When I started Spark in 2020, it was in the early days of the COVID-19 crisis. Communities were in turmoil, policy was shifting daily, racial injustice was hyper-visible and yet structurally entrenched. I moved fast, setting up Spark, because I had to.
But there was so much I didn’t know.
I didn’t fully understand how the funding system worked. I didn’t know how legal structures would shape our future. I didn’t realise just how much of the social impact sector runs on unwritten rules, informal networks and invisible power dynamics. And I definitely didn’t know how much emotional resilience it would take to build something in a system that wasn’t designed for me.
Grassroots Run Deep is an e-learning programme for Black and racialised people (by racialised we mean Black people, people of colour, or minoritised ethnic people). It provides a foundation for anyone with an idea for change, guiding you through the key things you need to understand – from how the social impact sector works, to legal structures, funding, support networks and how to create meaningful impact.
It’s the programme I wish I’d had before I started Spark. In many ways, it’s the map I wish I’d had access to before venturing out on my own. Navigating this system as a woman of colour meant learning the rules while also navigating the barriers that shape who is trusted, resourced and welcomed in these spaces.
Inequality in the UK is not standing still – it is deepening day by day. There are so many people with lived experience who want to make change, yet face structural barriers in doing so. If you have a vision or a spark to tackle inequality, but you’re not sure how to go about it, then this programme may be for you.
What the evidence told us
Before designing the programme, we reviewed more than 15 reports exploring the experiences of charities, social enterprises and community businesses led by racialised people. But this wasn’t just desk research.
Over the last six years at Spark, we’ve also spoken to community organisations and grassroots leaders almost daily. Through interviews, workshops, advisory sessions and informal conversations, we’ve had hundreds of discussions about what it really takes to build and sustain community-led work in the UK as a marginalised person.
The themes were consistent.
- The playing field remains uneven: Chronic underinvestment in organisations supporting marginalised communities, alongside austerity, COVID-19 and ongoing economic instability, has left many groups financially fragile.
- Lived experience is still undervalued: Despite strong rhetoric, only a small minority of funders work collaboratively and equitably with people who have direct lived experience.
- Exclusionary behaviours persist: Bias, stigma and coded language continue to shape who feels comfortable applying for funding, speaking up or taking up space in sector spaces.
- The system is not designed for everyone: There are structural barriers that shape who can access opportunities.
- Pressure on racialised leaders is intensifying: Rising demand, funding volatility and inaccessible processes are contributing to burnout and serious mental health strain.
The message we heard repeatedly was clear: support for those leading community work needs to be quicker, clearer and grounded in the realities that grassroots leaders are navigating every day.
Why we created Grassroots Run Deep
At Spark, we know that communities of colour are often the first to respond to injustice, and the least supported in doing so. Grassroots Run Deep is designed by people who have done this work, for those doing it now.
It is a foundational e-learning course for racialised people at the beginning of their journey in the social change sector. Rather than following a single path, it offers a practical, anti-racist roadmap to help you understand the systems you’re navigating and make informed choices about your work, structure and sustainability.
Over the past year, the Spark team, alongside learning designer and consultant Sheetal Mistry, has developed the programme, working closely together to bring the vision to life through the course content, slides and learning materials.
The programme combines self-paced online modules with live facilitated sessions and reflection exercises. It covers:
- How the UK social impact and funding landscape actually works
- How laws, institutions and money shape what is possible
- Whether formalising your work is right for you, and what different legal structures mean in practice
- Sustainable income models beyond “just apply for grants”
- Building support systems and protecting your wellbeing
- Articulating your story and impact without diluting your values.
Alongside the content, we create space for peer connection – because none of us are meant to do this alone.
Is it right for you?
Grassroots Run Deep is a foundational e-learning course designed for racialised people at the very beginning of their journey in navigating the social change sector.
It is for people who may already be organising, volunteering, supporting their communities, or exploring ideas for change, but who may not yet know what structure, organisation, or model is right for them.
This programme is for you if:
- You are already organising in your community and wondering whether to formalise your work;
- You have an idea for creating social change but aren’t sure how to turn it into something sustainable;
- You are thinking about registering an organisation but don’t yet know what structure makes sense;
- You want to generate income for your work but aren’t sure how funding works;
- Jargon and language from the social impact sector feels confusing or overwhelming;
- You are committed to your community but unsure how to keep going sustainably.
Grassroots Run Deep won’t remove structural inequality in the social impact sector, or wider society. But it will help you understand it more clearly. When you can see the system for what it is, you can make strategic decisions rather than reactive ones.
For funders and the wider sector
If you work in a funding organisation or infrastructure body, you have a role to play.
You can start by sharing Grassroots Run Deep with grassroots leaders in your networks – especially those you may have rejected for funding or support. Too often, rejection letters close doors without offering pathways forward.
If we want a healthier ecosystem, we must invest in the people holding communities together before burnout pushes them out. As inequality deepens across the UK, community leaders and organisers are needed more than ever – but they must be sustained, resourced and supported, not running on fumes.
For those who want to make change – we’ve been where you are
We created Grassroots Run Deep because we’ve navigated this terrain ourselves – sitting in rooms where we felt out of place, decoding jargon, and learning hard legal and financial lessons while carrying community work and burnout.
This programme names those challenges and equips you with the information, community and support to move through them.
There’s no single path – but your vision for change is your North Star, and Grassroots Run Deep is here to help you build something sustainable towards it.