Executive Summary

Comic Relief is seeking a consultant (or consultancy team) to facilitate the process of developing a Theory of Change for Comic Relief’s programme: The Global Majority Fund, which aims to support organisations led by and for communities experiencing racial inequality. We envisage this process to be co-created with funded partners, our Fund Reference Group and Comic Relief staff to develop both a simplified and communicable Theory of Change to guide the future direct of this work.

We are also seeking the same consultant to undertake the final evaluation of Phase III of The Global Majority Fund. This will be a three-year programme and want to ensure that learning, reflections and experiences at key points within the programme are captured in real time and inform the final evaluation. 

Key deadlines

●  Application window:  21 April 2023 – 15 May 2023 (10:00AM BST)

●  (By Invitation) window to submit a full tender: 31 May 2023 – 4 July 2023

●  Interviews:  13 and 14 July 2023

Background and rationale

In July 2020, Comic Relief in partnership with the National Emergencies Trust launched a dedicated funding call for organisations led by and for different ethnicities, to further their emergency Covid-19 relief response with communities - also known as Phase I of ‘The Global Majority Fund’.

Ten organisations – known as Intermediary Technical Partners (ITPs), received funding under this phase of work across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The expertise, networks, and knowledge of the ITPs meant they were best placed to launch their own grant-making programme and distribute rapid funding to a diverse range of small grassroots organisations that are led by or for communities experiencing racial inequality[1] across the UK. Funding to these organisations began on 9 July 2020 and the programme and concluded on 30 September 2021. The final evaluation and sketch note executive summary for this phase can be found HERE.

In November 2020, Comic Relief launched Phase II of this work to continue and further the Covid-19 response with communities experiencing racial inequality. The second phase of this funding was in partnership with the National Emergencies Trust, Barclays, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Clothworkers’ Foundation to support a further cohort of nine new ITPs and one organisation, Migrant Centre Northern Ireland, continued to receive funding under Phase I and II. The funding call for this work can be found on our website HERE. Funding to these organisations began on 2 February 2021 and the programme concluded on 28 February 2023, with the final evaluation in progress.

Phase III of the Global Majority Fund has begun on 1 January 2023 and this phase is making an intentional shift away from Covid-19 emergency response to recovery and strengthening of the same ITPs we partnered with under Phase One of this work, supporting them with their organisational development ambitions and building their resilience. It also allows for these organisations to onward fund a small number of grassroots organisations to build and strengthen these organisations in the same two areas. 

Purpose and intended audience

This purpose of this work is twofold:

Firstly, we are seeking a consultant (or consultancy team) to co-create a Theory of Change for the fund. This will lay the foundations for coherent programming and learning; enable us to clearly articulate the macro level social change we seek to contribute to and how the Global Majority fund will support in order do so; as well as potential barriers, expected outcomes and the assumptions we are making. The Theory of Change needs to be grounded in the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion; trust and relationships; shifting power; participation and lived experience. We expect the consultant (or consultancy team) to bring an understanding of the current state of the sector, including examples of strong practice in funding practice and public engagement and ultimately, ask us the challenging questions we are not asking ourselves.

Secondly to undertake an evaluation of Phase III of The Global Majority Fund to understand the impact of the Fund and the difference it has made to:

• Intermediary technical partners (directly funded by Comic Relief).

• Grassroots organisations (those who received funding from intermediary technical partners to either support their own organisation’s organisational development or support programmes delivered in the community).

We want to understand the impact of the funding on both intermediary technical partners and grassroots organisations, both the opportunities and the challenges created resulting from distributing or receiving this funding. Comic Relief has been working closely with a Fund Reference Group (FRG) – a group of five consultants who bring expertise in working with led by and for organisations and understand how structural inequalities and racism have resulted in the decimation of specialised organisations led by communities experiencing racial inequality.      

This group will be working closely with our 10 ITPs as they deliver this work, providing support as defined by the funded partners to support organisational development ambitions for the entire duration of the fund. We are keen to critically analyse the effectiveness of this approach and the value add of their support to the fund. Comic Relief will create spaces for collective learning for the cohort and provide emotional wellbeing support to partners for the duration of the fund. We want to understand the usefulness and value of these sessions.

Lastly the fund aims to engage with co-funders of the Fund, exploring how they can support these organisations and the sector beyond just making investments, which may include offering organisational development support, providing access to resources, facilitating introductions, coaching and critically reviewing their own funding practice to ensure organisations led by and for communities experiencing racial inequalities have equitable opportunities to access funding, organisational development support and other resources to ensure they have the opportunity to grow and flourish sustainably. 

