Towards more inclusive cultures and grant making practices

The workshop will centre working-class lived experience through being delivered by the team at Koreo and alumni from the 2027 programme (a ten-year campaign and programme aimed at bringing more diverse and representative talent into the grant making sector). The session will draw on eight years of learning from placing 125 talented working-class people into roles with 50+ grant-making organisations from across the sector.

Through real examples, alumni stories, and practical strategies, participants will learn about the systemic barriers working-class people face in accessing roles and then existing within the sector and its working cultures. We'll explore how organisations can actively work to dismantle these challenges and offer space for reflection on participants’ own practices through hearing stories from other participants working on these issues. Ultimately, the session aims to inspire action toward building a more inclusive and representative sector. 

The session will be delivered in a highly interactive format, using a blend of storytelling, group discussion, and reflective exercises by focusing on:

• Applying JEDI principles into recruitment practices that actively reduce barriers for working-class talent, as well as other marginalised groups.
• How we build workplace cultures and practices where people from working-class backgrounds feel supported, valued, and able to thrive.
• How centring lived experience - working-class in this case - can shift power dynamics in funding decisions, leading to more impactful and equitable grant making.

The session will conclude by encouraging participants to capture one concrete step they can take toward improving inclusion in their recruitment, workplace culture, or grant making practices.