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11 / 08 / 22
We are delighted to announce that the Faith & Belief Forum (F&BF) is one of the recipients of the government’s Faith New Deal Fund.
F&BF is one of sixteen faith-based and interfaith groups who will receive a boost to support their work through the government’s £1.3 million Faith New Deal pilot scheme. The groups will work in partnership with councils, local communities, and voluntary groups to develop interventions to tackle social issues affecting those in most need of support.
The fund will also help faith groups to build on the collaboration with national and local government that happened during the pandemic.
We are pleased to see that the government is recognising the value faith and belief groups provide to society in this way. These groups play a vital societal role in many ways – by supporting the most vulnerable in our communities, by connecting people and making them less isolated, and as agents of wider positive change.
We also welcome the fact that the Faith New Deal Fund will inform the development of a Faith Compact, that will set out key principles to aid engagement between faith groups and government. We believe that more engagement between faith communities and government can help both parties better address challenges our communities face both on the local and national level.
As grassroots actors, and first responders, faith-based organisations are experts in the needs and the solutions required for their community. We’re delighted to apply our methodology and tried and tested approach of community consultation and dialogue to our project in Solihull – and hope that the opportunity to contribute towards the Faith Compact will give us the platform to advocate for how successful social change necessitates diverse faith and belief involvement.
We hope that the new Conservative leadership will prioritise developing relationships between faith communities and government further and continue to recognise the special value that they provide to society. The Faith New Deal Fund is arguably even more important now than when it was first announced, and we look forward to taking part in this initiative .
Find out more about the Faith New Deal on the government’s website