The evaluation report will be shared with all co-funders, intermediary technical partners, and those that they have onward funded and the wider sector.

Approach and Methodology

We welcome applicants’ suggestions on suitable methodologies and approaches to undertake this work, which must demonstrate technical competence, commitment to trust-based relationships and flexibility.

Theory of Change:

We know we can have more impact when we work with others, and that real change happens when people closest to the issues are involved. We are therefore committed to listening to and working with those closest to the issues: our funded partners, people with direct experience and those working alongside them – as well as those studying these issues. Therefore, you would be expected to consult externally with people with lived experience and other types of knowledge.

This consultancy will need to be based on the principles below to ensure a sense of internal ownership and meaningful engagement with internal and external stakeholders.

1.       Inclusivity and participation – The consultant will need to ensure that various internal and external stakeholders, including experts by experience, are meaningfully engaged, so that outcomes reflect the different interests and needs of the stakeholders involved. Comic Relief will support this engagement, utilising existing networks and contacts.

2.       Building on our work to date – This Theory of Change process should ensure that it builds on the previous learnings and experience of the Fund. Comic Relief commits to making all relevant information available.

3.       Simple and accessible – the format for the Theory of Change needs to be both simple and informative – allowing a range of stakeholders – some of whom, may have English as an additional language – to engage with the framework and understand the wider change we are seeking to create with the fund. This format does not have to be in a traditional format, and we are seeking a consultant to work with the collective to agree the best format for the final product. The process needs to be carried out in such a way that keeps us focused on the vision for the fund but creates a pathway to concrete actions and brings our key stakeholders on that journey.

 Final Evaluation:

Grant making for phase III of The Global Majority Fund began in May 2022, with the programme officially beginning on 1 January 2023 for a period of three years. We want to ensure the evaluation team is capturing learning at critical points during the programme, to ensure real time reflections, successes and challenges are being captured rather than retrospectively trying to recall these.

Although we expect most of the work to be undertaken remotely, (e.g., reviewing reports produced by intermediary technical partners, internal monitoring data; undertaking key informant interviews online, etc.), we welcome applicants to suggest participatory approaches that they have tested before, that could be delivered safely in person or online with the intent of ensuring that both organisations and individuals can actively contribute to the evaluation.

We would expect consultants to engage with all ten intermediary technical partners and a cross section of grassroots organisations that received onward funding to better understand the impact of the funding and the opportunities and challenges created from receiving this funding.

We would welcome creative suggestions of how to successfully run participatory sessions remotely and/or in person as appropriate, and especially welcome approaches using decolonised and inclusive methods of evidence gathering, research and learning.

Timelines, Deliverables:

Project start date and Delivery period:                       1 August 2023 – 1 January 2026

Theory of Change:

The following activities and deliverables reflect our thinking as to minimal requirements for this work. However, we welcome applicants’ suggestions on suitable amendments and alternatives.

Inception:

• Desk review of relevant documentation shared by Comic Relief

• Scoping of relevant external context e.g., Theory of Changes from other relevant programmes

• Discussion with the Fund Reference Group and Comic Relief on methods, approaches, deliverables and governance input and participation

• Mutually agreed, written workplan for the work to be deliverey 

Engagement:

• Design and facilitate workshops and engagement to develop the theories of change.

• Engage key stakeholders, including but not limited to: Intermediary Technical Partners, Fund Reference Group, representatives of the organisations we fund; experts by experience; funder peers (engagement approach to be discussed).

• Stress testing of resulting Theory of Change both with all stakeholders.

Articulation:

• Detailed narrative (if determined to be the best format) and visual Theory of Change for The Global Majority Fund.

• Articulation of our goals, how we will get there, challenges, opportunities and suggested partners who we should consider working with to deliver this work.

• Articulation of assumptions and associated risks, as well as the nature, site and distribution of power within the Theory of Change.

Final Evaluation:

Comic Relief welcomes creative approaches to whole evaluation, specifically the final product, so please see the Reporting and Feedback section below as one possible approach, rather than definitive guide:

Inception:

• Kick-off meeting with Comic Relief

• Inception report which will serve as an agreement between the two parties on how the evaluation will be conducted. This will expand on the participatory approach in the Proposal, the team’s understanding of the evaluation questions, information sources, agreed touch points where data collection needs to be undertaken over the life of the programme, research methodology, draft data collection tools, workplan, proposal for feedback and learning and detailed budget

Engagement:

• Review qualitative and quantitative data available.

