UK Church Launches Bold New Initiative to Smash Funding Barriers for Ethnic Minority Communities

Church Backed Initiative Launches to Help Ethnic Minority Communities Access Funding in the UK

A new civic platform called The Elevate Forum is set to launch on April 25, 2026, at The Ark Pavilion in Birmingham, aiming to address systemic barriers that prevent ethnic minority communities and faith based organisations from accessing funding.

The initiative is the brainchild of Temitayo Fatunmishe, President of Men's Fellowship at RCCG House of Praise, who organised the event after hearing the same concern raised repeatedly at the church's Quarterly Breakfast Meetings: access to funding remains the single biggest barrier for minority led businesses and charities.

Data from the British Business Bank's 2025/26 report paints a stark picture. While 71% of ethnic minority led businesses aim for significant growth compared to just 40% of white led counterparts, and 52% of ethnic minorities are willing to use finance for growth versus 35% of white businesses, the system is stacked against them. A staggering 51% of ethnic minority entrepreneurs anticipate financing difficulties, and 59% of Black entrepreneurs expect to face outright rejection.

This is despite £68 billion in gross SME lending being available in 2025.

Faith communities have always served the whole person. It is time funders did the same.

The Elevate Forum is described as a cross demographic annual thought leadership and capacity building platform. It is open to entrepreneurs, professionals, charity leaders, academics, and community organisations regardless of background or faith.

The event, themed "Unlocking Funding Opportunities for Businesses and Charities," is free to attend and will run from 11:00 to 15:00.

New Birmingham Event Aims to Break Funding Barriers for Minority Led Churches and Charities

Fatunmishe draws on Luke 4 to frame the theological foundation of the initiative, pointing to the Gospel's concern not only for spiritual matters but for material conditions and systemic justice. Faith based organisations, he argues, serve the most underserved communities in Britain but receive disproportionately limited financial support.

The structural barriers faced by faith based organisations in accessing grants and social investment mirror the challenges ethnic minority entrepreneurs encounter in commercial lending. The Elevate Forum seeks to bridge that gap by bringing funders, community leaders, and entrepreneurs together in one room.

The Crusader's Opinion

The Church has been feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, and sheltering the desperate for two thousand years. Long before any government programme or charitable trust existed, it was the Body of Christ that stood in the gap. Yet when it comes to distributing funds, faith communities are routinely overlooked or actively shut out. The numbers do not lie: 59% of Black entrepreneurs expect rejection before they even apply. That is not a funding gap. That is institutional neglect. If the secular world truly believed in equity and inclusion, they would start by properly funding the organisations that have been doing the real work in these communities for generations. The Church does not need permission to serve. But it does deserve fair access to the resources that help it serve better.

Take Action

• If you are in the Birmingham area, attend The Elevate Forum on April 25, 2026, at The Ark Pavilion, 14 Adams Street, Nechells, Birmingham B7 4LT. The event is free and open to all.
• Support ethnic minority led churches and charities in your area by volunteering your professional skills, particularly in grant writing and financial planning.
• Share this story with your church leadership to spark conversations about funding access and community development.
• Connect with RCCG House of Praise for more information: https://rccgnechells.org/
• Support Christian community development through www.TheShepherdsShield.org