance and Leadership

Chief Executive

Graeme Hodge became Chief Executive in December 2018 (joined All We Can in 2016). Hodge has considerable experience in international development, having spent several years in the corporate and private sectors in consultancy before working with UK-based charities. In 2021, he took on dual leadership of both All We Can and Y Care International following their formal partnership.

Board of Trustees

The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees (11 trustees) appointed for six-year terms and approved by the Methodist Council. Known trustees include:

• Rev Marcus Torchon (appointed 2023)
• Richard Evan Griffiths (appointed 2019)
• Robert Andrew Varley (appointed 2019)
• Revd Dr Jongi Zihle (newest trustee appointment)

One employee earns between £90,000-£100,000. No trustees receive remuneration or benefits from the charity.

Key Quotes from Leadership

Graeme Hodge on partnership philosophy: The organization "doesn't import solutions and potential to the places they work; instead, they walk alongside their local partners to help communities uncover their own solutions and their own potential."

On the 15-year commitment, awards judge John Low noted: "It's an amazing thing to say to any organisation, we will stand beside you for 15 years."

Ruth Davison (awards judge) described the model as “quite exceptional,” stating traditional grantmakers could learn from All We Can's progressive methodology of using grantmaking to “devolve power, empower grantees and provide core funding.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

All We Can does not have a public application process. The organization works through carefully selected, long-term partnerships rather than accepting open grant applications.

According to their IATI (International Aid Transparency Initiative) data and public information, All We Can selects partner organizations through a strategic process focused on identifying local organizations, churches, and emerging initiatives that:

• Share their vision and values
• Demonstrate deep knowledge of the environment in which they operate
• Are rooted in the communities they serve
• Show commitment to sustainable, long-term change

The organization explicitly states they want to “support fewer partners more intensively” rather than spread funding across many organizations through competitive grant rounds.

Partnership Model

When All We Can enters a partnership, they:

• Commit to a 15-year relationship from the outset
• Discuss exit strategies from the beginning of the partnership
• Fund the partner organization's mission (not just individual projects)
• Provide flexible funding including full overhead cost recovery
• Focus on building the organization's capacity and sustainability
• Help partners develop diverse funding sources

Financial Information

Annual Income (year ending August 2024): £2.54 million

• Donations and legacies: £2.49m
• Investments: £56.19k

Annual Expenditure: £2.97 million

• Charitable activities: £2.46m
• Raising funds: £512.39k

IATI data note: All We Can publishes quarterly IATI data, but this represents only 4% of total projects (specifically DFID-funded projects with VAD in Uganda and CDVTA in Cameroon). They exclude transactions below £1,000 from detailed breakdowns.

References

• Charity Commission Register of Charities, The Methodist Relief and Development Fund (charity 291691), https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/291691

• Charity Awards, “All We Can,” Grantmaking and Funding Category, 2019, https://charityawards.co.uk/all-we-can/

• All We Can official website, https://www.allwecan.org.uk/

• IATI Registry, “All We Can (formerly Methodist Relief and Development Fund),”, https://www.iatiregistry.org/publisher/about/allwecan

• Third Sector, “Christian development charities combine workforces under new partnership,” reporting on All We Can and Y Care International partnership

• Wikipedia, “All We Can,”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_We_Can

• Charity Awards 2019 judge commentary on All We Can's “Walking Together in Partnership” model

• All We Can announcement of Graeme Hodge as CEO, December 2018

• All We Can trustee appointment announcements, including Revd Dr Jongi Zihle

• Methodist Church conference documents referencing All We Can's work and partnerships