Written Statement: Equality & Inclusion Funding Programme Renewal

Our Equality and Inclusion Funding Programme has long been at the heart of our work in this area, providing support and service for diverse communities and key groups through representative organisations with appropriate expertise.

The current E&I programme commenced in July 2016 to support our Equality Objectives for 2016-20. It funds organisations to provide support to individuals and communities across Wales in relation to gender, disability, Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, refugees and asylum seekers, sexual orientation and gender identity, race and hate crime.  

I have agreed that the successor programme will be co-designed with external partners so that it can best meet the needs of those providing and receiving its support while also helping to deliver the discreet objectives set out in the emerging Welsh Government equality action plans for disability, gender, race, and LGBTQ+. We will also be developing a small grant scheme to accompany the new programme, which will provide funding for specific events and other activities that promote equality across Wales. The exact nature of this funding and what it will support will be announced later this year, following the co-design process.

While this process is underway, and to ensure continuity of support people for with protected characteristics through agencies reliant on this programme, I have agreed funding for the following organisations for 2022-2023:

• Disability Wales
• Ethnic Youth Support Team (EYST)
• Women’s Equality Network Wales (WEN Wales)
• Stonewall Cymru
• TGP Cymru (Support for the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community)

I have also agreed continuing funding for small grants to enable annual celebrations, commemorations and initiatives by grassroots organisations of key events in the equality calendar.   We will continue to work with appropriate organisations such as Race Council Cymru and the National Holocaust Memorial Day Trust to administer these grants.

Further details of the new programme will be made available as soon as possible and I encourage organisations to consider how they might work in partnership to achieve the intersectional approach we are seeking, and to collaborate with the Welsh Government to deliver a programme that meets our shared objectives.