Programme Evaluation 2014-15

4. Nature and Extent of Partnership
“The present challenges of environment and economy, of human development and global poverty, can only be faced with
extraordinary Christ-liberated courage. Actions have to change for words to have effect”
Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
F4C’s core values – its basis in belief, and deep commitment to sustainability and social justice – make it impossible to make
arbitrary distinctions between funders, workers, clients and supporters in the broadest sense. F4C works with partners
who embrace many perceptions and aspirations, within and beyond faith communities. Some have the primary aim of
achieving financial returns for their shareholders, and need assurances that their partnerships do not prejudice such an
outcome. Others, while equally committed to good financial management, have a greater concern to build and sustain
social capital. While recent studies have considered the practicalities and parameters of partnerships between faith based
organisations (FBOs) and other bodies, it is nevertheless difficult to apply their conclusions and recommendations without
some degree of qualification. In 2015, the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities 7 identified the major
role of FBOs in service delivery and advocacy, particularly in health and education.
They highlighted the positive changes of FBO input to attitude and behaviour among their partners, thus generating added
value for the projects concerned. It recognised that a lack of knowledge and understanding of FBOs (which tend to be
small in scale) may hinder engagement in wider partnerships, particularly with large corporations. FBOs, however,
offered the strategic advantage of ‘seeing the person as a whole’ rather than addressing individual needs in isolation. For
their part, FBOs stood to gain from the funding and development opportunities that membership of wider multi-sector
partnerships offered. The study concluded that maximum benefits would most likely result from partnerships built around
shared values, dialogue and mutual understanding.
The term ‘partners’ is used here to include funders (who provide money) and sponsors (who provide premises and nonpecuniary
resources, allowing projects to be delivered), and beneficiaries – those directly or indirectly supported and
empowered through F4C’s activities. It also includes supporters: people and groups who, in a wider, looser and more
informal sense, help F4C deliver its charitable objectives, strengthen its presence and prestige among local and regional
networks, and make its long-term sustainability more likely.
The 2013-14 evaluation calculated that the projects undertaken during that year involved a total of 71 partners from across
the private, public and voluntary sectors. It is clear that this level of involvement has been considerably exceeded in 2014-15.
Target Wellbeing – Better Lives, partnered by Asylum Link Merseyside, and the Environment Agency’s Flood Awareness
in Diverse Communities, with significant support from local mosques, were based on extensive engagement with a broad
diversity of organisations and the communities they served across Merseyside and Greater Manchester-Lancashire
respectively. A total of over 80 organisations participated in those two projects alone.
Photo 4: Some of the delicious and healthy meals made during F4C’s Let's Cook Global project, working with
Tomorrow’s Women, Wirral, supporting vulnerable women to cook, learn and eat together.
7 Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (2015) Building More Effective Partnerships between Public Sector and Faith Groups. Available at:
http://jliflc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Buildingmoreeffective-partnerships-between-public-sector-and-faith-groups.pdf
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