Overview
The Power of Pop Fund is a pooled fund supporting organisations using pop culture and creativity to advance justice in the UK. The Fund has a particular focus on migration and racial justice, while acknowledging the deep interwoven causes of climate justice, gender justice, economic justice and democracy.
Collectively, our funded partners use storytelling and cultural methods to amplify the experiences of racialized communities with a view making society more equitable. We champion community leaders, support organisations and foster the development of the field. We support organisations who think outside the box, developing innovative interventions to achieve profound impact.
PoP Fund - At a glance
At a glance
Timeframe:
2022-2027
Number of funded partners:
9
Total Programme Value:
£2.91 million
Location:
United Kingdom
Co-funders:
Unbound Philanthropy, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Oak Foundation.
Goals
The Power of Pop Fund is grounded on three goals
1: Cultivate Community Leadership
We fund organisations led by people from systemically marginalised communities, with an understanding that there is power in who gets to create and influence culture. By supporting community leadership, we hope to leave positive imprints and lasting legacies.
2: Strengthen Organisations
We fund organisations who have identified their unique contribution to social justice and champion their autonomy, integrity, and authenticity. We offer wrap around support to facilitate healthy organisational life spans, in the belief that sustained interventions are essential for systemic change. The concept of organisational strength is subjective, and we work with funded partners to identify what ideal operations would look like for them.
3: Build Infrastructure
We work to strengthen the pop culture for social justice ecosystem by facilitating networks and bridging new connections between industries, sectors and actors. As part of this, we encourage connections beyond borders, bringing our funded partners into relationship with diverse collaborators.
Current Funded Partners
Current Funded Partners
Skin Deep
We Are Bridge
Counterpoints Arts
Stuart Hall Foundation
Reports and Publications
Publications
Power of Pop Strategy
Our Strategy outlines our vision, mission, goals, learning questions and funding approach for the Power of Pop Fund between 2025 – 2028.
Pop Culture for Social Justice: A foundational framework
This framework aims to clarify the logic behind investing in pop culture for social change interventions, with a series of if/then statements to connect the theory underlying this work. Ultimately it aims to show how strategic funding interventions can advance pop culture as a tool for social justice.
Power of Pop Fund: Annual Insights Report 2022-2024
This report covers the first two years of the Power of Pop Fund from July 2022 to July 2024. It assesses what the Fund has achieved to date, the factors that have enabled the successes, the ongoing challenges, learnings, and recommendations for Year 3 and beyond.
New Brave World by Alice Sachrajda and Marzena Zukowska, supported by Unbound Philanthropy, March 2021
The PoP Fund is informed by recommendations from the New Brave World report by Alice Sachrajda and Marzena Zukowska, published in 2021. The report explores the power of cultural currents, the opportunities to harness narrative power through content in films, television and gaming, and emphasises the vast, unexplored potential of pop culture for social change in the UK.
Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkit for Pop Culture for Social Change Organisations
This guide, developed to support the Power of Pop (PoP) Fund and its partners, presents Monitoring and Evaluation tools and techniques that can be used to measure and learn from work taking place in the pop culture for social change field.
Building narrative and cultural change infrastructure in the UK: Learning from inspirational work in the US
This briefing paper, developed to support the work of the PoP Fund, shares learning from US organisations and reflects on how to grow the pop culture for social change ecosystem in the UK.
Building narrative and cultural change infrastructure in the UK: Learning from inspirational work in the US
This briefing paper, developed to support the work of the PoP Fund, shares learning from US organisations and reflects on how to grow the pop culture for social change ecosystem in the UK.
Power of Pop Strategy
Our Strategy outlines our vision, mission, goals, learning questions and funding approach for the Power of Pop Fund between 2025 – 2028.
Pop Culture for Social Justice: A foundational framework
This framework aims to clarify the logic behind investing in pop culture for social change interventions, with a series of if/then statements to connect the theory underlying this work. Ultimately it aims to show how strategic funding interventions can advance pop culture as a tool for social justice.
Case Studies
Case Studies
Pop Fund: CASE STUDY OF SKIN DEEP
This case study of Skin Deep, one of the funded partners in the PoP Fund, describes the organisation's background and approaches to change. It also presents some highlights from their work under the PoP Fund as well as their longer term vision as an organisation.
Pop Fund: CASE STUDY OF 2POCC
This case study of 2POCC, one of the funded partners in the PoP Fund, describes the organisation's background and approaches to change. It also presents some highlights from their work under the PoP Fund as well as their longer term vision as an organisation.
POP FUND: CASE STUDY OF WE ARE BRIDGE
This case study of We Are Bridge, one of the funded partners in the PoP Fund, describes the organisation's background and approaches to change. It also presents some highlights from their work under the PoP Fund as well as their longer term vision as an organisation.
News and Updates
Pop Fund - News and Updates
Three days in Dartington: Provocations to Shift Entertainment Narratives
Nestled in an idyllic corner of southwest England is Dartington Hall, home to gorgeous Grade II-listed gardens and witness to key moments in history, among them the conception of the Arts Council
How TV and Film Can Save the World
As the sun started to drop over Finsbury Park, on a cooling October evening, the Power of Pop funded partners and Community Council gathered in New Beacon Bookshop for our next funder plus event. We were joined by the recently published Ellen E Jones, to discuss her recent publication Screen Deep: How TV and Film Can Solve Racism and Save the World.
The Power of Pop Mixer
On Friday 12th April 2024, we were proud to host the Power of Pop Mixer, a reception bringing together incredible social justice practitioners, artists, academics, funders, friends and colleagues interested in the potential of pop culture as a tool for racial and migrant justice.
CREATIVITY DOES GOOD: BREAKING BREAD AND BARRIERS
A group of our fantastic funded partners met recently to discuss the question - how can we use creativity, entertainment and art to advance racial and migrant justice?
THE POWER OF POP FUND ANNOUNCES COMMUNITY COUNCIL OF ADVISORS
A Community Council of six advisors has been launched to oversee governance of the Power of Pop (PoP) Fund.
THE POWER OF POP FUND ANNOUNCES COMMUNITY COUNCIL OF ADVISORS
A Community Council of six advisors has been launched to oversee governance of the Power of Pop (PoP) Fund.
Three days in Dartington: Provocations to Shift Entertainment Narratives
Nestled in an idyllic corner of southwest England is Dartington Hall, home to gorgeous Grade II-listed gardens and witness to key moments in history, among them the conception of the Arts Council
How TV and Film Can Save the World
As the sun started to drop over Finsbury Park, on a cooling October evening, the Power of Pop funded partners and Community Council gathered in New Beacon Bookshop for our next funder plus event. We were joined by the recently published Ellen E Jones, to discuss her recent publication Screen Deep: How TV and Film Can Solve Racism and Save the World.
Recommendations for the sector
The need for long-term core funding is pressing for organisations working at the intersections of arts, creativity and narrative/cultural change.
It is important that the field continues to champion the voices of organisations working across racial and migrant justice.
There is a benefit in proactive knowledge exchange between funders, creatives, corporates and public bodies interested in the social impact of culture and the arts.