Thrive Together Birmingham

Quick Stats

• Annual Income: £738,415 (latest available)
• Grant Range: £5,000 (Safe Spaces grants)
• Geographic Focus: Birmingham and Sandwell
• Application Method: No public application process - specific programs only
• Registered Charity: 1153942

Contact Details

Address: C/O Balsall Heath Church Centre, 100 Mary St, Balsall Heath, Birmingham B12 9JU

Phone: 07391 016082 or 01214260440

Email: [email protected] or fredr@cofebirmingham.com

Website: https://thrivetogetherbham.org/

Chief Executive: Fred Rattley, Director for Community Regeneration, Church of England Birmingham

Overview

Thrive Together Birmingham is a joint venture charity established in 2012 between the Church of England Birmingham and Church Urban Fund (Charity 1153942, Company 08039675). With an annual income of £738,415, the organization primarily provides infrastructure support, coordination, and capacity building to faith-based community organizations tackling poverty across Birmingham. While their main function is supporting and enabling churches and community groups through advice, training, and partnership coordination, they also operate limited grant-making activities through specific funded programs. The charity employs 4 staff members, works with 8 trustees, and engages approximately 100 volunteers. Their charitable objects include both promoting the efficiency of Christian-based charities through infrastructure provision and relieving financial hardship through grants, goods, or services.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Safe Spaces for Young People Grants: £5,000 per grant

• Funded through Church Commissioners Innovation Fund
• Five new church-based Safe Spaces supported per year
• Three-year funding secured (from 2022)
• Grants support churches to develop new drop-in youth projects
• Provides safe spaces for young people to gather weekly, connect, and build positive relationships
• No public application process - distributed through Thrive's coordination work

Safe Sleep Scheme

• Provides essential sleeping equipment to families with children under 5 in crisis situations
• Delivered in partnership with Birmingham PlayCare Network, Spurgeons, and Barnardos Children's Centres
• Operates in Perry Barr, Hodge Hill, Erdington, Ladywood, and Edgbaston
• Referrals accepted from professionals (Children Centre workers, Family support workers, Health Visitors, midwives, local community organizations)
• Provides Moses baskets, cots/cotbeds with bedding, stairgates, potties, and baby hygiene packs
• Not a public grant program - provides goods directly to families in need

Priority Areas

• Supporting churches to engage with their local neighborhoods
• Tackling poverty and enabling communities to flourish
• Youth work and safe spaces for young people
• Food poverty initiatives
• Supporting families in temporary accommodation or crisis situations
• Building networks of community hospitality (Places of Welcome)
• Warm Welcome Spaces coordination

What They Don't Fund

Thrive Together Birmingham is not a traditional grant-making charity. They:

• Do not operate an open grants program
• Do not accept unsolicited grant applications
• Primarily function as an infrastructure and coordination organization
• Make grants only through specific funded programs (Safe Spaces)
• Focus on enabling rather than funding organizations

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Governance and Leadership

Chief Executive: Fred Rattley, who also serves as Director for Community Regeneration at Church of England Birmingham

Governance Structure:

• 8 Trustees (none receive remuneration)
• 4 Employees (none earning over £60,000)
• Joint venture between Church of England Birmingham and Church Urban Fund

The charity operates with transparency, maintaining up-to-date reporting with the Charity Commission and Companies House (Company 08039675).

How to Apply to Thrive Together Birmingham

How to Apply

IMPORTANT: Thrive Together Birmingham does not operate a public grant application process.

Their grant-making is limited to specific funded programs (primarily Safe Spaces for Young People) and is distributed through their coordination and support work with churches and community organizations in Birmingham.

For Safe Spaces Grants: These appear to be awarded through Thrive's existing relationships and coordination work with churches developing youth projects, rather than through an open application process.

For Safe Sleep Scheme Support: Families are referred by professionals already known to them (Children Centre workers, Family support workers, Health Visitors, midwives, community organizations) rather than applying directly.

The majority of Thrive's work involves providing non-financial support: advice, training, coordination, partnership development, and infrastructure provision to enable faith-based community action.

