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1 October 2026 Power to Prosper has secured funding to continue its work tackling the root causes of poverty, inequality and problem debt, marking the start of a new phase with ambitions to reach more communities across the UK.
Established through a partnership between the Runnymede Trust and the New Economics Foundation, with support from Oak Foundation, Power to Prosper brings together grassroots organisations, researchers and organisers to build collective power and pursue lasting economic change.
Over its first 3 years, the programme has built a network of 6 community hubs, supported 36 Black and minoritised led organisations and distributed £900,000 to grassroots organisations. It has also trained 9 peer researchers, published 3 reports and supported local action on financial inclusion, community assets and free school meals.
Behind these achievements are relationships built through time, trust and shared experience. Power to Prosper has brought community organisations together to build collective power, strengthen local leadership and take action on the systems driving inequality, alongside responding to immediate needs.
The next phase will build on those foundations, with an ambition to grow to 19 community hubs by 2031, working with around 100 organisations.
Through this expanding network, Power to Prosper will support communities to organise around shared priorities and build greater ownership and control over the economic resources that shape their lives. This will include land and property; finance and capital; enterprise and workforce; and spending and procurement, changing who owns, controls and benefits from local wealth.
Research, storytelling and organising will connect this local work to wider systems and policy change, bringing the knowledge, experience and collective power of communities into decisions about the economy.
Erel Onojobi, Programme Director of Power to Prosper, said:
“We’ve learned that lasting economic change starts with power. Communities already have ideas, knowledge and ways of doing things differently. Our job is to organise, build the infrastructure around that, and create the conditions for those alternatives to grow.”
Shabna Begum, Chief Executive of the Runnymede Trust, said:
“We are delighted to see Power to Prosper grow and graduate to this new chapter; it has been incredible to be part of a mosaic of community organisations who are working to deliver justice and prosperity to their communities and Runnymede Trust will continue to support and champion this work in its next phase.”
As its initial partnership with the Runnymede Trust concludes, Power to Prosper will continue with support from the New Economics Foundation during a period of incubation, building the foundations to become an independent organisation.
Hannah Peaker, deputy chief executive at the New Economics Foundation, said:
“Tackling the root causes of racialised poverty has never been more important. Over the past three years, Power to Prosper has supported some of the communities most affected by debt, low pay and exclusion to build their economic power. We are honoured to be incubating Power to Prosper as it grows in ambition to become an independent organisation.”
Power to Prosper thanks its founding partners, Oak Foundation, and the community organisations, organisers, researchers and funders whose contributions have shaped its first 3 years and made this next phase possible.
Media contact
Jude Davis
jude@powertoprosperuk.org
