Our
Impact
The Community Investment Gateway connects the VCSE sector with investment, funding those who are doing the work on the ground to deliver real, lasting impact.
Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations in Wakefield District need access to better funding. So, we distribute funding to organisations working in local communities so they can secure the resources they need, in a simple and fair way.
With the uncertain financial landscape impacting enormously on VCSE organisations, we believe in working together to make the most use of precious resources on all sides. This is part of our commitment as an Open and Trusting grant maker, along with the eight commitments outlined by IVAR.
The Gateway launched in January 2021 (under the name Third Sector Framework) and is a partnership between Wakefield Council, Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership, Young Lives Consortium and Nova Wakefield District who are also funded to administer the Gateway.
Total amount distributed to local organisations
£3,457,226
From 2021 to 2025
41% success rate
for the Gateway, compared with a UK average of 33% as estimated by Pro Bono Economics
74 organisations funded
delivering 141 projects across Wakefield District
On Communities
For the people of Wakefield District, the Gateway means health and wellbeing services and activities that are designed to meet their needs and delivered by organisations who are embedded in and trusted by local communities.
We have channelled funding towards areas that are important to local people, for example
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£130,380 for women's health
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£233,212 for tackling climate change
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£50,747 for supporting neurodivergent individuals
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£1,514,798 for children and young people, and their families
Image from a Wakefield Express article on the Gateway funded Menopause & Me project "Menopause group has been a “lifeline” to Wakefield woman who wanted to take her own life"
On Organisations
140 VCSE organisations now have access to fair funding through the Gateway, for free.
This includes smaller grassroots organisations, who play an essential role in communities, but have historically not been eligible or reached by funding opportunities. We have funded 53%, of the Gateway members who fall into this tier.
"The Gateway offers organisations a straightforward way to access a range of funds, and it provides funders and contractors reassurance that our organisations have the right policies and procedures in place to carry out the work they are looking to fund. The Gateway helps us all coordinate, and it saves time and resources to ensure we can all do what we do best: help our communities stay healthy, happy, and thriving." - Gateway Member
We strive to work in a way that makes life easier for those we fund, for example
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Multi-year funding where possible
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Support to progress membership tier
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Exclusive training opportunities
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Clear processes and deadlines
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Not asking for the same information again and again
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Application designed to be proportionate to organisation size
VCSE Leaders who took part in an innovative two-year pilot that focused on giving their organisations the capacity, funding and development support to Think Differently, with funding channelled through the Community Investment Gateway.
On Funders
For investors, the Gateway offers a direct route to funding community work that tackles inequalities, improves the wellbeing of residents and builds stronger and healthier communities.
“The Community Investment Gateway and the role you played was really key in making sure that this process was done in partnership, created the conditions to get in some really strong bids from the VCSE sector and was robust and transparent.” - Commissioner, West Yorkshire ICB
No two funding opportunities are the same, and the Gateway Team work collaboratively with funders to find an approach that fits the funder’s aims and objectives and achieve meaningful, lasting impact.
We have added additional value through our processes, for example
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Access to quality opportunities for coproduction
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Collaborative processes with experienced insights
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Multi-sector representation on funding panels
Meeting of Wakefield District's Funders Forum, which brings together national, regional and local funders to discuss funding priorities for the district and collaborative aspirations.