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The End of Charity episode 6: What is a world without charity?
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In November 2023, the finance officer of West Norfolk Carers came to a devastating realisation: after more than a year of rejected funding applications, the charity wouldn’t be able to stay afloat for longer than four months.
Several months earlier, the Lankelly Chase Foundation, a grantmaker tackling severe social disadvantage and extreme marginalisation, had reached a similarly terminal conclusion.
After finding that its very existence perpetuated past harms and injustices, the foundation’s leaders decided the best way forward was to shut down.
In the final episode of The End of Charity, Lucinda Rouse is joined by Jane Evans and Julian Corner, the chief executives of West Norfolk Carers and Lankelly Chase, respectively, to ask: what’s next for the charity sector?
Rhodri Davies, Martha Awojobi and Eshe Kiama Zuri consider the road ahead for doing good, while Steve O’Donnell, a recipient of West Norfolk Carers’ services, lays out the impact of the recent rash of charity closures on vulnerable citizens.
If you have enjoyed The End of Charity, please consider rating and reviewing the series on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your podcast platform of choice.
Series writer and presenter: Lucinda Rouse
Editor: Emily Burt
Executive producer: Ollie Peart
Production manager: Louise Hill
Series producers: Riham Maged, Penny Bell, Matt Hill
Studio producers: Nav Pal, Inga Marsen, Til Owen
Art director: David Robinson
Videographer: Julian Dodd
Video producer: Til Owen
Sub-editor: Rachel Jerden-Cooke
Contributing editor: Andy Ricketts
Voicing support: Emily Harle, Dami Adewale
Concept developer: Rebecca Cooney
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