Getting on Their Radar

While Thrive Together Birmingham doesn't have a public application process, organizations wishing to engage with their work could consider:

1. Engage with their networks and initiatives:

• Join the Safe Spaces for Young People network if running youth projects
• Become part of the Places of Welcome network (over 75 venues in Birmingham and Sandwell)
• Participate in their coordination initiatives like #FeedBirmingham or Warm Welcome Spaces

2. Contact Fred Rattley directly:

• As Chief Executive, Fred Rattley (fredr@cofebirmingham.com, 07391 016082) coordinates Thrive's work
• Reach out to discuss how your church or organization's community work aligns with Thrive's mission
• Express interest in developing projects that address poverty in Birmingham neighborhoods

3. Connect through Church of England Birmingham:

• Thrive is the Community Regeneration Department of Church of England Birmingham
• Churches within this diocese may have closer access to Thrive's support and future funding opportunities

4. Partnership and referral relationships:

• Thrive works with partners including Birmingham Poverty Truth Commission, Near Neighbours, Your Local Pantry, Birmingham PlayCare Network, Spurgeons, and Barnardos
• Building relationships with these partner organizations may create pathways to Thrive's coordination and support

Application Success Factors

Since Thrive Together Birmingham doesn't operate a traditional grant application process, success in engaging with their work depends on:

Alignment with their mission: Churches and Christian-based organizations tackling poverty and enabling neighborhoods to flourish are central to Thrive's work.

Geographic focus: Projects must serve Birmingham communities, particularly in areas with high levels of poverty or families in temporary accommodation.

Existing engagement: The Safe Spaces grants appear to be awarded to organizations already engaged with Thrive's coordination work and network, not through competitive application.

Capacity to deliver: For Safe Spaces, organizations must be able to provide consistent weekly drop-in youth projects that create safe, welcoming environments for young people.

Christian ethos with inclusive practice: The Safe Spaces network has “Christian roots but aims to be an inclusive network to any project who agree with the vision and sign up to the core values and principles.”

Professional referral capacity: For initiatives like Safe Sleep Scheme, having established relationships with professionals who can make referrals (health visitors, family support workers) is essential.

Partnership approach: Thrive's model emphasizes coordination and partnership rather than simply funding organizations - they seek to enable, connect, and develop the movement of faith-based community action.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Not a traditional funder: Thrive Together Birmingham is primarily an infrastructure and coordination organization that makes limited grants through specific funded programs, not a grant-making trust
• No public application process: Their grants (£5,000 for Safe Spaces) are awarded through existing relationships and coordination work, not open competition
• Relationship-based: Engaging with Thrive's networks, initiatives, and coordination work is the pathway to potential support rather than submitting grant applications
• Limited grant-making capacity: With total expenditure of £671,313 and primarily infrastructure/coordination activities, grant-making represents a small portion of their work
• Focus on enabling: Thrive's value proposition is providing advice, training, coordination, and partnership development to enable churches to deliver community action
• Church-focused: While they support “Christian-based charities” and organizations, their closest relationships appear to be with Church of England Birmingham churches
• Geographic specificity: All work is focused on Birmingham and Sandwell - organizations outside this area should not approach them for support

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

• Benefact Trust Limited
• The Archbishops' Council
• The Tudor Trust
• The Liz And Terry Bramall Foundation
• Sir Halley Stewart Trust
• The Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation
• Get Out
• National Lottery

References

• Charity Commission Register: THRIVE TOGETHER BIRMINGHAM (1153942)

https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1153942&subid=0

• Thrive Together Birmingham official website

https://thrivetogetherbham.org/

• Church of England Birmingham: Thrive Together Birmingham page

https://www.cofebirmingham.com/everyday-faith/community-regeneration/thrive-together-birmingham/

• Thrive Together Birmingham: “Thrive Highlights of 2023”

https://thrivetogetherbham.org/whats-new/thrive-highlights-of-2023

Quote: “a Church Commissioners grant enables five new church-based Safe Spaces per year to be supported to set up, each receiving a small grant of £5000”

• Companies House: THRIVE TOGETHER BIRMINGHAM (08039675)

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08039675

• Birmingham Voluntary Service Council: Thrive Together Birmingham profile

https://www.bvsc.org/thrive-together-birmingham