The Potential of Mayoral-led Charities and Civil Society: Roundtable
The Government’s devolution bill has now been introduced in parliament, setting out an agenda for greater and expanded devolution across the regions of our country. As the role of regional mayors now expands, they are positioned not just as political leaders, but as powerful advocates for change in their communities. With more combined authorities expected by 2026, there’s a real opportunity to explore how mayors can help bring people, organisations and funding together to make a difference where it’s needed most.
That’s exactly what we set out to discuss at our recent roundtable hosted by Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity and the Mayor’s Fund for London. Alongside experts from government, charities and local authorities, the focus of the conversation was clear: how can mayoral-led charities better leverage local giving to support local priorities?
At the moment, these kinds of charities are rare in the UK. The Mayor’s Fund for London supports young people from low-income backgrounds, and Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity works to end homelessness and the need for rough sleeping across the city-region. Both are independent charities but benefit from an associative relationship with the Mayor’s office. This link brings visibility helping to attract funds and build partnerships with a strong sense of credibility.
The roundtable explored how these models could be replicated in other regions and how collaboration between mayoral charities could help address some of the UK’s regional inequalities in charitable giving. For example, communities with the greatest needs often struggle to fundraise locally due to lower disposable incomes. Participants discussed how mayors, using their profile and platform, could help attract investment into their regions and make the case for national donors to support local causes.
With a mayoral-led charity there is an added importance of building sustainability and resilience to survive beyond political terms. Independence, good governance and a clear long term mission is key. It was also agreed that any new organisations should complement existing local charities and community foundations, with all fundraising bringing a positive impact to the local community.
The session ended with a clear sense of shared purpose. Participants called for stronger networks between regions, the value of learning from each other and creating a stronger voice for place-based giving. At Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, we’re proud to be part of this growing movement. We believe that when mayors, charities and communities work together, we can do more than respond to urgent needs. We can create long term change.
To read more, view the roundtable briefing below:
Thank you to The Mayor’s Fund for London and everyone involved. If you would like to keep up to date with this meeting series, or learn more about specific themes explored, get in touch today - enquiries@gmmayorscharity.org.uk.