As of Saturday 20 November, eleven grassroots Bristol-based groups were shortlisted to receive a grant of up to £1,000 from Bristol Redistro. The final decisions about how much each shortlisted group is funded will be made on 4 December.

We had £10,000 in available funds and the shortlisted groups had requested a total of £10,750.

Congratulations to the following groups who have been shortlisted:

Sound Women SW – fostering diversity in the radio and audio industries, and giving women and girls from BAME and marginalised groups a stronger artistic voice.

CLIPS (Creative Learning and Innovation Projects) – providing opportunities for children and young people who are or have been in care.

Bristol Sex Workers Collective – a collective created and run by sex workers that advocates for the rights and safety of sex workers in Bristol.

Radical Resilience Project – a survivor-run organisation for survivors of rape and sexual violence, it aims to rebuild the systems that cause harm and oppression.

Inclusive Wellness – a social enterprise that provides access to wellness services to those who are often excluded.

Bridge of Love – a community project to make the footbridge between Easton and St Werburghs a place of remembrance for those who lost their lives by suicide there.

Newtown Network – a community group aiming to reverse years of neglect and ensure that residents feel heard, connected and empowered.

Reparations Bristol – support and education for young people aged 11-16 from African Caribbean backgrounds who are underprivileged and at risk of not achieving full education and employment.

Creative Tuition Collective – a free tuition service for young people from low income backgrounds.

East and South East Asian Solidarity Bristol – a grassroots solidarity group for the East and South East Asian diasporic community in Bristol.

Avon Indian Community Association – an umbrella organisation for Indian communities in the Bristol area.

 

Our shortlisting panel included: Sonah, Bryony, John, Algis, and Cleo. They are all core members of groups that Bristol Redistro funded in our previous funding round. Those groups are: Black Mothers Matter, Radical Resilience Project, Hazelnut Community Garden, St Pauls Community Garden, and Reparations Bristol, respectively. Shortlisters stepped aside for discussion of any group in which they have an interest. Jay and Ryan from the Redistro collective facilitated the meeting. 

There were 14 applications altogether, requesting a total of £13,750. Before the meeting, the shortlisters read each of the applications and gave each one a score out of ten. Then we worked out an average score out of ten for each application and ranked them. Once the shortlisters saw this, they decided fairly quickly about how to shortlist the applications. They decided to fund the 11 applications that had average scores of 8 or more out of ten. This amounted to £10,750 in total. So £750 higher than the amount Redistro had available to give in grants. The shortlisters decided that Redistro should first attempt to raise that shortfall of £750. And then if that was not possible, and there was still a shortfall, Redistro should ask the 11 shortlisted groups to decide among one another how to distribute the available £10,000 at the funding day on 4th December.

The shortlisters also came up with a new idea that could help the growing community of funded groups and shortlisted groups. They said we could try to set up a facebook group or something similar where groups who had applied to Redistro for funding could:

ask other groups for information and advice on any issues or goals,

ask if other groups can help out with resources, such as rooms for meetings, technical equipment – or anything else.

advertise any resources they can offer to other groups.

 

The thinking was that many groups can benefit by building links and sharing resources. The Redistro collective are thinking through some options for how to set this up and maintain it. A huge thank you to our shortlisters and congratulations to the newly shortlisted groups!