Last Saturday 5th of July 2025 we hosted our Annual General Meeting. This was a space where Edge Fund members had the opportunity to hear from our Regional Organiser, Illary, and Core Group members, Patrick (Treasurer) Nehanda (Chair) and Mijael (Secretary), the key aspects of our financial report for the financial year running from 1st February 2024 to 31st January 2025. Read the report here.
The conversation included an overview of the current structure of Edge Fund and how membership is understood and build up. We also explored how members can be more directly involved in Edge Fund's decisions. We then moved onto a summary of our report of activities and accounts for the past financial year, including Patrick's report as treasurer on our current income and expenses, and a discussion on the ongoing fundraising efforts led by the CG.
After launching our Roots Crowdfunder in the last months of the 2024/25 financial we had the opportunity to report that we have reached our £50K goal! The crowdfunder gives us enough funds for our next funding round, including the distribution of 40 grants of £1K each to 40 groups, and the expenses of those members assessing applications as well as an in-person meeting. As we did for the past two years, we aim to compensate members for the time they dedicate to assess applications.
Following the Race Riots in the UK in the summer of 2024, we pledged that our coming funding round would focus on supporting groups fighting against Islamophobia, Afriphobia and the legacies of colonial violence in the UK. Having secured the funds for the funding round we will next announce the mechanism for their redistribution in a process led by Edge Fund members. We will announce soon a call to assemble a new Funding Working Group with Edge Fund members with lived experience in those areas we are committed to support.
After the financial discussion Illary presented some key figures and learnings from our Funding Round 16, where we distributed 40 grants of 1K to 40 radical groups fighting for systemic change in the UK. Illary focused on the main steps of the funds redistribution, from assembling a Funding Working Group to recruiting and training Edge Fund members to assess 183 eligible applications out of the 212 we received in total.
Have a look at the organisational presentation we shared on the day:
Illa continued the conversation on membership engagement by reflecting on the Radical Sharing Forums hosted in April 2024 and May 2025 with past grantees. The former was dedicated to the struggle for Palestinian liberation and hosted three of the five groups that were recipients of the emergency fund for Palestine set up in December 2023. We had the opportunity to hear from the Palestine Youth Movement (UK chapter), Let's Talk Palestine and Parents for Palestine on key aspects of the struggle for Palestinian liberation that are not discussed even in left-wing, progressive media. The notes of the day are here.
We also had the opportunity to reflect on the RSF 'No Justice without Solidarity', hosted in person in London on 31st May 2025. We reflected on the organising process in which a total group of 5 grantees delineated the schedule for the day and planned together the workshops that other Edge Fund members had the opportunity to attend. This was a new approach to our RSF organising process, in which members took the lead in designing and facilitating the gathering of Edge Fund members while Edge Fund made available the funds to cover venue, food, material and transport costs for all attendees. The day consisted in discussions on two main questions to articulate and build up solidarity among organisers: How do we resist and respond to the far right and their increased presence in all areas of politics? How we look after ourselves and other organisers while trying to make a significant political impact through radical strategies? The discussion was followed by a space where groups had the opportunity to learn from each other specific skills for their own organising, from communications to decision-making processes that are inclusive and empowering.
The AGM concluded with the ratification of the current CG to deliver three main points during the rest of the current financial year:
- Guarantee the conditions for the successful delivery of our 'Roots' Funding Round 17, improving membership engagement in the process and developing our administrative systems.
- Implement our fundraising strategy to secure the financial stability of the organisation while improving our financial procedures.
- Expand the Core Group membership to include two new members with the skills to provide strategic thinking in fundraising and communications, and with lived experience or expertise in racial justice and other struggles led by minoritised communities.
Members also shared their questions on the reports and initiatives to promote membership engagement. These included working closely with other funders supporting radical grassroots organisations and hosting regional versions of the Radical Sharing Forum, with members offering support in different areas of Edge Fund's work! We are thankful for all the comments, questions and initiatives shared by the members attending the AGM.
If you have queries on the report please email them to [email protected] and [email protected]