About Migration Exchange 

Migration Exchange is a UK-based charitable programme whose mission is to cultivate insight, connection and action across the UK migration and refugee field, working together with civil society to achieve positive change. We focus particularly on independent funders and charities to achieve this mission, connecting people through convening, events and a funder network. As well as commissioning research and analysis on trends and patterns, we develop and co-design responses to shared challenges and opportunities.

We have two overall goals:

1. 1. An equitable, power-aware and intersectional funding landscape, better able to resource systems change in the migration field
   2. A connected and action-focused refugee and migration sector, better able to drive systems change

See our strategic framework and theory of change to learn about our key delivery and development objectives.

For our latest publications and updates, scroll down to ‘Insights’  and visit our blog.

Highlights

Insight

• ‘People, power and priorities’ our comprehensive report on the UK refugee and migration sector and independent funding landscape. Read this blog post for a summary of our key findings and how joined-up prioritising and strategising, backed up by funding for preparedness and collaboration, can win new political ground and protect the values and rights we all share.
• A snapshot of leadership development in the UK refugee and migration sector delves into organisational and funder perspectives on leadership and the disproportionate impact of barriers to leadership development on particular groups.

Connection

• Equity Catalysts – a community of practice on leadership development in the UK refugee and migration sector. Our implementing partner Reem Assil brings together people working in the sector, funders and leadership practitioners to harness a collective approach to  leadership which is more accessible, equitable and contribute to system change. Read about the progress of Equity Catalysts in Reem’s blogs.
• For a summary of insights and recommendations from our shared sector and funder events and convening, check out our blog posts and join our mailing list for invites and highlights:

Lessons for funders from the Brook House Inquiry

3 things funders can do following the ‘Illegal Migration Act’

EU citizens’ rights in the UK: Key issues and recommendations

• Our funder network meets online regularly on key topics and challenges and provides space to learn from peers.  Sign up here to receive invites and newsletters.

Action

• NRPF Partnership
  • The NRPF policy affects millions of people in the UK, unfairly shutting people out of the welfare system and government support based on their visa status. Impacted communities, charities, lawyers, local authorities are all pushing to end this policy. Our partnership with Citizens UK and Praxis aims to amplify and enable this movement so it is better resourced and connected to win change.
  • Read more at this blog post and  FAQs page and join the NRPF mailing list.

• ‘Shaping the Future’: Leadership Initiative for systemic change in the UK refugee and migration sector.
  • Our leadership initiative is establishing a pooled fund for leadership development with three aims:
    1. Supporting organisations and networks to develop their leadership capacity and capability
    2. Supporting approaches to leadership development which centre anti-oppressive practice, wellbeing and sustainability, building on the strengths and assets of field practice and support leaders to develop their knowledge and skill set in relation to systems change.
    3. Generating insight, connection and shared action on leadership as well as the practice of participatory grant-making that ripple beyond the parameters of the initiative.
  • Shaping the Future will be designed by panels made up of people with lived experience, and decision-making will be taken through a participatory grantmaking model. This work will launch in summer 2024. Get in touch to find out more.

Our team

Marchu Belete (Co-director), Sarah Cutler (Co-director), Anna Camilleri (Programme Manager), and Li-En Yapp (Programme Support Officer).

We have an excellent Advisory Group who support us to put our values into action, strengthen our intersectional practices, provide key insight and perspective and hold us accountable.

Members are: Ambreen Shah, Amira Elwakil, Ayesha Saran, Basma El Doukhi, Caroline Gentile, Eiri Ohtani, Letícia Ishibashi, Muma Sinkala, and Ronnie Tagwireyi.

Past work/background

Since MEX was set up in 2010, we have worked with the refugee and migration field and funders in co-designing interventions on strategic communications and public attitudes, emergency funding responses, crisis-preparedness, and influencing funders and the migration field for systemic change. Previous work includes Respond and Adapt, distributing over £2.4m to 130 organisations across the UK in 2020-2021 and  Leading Beyond Borders programme (2018-2022).