Since September, TSIC and 360Giving has been collaborating with the DEI Data Group to propose a shared framework (classification, language and approach) to categorise organisations either led by, or targeting and supporting groups experiencing structural inequity. The DEI Data Group is an open coalition of foundations working alongside the DEI Coalition and the Funders Alliance for Race Equality. The primary use of this taxonomy will be for funders to monitor their grant programmes, but it is also anticipated that there will be wider use of a shared framework for sector analysis.
To develop the framework, we have interviewed over 20 sector-wide stakeholders from different communities of identity and experience. Numerous challenges have been reported by stakeholders regarding collection of equalities data, such as:
- There is a lack of data available on the communities served. Information is either not being collected or not being collected in a comparable way – impacting our understanding of the sector;
- Applicants may tick all the boxes available on monitoring forms to show how inclusive they are but clear and precise trends and impact cannot be drawn from the data;
- Being mindful of what is proportionate and simple to fill in given limited capacity of organisations to collect data, while capturing the complexities of the identities of various groups and intersectionality;
- Applicants and grantees may not understand why such data are being collected and what will be done with the data, and may be hesitant in providing the data;
- Striking the balance between using the data to inform funding strategy in general, but not for specific funding decisions;
- Striking a balance between the nuance and complexity that is the reality for communities, and the need to be able to collate and aggregate information in a consistent way to support it to inform decisions.
Bearing these challenges in mind during the creation of the framework, we are excited to announce the DRAFT framework for consultation. No framework can encompass every possible nuance, but we hope this provides a starting point for moving this forward. We welcome you to fill out this survey to give us some feedback. The survey will close on 10th December 2020. Thanks so much for your time – really appreciate your thoughts!