Clare Maddison, Interim Head of the Berkeley Foundation and Jim Minton CEO of the Mayor's Fund for London, share lessons from a unique partnership that's been running for eight years and counting.
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This partnership has been running for eight years — what’s the secret to sustaining momentum and impact over such a long period?

Clare Maddison: Our partnership is built on collaboration, transparency and willingness to adapt and innovate. That's what sustains impact, a relationship that combines funding with people power, influence and expertise. The secret is a mix of shared purpose and alignment, adaptability and relationships.

Kitchen Social thrives because hub leaders are trusted and given the resources to act on local needs. During the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, flexible funding meant they could step in quickly. The Berkeley Foundation takes a long-term view, offering both restricted and unrestricted funding, but also volunteering, pro bono support, and opportunities for learning and networking.

Jim Minton: Absolutely. Our partnership with Berkeley has never felt like a typical funder-grantee relationship. Instead, it’s a genuine collaboration built on shared goals, open communication, and a commitment to community needs.

Of course, funding matters, but so does the wider involvement of Berkeley, whether that’s staff volunteering in community hubs, helping to build capacity or joining community leaders at our Food and Community summit. That combination of financial support, expertise and trust has allowed the partnership to sustain momentum and keep adapting to new challenges.

How has the focus of the partnership evolved over time in response to changing community needs?

CM: Our partnership has always focused on food equity, ensuring disadvantaged families can access nutritious meals during school holidays. Over eight years, Kitchen Social has grown far beyond food, reaching more teenagers and helping grassroot hubs expand and improve. Hub leaders now even run a WhatsApp group to share challenges and advice.

We've introduced flexible and unrestricted funding and created a dedicated fund to respond to emerging pressures. The confidence this has built has led to more investment and widened our impact. The next stage will see us focus on fewer hubs so we can deepen engagement and connect more directly with Berkeley sites.

JM: The scope has become much broader. Communities need support not only with food, but with mental wellbeing, physical health, and the education children missed during the pandemic. There’s also an acute need to support the workforce.

That’s why we’ve partnered with the Set Them Up Foundation to run financial literacy sessions, and the Really Big Pants Theatre Company to run drama based mental wellbeing sessions. Berkeley now supports 20 of our Kitchen Social Hubs. Together we’ve built a strong ecosystem of support that creates lasting value for young people and the organisations that support them.

Can you share a real example of how the flexible fund has allowed you to respond to an unexpected or urgent need?

JM: A good example is at Friary Park Community Centre in Acton. When a young carer faced her home being flooded just before a crucial audition, the hub provided a hot meal, space to study and emotional support. That was possible because flexible funding meant the centre had the resources to respond immediately.

More broadly, our Kitchen Social insight survey has highlighted barriers – from the mental health crisis to cost-of-living pressures – and the new dedicated fund will give us the mechanism to respond to those emerging needs at pace.

Many charities are under pressure to do more with less — what lessons can the wider sector take from this partnership in terms of leveraging additional support and resources?

CM: When you're tackling something as complex as a systemic issue, you quickly realise it can't be done alone.

For me, there are three essentials. First, organisations must frame their cause as a shared responsibility to attract more funding and support. Second, we need to expand our definition of support – it’s not just about funding. We should be thinking about what partners can bring to the table, whether that’s their expertise, time, or assets. And third, communicating impact is crucial. It’s what’s helped us renew our partnership and makes the case for continued investment.

JM: The lesson is that belief from a partner can unlock wider change. During the pandemic, Berkeley’s support demonstrated the value and potential of Kitchen Social at a critical time. That early commitment built visibility and credibility, which in turn encouraged wider backing, including from the Mayor of London, who has made the Kitchen Social model a key part of his flagship Holiday Hope programme.

Although we are an independent charity, our distinctiveness comes from being able to unlock resources by combining support from funders like Berkeley Foundation alongside public investment from The Mayor and other sources. Effective long-term partnerships such as ours create a multiplier effect that reaches even more young people.

If you could change one thing about the wider system to make partnerships like this more effective, what would it be?

CM: I’d like to see a shift from short-term project grants to long-term, flexible funding. Sustainable change takes time, and youth organisations need stability to tackle root causes and growing demands. Cross-sector collaboration is also key to reducing duplication and aligning investment around shared challenges. Co-creation with young people and communities should be built in from the start, when their voices are heard, outcomes improve for everyone.

JM: I agree with Clare. Long-term partnerships are essential for real system change. Stability allows for deeper impact, especially when funders share learnings and collaborate, as seen in initiatives like the London Funders Resilience Forum, spear-headed by Berkeley Foundation. Agility is still vital, but lasting change comes from co-creation between youth workers, funders, and young people in communities. Berkeley’s approach shows how deep engagement and youth-led design can drive long-term impact.

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