The West Midlands is home to over 5.2 million people and is distinctive due to its large central urban conurbation of Birmingham and the Black Country, surrounded by predominately rural counties. More than one in ten people have a BME heritage, making it the second most diverse region.
The West Midlands has a higher than average unemployment rate alongside the highest proportion of people with no qualifications and one of the highest proportions of households living in poverty in England. Each year we give out approximately £40 million to tackle these issues and many more, improving the lives of those most in need in the West Midlands.
Where we are based
The West Midlands team is based in Birmingham.
What we do
The West Midlands regional team works to promote the opportunities BIG offers, gives development support to customers and shares learning from successful projects. We do this by:
- bringing stakeholders together to create networks, develop partnerships and share expertise
- attending events and delivering workshops about who we are and what we do
- monitoring funding data to identify which areas are not getting their ‘fair share’ of Lottery money and work with funding advisers to encourage better applications in these areas
- developing relationships with local partners and stakeholders to understand local needs and feed this into decision-making committees
- communicating information about funding opportunities and examples of good practice and learning from past projects
- informing MPs and councillors of funding successes and working to address issues within constituencies.
Contact us
Apex House
3 Embassy Drive
Birmingham
B15 1TR
Phone: 0121 345 8857
Email: enquiriesinternet.westmidlands@biglotteryfund.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BIGWM
Facebook: Big Lottery Fund West Midlands