• Convene key stakeholders at agreed points to capture learnings, experiences and reflections, including but not limited to: Intermediary Technical Partners, Fund Reference Group, representatives of the organisations we fund and co-funders. 

Articulation:

• A final report/product evaluation of The Global Majority Fund – Phase III, not to exceed 30 pages (if a narrative format is ultimately decided on). We expect it to include:

-        Executive summary

-        Programme description

-        Evaluation purpose

-        Evaluation methodology

-        Findings

-        Conclusions (answers to the Evaluation Questions)

-        Recommendations

-        Annexes (list of people interviewed, key documents consulted, data collection instruments)

• Design and facilitate a Feedback and Learning session (or similar) with key stakeholders to communicate findings

• Resources produced from the feedback and learning session

• Formal response responding to feedback from the Fund Reference Group, Comic Relief and funded partners to be included in the final report.

Budget

Budget available: GBP 50,000 including VAT (if applicable) to cover all fees and expenses. Agreed expenses for travel and other costs can be claimed against receipts. Value for money based on all the specifications will be considered when analysing the tenders. Cost, therefore, is only one factor that will be considered.

Project Management

The main point of contact for this work will be Poonam D’Cruze (Head of Programme: Poverty & Injustice) although the work will be overseen by the Fund Reference Group.

To truly live our values as an organisation, we believe in genuine partnership with external consultants who share our values and are committed. The team anticipates a co-creative and iterative approach, with regular check-ins and transparent decision-making so the project can be adjusted and adapted as required.  We commit and expect commitment to radical honesty, mutual learning, mutual appreciation, and care.

The selected consultant will be expected to read and comply with Comic Relief’s Safeguarding Framework and Code of Conduct.

Profile and Competencies

It is expected that the successful candidate(s) will have:

●        Extensive knowledge and demonstrable experience in programme design, developing theories of change through collaborative processes, and articulating these visually and in writing

●        Sound and previous experience of working for and undertaking evaluations for UK based programmes that are led by and for communities experiencing racial inequality.

●        Experienced in using holistic approaches in a remote setting to understand insights, perspectives and experiences impacting organisations and individuals in a way that is sensitive, appreciating the nuances of culture, ethnicity and religion and how these intersect with the socioeconomic and political landscape.

●        An understanding of and commitment to Shifting Power

●        Experience of coaching, designing and delivering participatory design workshops

●        Ability to provide objective insights and challenge organisational bias

●        Excellent communication skills – the ability to facilitate groups of organisations/individuals in person and remotely, in a way that is accessible and jargon-free for audiences where English is not a first or second language.

●        A commitment to Comic Relief’s values of promoting social justice and tackling the effects and root causes of poverty in the UK.

The selected consultant will be expected to read and comply with Comic Relief’s Safeguarding Framework and Code of Conduct.

Application Process:

We understand that a competitive tender process can be a time-consuming experience for candidates and on this basis, we have introduced a two-part shortlisting process, to ensure the process is proportionate and reduces bias towards applicants. The shortlisting and interview panels will be made up of members from our funded partners, Fund Reference Group and Comic Relief. We are committed to keeping candidates informed throughout the process (especially if we encounter delays) and will provide feedback all candidates invited to submit a full tender.

BeApplied Application window:                                  21 April 2023 – 15 May 2023

The first phase is the completion of four BeApplied questions, which will be reviewed by the shortlisting team (no other information is shared about candidates – just the answers to these four questions). Only successful candidates from this shortlisting will be invited to submit a full tender.

Window to submit a full tender (invitation only):      31 May 2023 – 4 July 2023

Successful candidates from this phase will be invited to submit a full tender to us. We are happy to accept full proposals in a variety of formats including (but not limited to): audio-visual, written and animation.

Interviews:                                                                    13 and 14 July 2023

All candidates who submit a full tender to us, will be invited to discuss their approach further during an interview. Although we fully expect the work to develop and change as you find out more about the way we work, and we hear more about your ideas.

[1] We use communities experiencing racial inequality, rather than the historically used ‘Black, Asian and minority ethnic’ (BAME). The acronym ‘BAME’ is problematic as it strips away individual identities and assumes, we all share the same experiences, challenges and barriers to representation. Communities experiencing racial inequality’ better describes the purpose of the fund, which seeks to address inequalities resulting from persistent racial inequality in education, health, the workplace, the criminal justice system and more, which have been exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic.