Introduction

Zawiya Trust is a community‑rooted organisation based in Small Heath, Birmingham, aspiring to support young people to develop the skills, confidence and opportunities needed to thrive and contribute positively to their communities. Small Heath is an area facing significant challenges, including poverty, limited opportunities and the withdrawal of public services, with few safe and welcoming spaces for young people to meet and grow together.

Originating in 1984 as an informal community association inspired by the teachings of North African Sufi traditions, Zawiya Trust has a long history of community service. From its building, the Trust has delivered a wide range of social welfare activity, including youth work, employment projects, interfaith engagement, environmental initiatives and health and wellbeing support.

Central Support Offer – Identifying the Need

As part of its Youth Investment Fund (YIF) grant, Zawiya Trust aimed to develop and upgrade its facilities to expand and strengthen provision for young people. While the organisation had strong values and committed volunteers, an initial diagnostic conversation identified the need for a clearer overarching framework for their work, alongside improved fundraising capacity to support sustainability and growth.

The leadership team was motivated to expand its impact but had limited experience of structured income generation, funding strategy or demonstrating impact to external funders.

Support Provided

Through the YIF Central Support Offer, Participate Projects worked alongside Zawiya Trust to build income‑generation capacity and strengthen strategic foundations.

Participate Projects works with charities and community organisations to strengthen income generation, governance and strategic planning. Their participatory approach supports organisations to clarify purpose, build fundraising capability and develop sustainable, mission‑aligned business models rooted in their values and lived experience.

The support began with facilitated sessions with the youth leadership team, exploring the elements of what became Zawiya Trust’s Theory of Change. This helped the team articulate their aspirations, experiences and values within a cohesive framework that could be used both for planning future activity and for fundraising.

Building on this, Participate Projects delivered guidance on fundraising techniques and approaches, helping the team understand how different funders operate and how Zawiya Trust’s Theory of Change aligned with funder priorities. To make the learning practical, the leadership team selected a live funding opportunity and worked collaboratively over ten days to design a project and complete an application, with Participate Projects acting as critical friends throughout the process.

Alongside this hands‑on application support, Participate Projects developed a fundraising strategy for Zawiya Trust and provided a list of relevant UK and regional funders with an interest in supporting youth work.

The Result and Impact

The leadership team successfully submitted their first funding application and are now actively working on a second. Through the process, trustees and volunteers developed a clearer understanding of how to design fundable projects, link organisational purpose to funder outcomes and articulate intended impact.

Additional Impacts

The organisation now has:

  • A clear Theory of Change to guide delivery and fundraising
  • A long‑term income‑generation strategy adopted by the leadership group
  • Greater confidence to take a more strategic and less reactive approach to fundraising
  • An impact framework and guidance on monitoring tools, strengthening future funding applications

Together, these foundations are helping Zawiya Trust move towards greater sustainability and resilience.

What They Said

“We recognise the importance of tracking our activities and demonstrating the difference we make, especially when it comes to securing future funding and ensuring long‑term success. Having an impact framework that aligns with our Theory of Change and funding bids will undoubtedly strengthen our approach.”
 Shafie Hashi, Zawiya Trust

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