Funders and Partnerships

Partnerships

From the early days we have worked closely with other refugee services – Refugee Women of Bristol; Refugee Action.  Over time, a number of new services evolved out of BRR and we have been able to maintain a close relationship with them – Bristol Signing Support; Bristol Hospitality Network.

In more recent years we have entered into funded partnerships locally (e.g. Bristol Impact Fund partnership with, Bristol Hospitality Network, Project Mama, Refugee Women of Bristol and Borderlands) and nationally (e.g. Refugee Action lead partnership around the Early Action Charter).

In 2019 we have developed a new Strategic Plan for the next 3 years.  Our Partnership Strategy sets out the reasons why partnerships play an important role in the Strategic Plan and our detailed plans for the next 3 years.

If you are a partner organisation looking for help for a service user, you can find further information here

BRASP –  Bristol Refugee and Asylum Seeker Partnership

BRASP is a partnership made up of 16 organisations supporting refugees and asylum seekers in Bristol.

We are working together to: coordinate services in the city; collaborate on new projects and improve support for asylum seekers and refugees; and encourage lived experience leadership in our sector.

We hope that BRASP will provide our sector with a collective voice to influence local services and an

Southwest Immigration Alliance

The Southwest struggles with a shortage of legal advice, particularly immigration advice. A report (click to download) by Bristol Refugee Rights and Bristol Law Centre, funded by the Justice Together Initiative (JTI), highlighted the lack of adequate legal specialist immigration advice in the region and since it was published in September 2022 the situation has become more challenging.

The Southwest Immigration Alliance is a project funded by the Justice Together Initiative (JTI) to increase access to specialist immigration advice in the Southwest region.

This project aims to establish a more coordinated, collaborative, and sustainable legal advice ecosystem that ensures that people needing immigration & asylum advice can access justice.

The project will focus on collaboration among legal advice providers in the region and with asylum and refugee support organisations. There are 2 specific delivery plans that will form part of the solution and the learning:

In Bristol, Gloucester, and Swindon: Improving referral pathways, with added complex casework capacity (at BLC)​.

In Devon & Cornwall covering Plymouth and Exeter areas: building capacity to develop sustainable ecosystem – relationships and other development work​.

Explore, Adapt, Renew

Since 2019 we have worked alongside organisations around the country to develop new ways of work, improve our services and increase the power of our members. This partnership is led by Refugee Action and involves, Action Foundation, Brushstrokes, Nottingham Refugee Forum Pafras, Refugee Women Connect, Southward Day Centre for Asylum Seekers. There are four key work areas:

  • Developing ‘Local Ecosystems’ of refugee and asylum seeker organisations
  • ‘Shifting Power’ to asylum seekers and refugees
  • Using ‘Early Action’ to prevent and avoid crises
  • ‘Adapting Services’ to respond to new challenges and build the learning from the partnership into our organisations

Our Funders

We are currently funded by:

The Allan & Nesta Ferguson Charitable Settlement
AB Charitable
BBC Children in Need
Bristol City Council
Big Give
JJ Charitable Trust (a Sainsbury family trust)
John James Bristol Foundation
Leathersellers
Leonard Laity Stoate Charitable Trust
Lloyds Foundation for England and Wales
National Lottery Community Fund
National Lottery Community Fund through Barrow Cadbury Trust
Nationwide Community Fund 
Quartet
Respond and Adapt (coalition of donors managed by Refugee Action)
Swan Mountain Trust
Tudor Trust
Community Justice Fund

We also receive funding from trusts and foundations who wish to remain anonymous.  We are extremely grateful for all of the support we have received past and present.

If you would like to contribute please visit the Financial Donations page and the Free Shop page.

What can BRR offer to partners?

Bristol Refugee Rights works to fulfil our vision:

A society where refugees, asylum seekers and migrants are welcomed, feel safe, live free of poverty and are able to positively build their lives.  A society where everyone’s rights and entitlements are respected. 

We do this through the delivery of unique, direct services to asylum seekers, refugees and some other migrants.  However, we recognise that we are stronger when we work together and that through collaboration, asylum seekers, refugees and migrants have better experiences, are treated better and have better long term outcomes.  For this reason, we want to work together.

We are an organisation with strong values; here is what we offer our partnerships:

–       Value #1 Respect: We are committed to equality and treating everyone fairly. 

We strive to be member led and have good relationships with established refugee and asylum communities locally.

–       Value #2 Shared humanity: We are all human beings; we are all global citizens. 

We have knowledge of issues and needs of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants; we have experience.

–       Value #3 Integrity: We have strong moral principles and act in the interests of people we work with. 

We are realistic about the challenges of taking on a new project; we have capacity; we do what we say we will; we keep you informed.

–       Value #4 Collaboration: We build, support and encourage partnerships between individuals, teams and organisations.

We have local knowledge, understanding of local services, a good understanding of the local authority and connections nationally.

–       Value #5 Empowerment: We encourage people to be stronger, more confident and to claim their rights. 

We work together.  We value the contribution each person makes.  Our members successes are testament to our achievements.

–       Value #6 Innovation: We are adaptable, respond to the changing world around us and strive to be the best we can. 

We are well established, strategic and know our direction; we learn from our impact monitoring and evaluation; we are willing to try new things and support new ideas.

Please get in touch if, after reading the strategy, you would like to discuss working with us.