New report calls on leaders and funders in the social justice sector to deepen collaboration

Full report: The Future of Campaigning and Advocacy in Britain. 

Strengthening the Social Justice Ecosystem: Key Lessons and Critical Themes, Authored by Peter Gordon, Jake Cohen and Marc Stears, supported by the Civic Power Fund and John Ellerman Foundation, brings together evidence and experience from across the broad field of social justice campaigning in the UK. 

Drawing on academic literature, in-depth conversations with leading global researchers, and deliberations from two roundtable sessions with established UK social justice leaders, together with individual and group interviews with a range of practitioners and activists, the report identifies key recommendations for both leaders and philanthropic funders committed to the social justice ecosystem. 

It examines the challenges facing the campaigning and advocacy sector, from increasing political polarisation and the reversal of hard-won policy gains, to fragmentation within the sector itself, funding shortfalls, and a growing distance between 'progressive activists' and the communities they seek to serve. Yet, crucially, it also highlights a rich and vibrant ecosystem of committed organisations achieving significant change, and sets out a clear, action-oriented roadmap for building on these successes. 

Speaking ahead of the launch Marc Stears Director of the UCL Policy Lab said: "This is not a moment for despair — it is a moment for reckoning and renewal. The UK's social justice ecosystem is full of organisations doing brilliant work. What is needed now is deeper collaboration and funders who are willing to invest in the long-term health of the movement, not just individual projects. The gains of recent decades are fragile. This report asks how we protect and extend them." 

The report identifies themes around which a social justice and campaign ecosystem must collaborate on: 

• Power: the report calls for a renewed commitment to people power: the collective capacity built through association and relationships, rather than the dominance of established 'insider' and London-based perspectives. Bottom-up change, led by grassroots and community groups, particularly those most directly affected by specific injustices , must be prioritised. 
• Thinking Ecologically: the report argues for a shift away from fragmented, competitive approaches towards an understanding of the social justice field as a shared, dynamic ecosystem. Drawing on the work of Policy Lab collaborators such as Amanda Tattersall and Hahrie Han, it proposes that 'productive cohabitation', where which differences are acknowledged and respected, and collaboration reduces unnecessary competition, can provide the greatest prospects for transformational change. 
• Thinking Relationally: the report highlights the importance of broad-based coalitions that reach across geography, class, culture and political affiliation, cautioning against a growing tendency towards insularity and 'echo chambers' that risks alienating potential allies and the wider public. 
• Curiosity and humility: the sector must be willing to recognise its own assumptions and mistakes, and to engage with those whose views and experiences differ. Contributors warn against a 'tone deaf' approach that appears censorious of public frustration, and call instead for genuine listening and openness to new ideas, from both inside and outside the sector.
• Nurturing the Ecosystem: the infrastructure of the ecosystem must be invested in, through tools like networking, peer support, knowledge-sharing, leadership development, and the welfare of practitioners. It notes with concern that many in the sector are experiencing burnout, and that some organisations face a climate of fear, including threats and intimidation. 

A Call to Funders 

The report contains specific recommendations for philanthropic funders, noting that social justice work currently accounts for just 4.5% of UK philanthropic giving, with less than 9% of that directed towards 'outside game' work such as community organising and grassroots mobilisation. 

It urges funders to provide long-term, flexible investment in existing organisations; to encourage organisations to collaborate and experiment; to pool resources strategically; and to model a philosophy of care that recognises the unique pressures on those working in this field. The report also calls for sustained support for grassroots and community-based organisations, with an emphasis on those outside London and major urban centres, which currently receive a disproportionately small share of available funding. 

Full report: The Future of Campaigning and Advocacy in Britain.