Stronger Voices

Delve into the world of strategic communications with workshops on topics like: 

• Movement ecology
• Values-led communications
• Framing equalities
• Lived experience storytelling  

Learn to navigate media opportunities with workshops on: 

• Getting your story into the media
• Media interview training
• Writing the perfect pitch  

Consolidate your newfound knowledge and skills at our: 

• Speed pitching with journalists event
• Challenge Day event with media industry volunteers
• Building your comms strategy workshop 

Collaborate directly with community and third sector peers by: 

• Attending in person peer networking sessions to build connections and recap programme learnings in a collaborative space
• Connecting with a network of passionate communications professionals working to address inequality
• Exploring opportunities for joined up messaging and collaborative campaign strategies. 

• Is a social justice organisation with an equalities purpose (i.e. supports beneficiaries from one or more of the nine protected characteristics detailed in the Equality Act 2010)
• Is working in one of the 33 London boroughs
• Can provide at least two years of financial records
• Is a small to medium-sized organisation with a turnover of £2 million or less

• Organisations campaigning for systemic change and/or tackling structural inequality in their work for communities in London
• Organisations that want to raise their profile to influence public opinion and speak truth to power
• Organisations that work intersectionally across multiple equality strands
• Organisations that can demonstrate they are user-led and/or meaningfully centering the voices and lived experience of the communities they support

An organisation with an intersectional equalities purpose is one that:   

1. Has the purpose of addressing and/or eradicating inequalities faced by the communities it serves. This could be an organisation with a primary focus on equality, such as an anti-racist organisation, or an organisation that works with, advocates for, and prioritises marginalised communities through its services or campaigns.
2. Works across multiple equalities strands and/or supports communities from one or more of the nine protected characteristics detailed in the Equality Act 2010, such as race, gender, disability, or age. We understand that the Equality Act does not cover all possible inequalities, and there are disparities in communities that aren’t listed in the Act, such as class.
3. Recognises how an individual’s multiple identities can intersect and create layers of disadvantage. The organisation should be able to demonstrate how its work encompasses and addresses this intersectionality. 

At the Media Trust, we consider the size of an organisation based on the following annual turnover:   

• Micro organisation (with less than £0.5 million turnover)
• Small organisation (with £0.5 million – £1 million turnover)
• Medium organisation (with £1 million – £2 million turnover)   

If you are a micro-organisation, we still encourage you to apply. However, we may ask you additional questions to demonstrate the financial health and future sustainability of your organisation. 

This won’t necessarily exclude you from consideration. The application form will provide an opportunity for you to address this, and we will consider each case individually. However, please note that we cannot accept organisations that greatly exceed the £2 million turnover threshold.

Yes. You do not have to be a registered charity to apply, and we encourage all eligible organisations to submit their applications. For example, your organisation could be a community interest company or an unincorporated association. However, we do require a minimum standard of governance to demonstrate the viability and longevity of the organisation. This may include providing two years of management accounts or, if more relevant, a constitution.

You can apply to the programme if your organisation meets the following essential criteria:   

• An organisation with an intersectional equalities purpose
• Working in one of the 33 London boroughs
• A small to medium-sized organisation with a turnover of £2 million or less

The desirable criteria are additional factors that we consider when selecting organisations for the programme. The more desirable criteria your organisation can demonstrate in the application, the higher your chances of securing a place in this year’s Stronger Voices programme. 

By structural inequality, we refer to barriers, discrimination, and unfairness that are built into institutions and systems within society, such as housing, education, and employment. These inequalities disproportionately affect marginalised communities. 

Organisations working on systemic change are more likely to create positive, long-term impact by addressing the root causes of inequality within the systems and institutions they engage with. We prioritise organisations that want to strengthen their voices to challenge harmful narratives, influence public opinion and speak truth to power. 

We know systemic change takes time, is hard work, and can be done on a national, regional or hyper-local level. This can cover all types of work, from: reforming the criminal justice system, campaigning for your location authority to change or provide a service, to creating community led initiative. If you are unsure that your organisation fits these criteria, email Olive, the Stronger Voices programme manager at olivec@mediatrust.org. 

Being ‘user-led’ means having the individuals or communities your organisation serves in positions of leadership, influence, and power within your organisation. For example, if you are a user-led disabled people’s organisation, the majority of your team will be composed of disabled individuals. We understand that being user-led can vary across different organisations, and the application form will provide an opportunity for you to clarify your approach. There are various ways to demonstrate being user-led, such as stating the percentage of your team composed of people from the communities your organisation aims to serve or highlighting user groups from which you draw expertise, such as youth-led advisory groups.