“Standing firm in power and pride” - the theme for Black History Month 2025 - is a celebration of identity, heritage, and resilience. But it is also a challenge: it asks us to examine the power we hold, the influence we wield, and the choices we make to create opportunity and equity.
Like so many young people in the UK today, I know what it feels like to stand at the edge of possibility. I came to the UK as a child refugee from Somalia, fleeing the civil war that claimed my father’s life. My mother, courageous and determined, brought us to a new country, a new culture, and a system we had to learn from scratch.
Navigating those early years was daunting. I quickly learned English because I had to - I became the family translator, navigating letters, bills, and appointments. At just eight years old, I translated for my mother in A&E; at 12, I stood in the doorway as bailiffs arrived over an unpaid bill.
These experiences instilled in me a deep understanding of how structural inequality shapes lives, but also how opportunity can transform them. Teachers, mentors, and community leaders opened doors that changed my trajectory.
Those early moments of belief, when someone said, 'you can' shaped my career and now inform my work at Impetus, where we strive to ensure every young person, regardless of background, has the chance to succeed.
My story is not unique in its challenges, but it is unique in the opportunities I received. For many young people facing systemic barriers – compounded by disadvantage, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background – the path to success is far steeper.
These young people often face odds stacked against them, but that does not mean their outcomes are inevitable. This blog explores philanthropy’s role in unlocking transformational change and opportunity, particularly for young people from disadvantaged and ethnic minority backgrounds.
Philanthropy is at a crossroads, with the traditional model of transactional giving increasingly seen as no longer enough. Many are calling for paradigm shift: philanthropy must address the root causes of inequity, not merely the symptoms.
As Darren Walker, former President of the Ford Foundation, writes:
The new gospel of wealth asks of us, 'what are you doing with your privilege? Who are you using your privilege to benefit?'
This challenges donors to think beyond charity and towards systemic change. It is a call not just to give money, but to redistribute opportunity, influence, and decision-making power.
At Impetus, these principles are central.
We don’t just fund programmes; we strengthen the organisations delivering them. We provide long-term and unrestricted funding, strategic guidance, and rigorous measurement, so that every pound achieves maximum impact. Our approach ensures that we scale organisations with proven impact and work in partnership with our portfolio to co-create sustainable solutions – philanthropy that is deliberate, data-driven, and focused on equity.
One of the most impactful ways we translate these principles into action is through the Connect Fund, a pioneering initiative tackling employment gaps for young people from ethnic minority and disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly Black, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani communities.
The Connect Fund was designed differently from the start, built around the needs and lived experiences of our portfolio partners, because we knew that dismantling barriers to employment for young people from ethnic minority backgrounds would be difficult and would take time. Organisations with leaders from ethnic minority backgrounds, especially those outside London, are less likely to receive funding and are often working with young people facing the greatest barriers to success.
By investing in these organisations, the Connect Fund bridges opportunity gaps, fosters inclusion, and strengthens communities.
Our Youth Jobs Gap research demonstrates that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are twice as likely to be not in education, employment, or training (NEET) as their better-off peers. When disadvantage intersects with ethnicity, location, or disability, barriers can compound, creating significant social and economic costs.
With systemic barriers so high, it’s critical funders can identify and lift up the charities which are deeply embedded in their communities and offering young people the support they need to succeed, even when the odds are stacked against them. Through rigorous support and evaluation, the Connect Fund ensures our partners produce tangible outcomes for young people.
Whether it's the story of a care-experienced young woman securing an apprenticeship through Sister System’s support or a young refugee finding their first paid job after participating a Breadwinners’ programme – two examples I’ve heard from our partners this month alone – Impetus’ work illustrates the real human impact of strategic, equity-focused philanthropy.
At its core, supporting the Connect Fund is about creating opportunity. Funders, corporations, and individual donors can make a difference by:
By acting collectively, philanthropy can move from generosity to justice, creating systemic change that benefits not just individual young people, but entire communities.
By standing firm in power and pride, we can honour Black History Month not just with reflection, but with action. Philanthropy, at its best, has the power to open doors, break cycles of disadvantage, and create lasting change.
I invite funders, corporates, and philanthropists to ask themselves: How will you use your power to unlock someone else’s potential?
Supporting the Connect Fund means investing in long-term systemic change, championing Black-led and minority-led organisations that understand the communities they serve, and leveraging networks to provide real pathways to training and employment.
Where a young person starts in life should never determine where they finish. Together, we can ensure that potential is realised, communities are strengthened, and systems are transformed.
You can contact Harbi directly via harbi.jama@Impetus.org.uk
