As we head towards the EU referendum we know that, whatever the result, inequality and poverty will remain the defining issues of our time. The Panama Papers scandal highlighted that we are definitely not all in this together, with the richest now living in a gold-plated parallel universe far away from the rest of us. This damages our social and economic fabric and divides our society. We have been working hard to highlight how this inequality is scarring our nation, and to develop solutions to reduce it.
* In February we released a major report, The Aspiration Tax, exposing the rank unfairness built into Universal Credit and our social security system.
* In April we released our Wealth Tracker 2016 report showing the richest 1,000 individuals in the UK have greater wealth than the poorest 40% of households.
* In April & May our local groups have been at the forefront of screening the new film, The Divide, (inspired by The Spirit Level book) across the country.
* We have appeared on BBC, Sky News and ITV as well as in national newspapers (print and online) including the Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, The Times and The Independent, securing our reputation as a credible, authoritative voice on inequality.
But we know that we need to do much more and this is where you come in. In supporting our work, you are already part of something special – a movement that is dedicated to making the UK a fairer and better place to live, where we can all flourish and achieve our potential. And we need your help to enable us to do more research, more influencing and more movement building. As well as highlighting the damage of inequality, we now need to work much harder to create and communicate a vision of a more equal society. This will take more money and more resources:
* If you are able to commit to a regular donation that would allow us to plan and campaign more effectively;
* If you are unable to make a regular contribution, we would gladly receive a one-off donation instead;
* Another way you can help is to recruit friends, colleagues or family members to join our movement.
Our supporter income already accounts for over 10% of our total income but we need to significantly increase this in the future. We have been fortunate to have enjoyed significant funding from the outset from core funders, such as the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and the Network for Social Change, but we are now facing a more uncertain future as their grants come to an end. Our future will be far more dependent on supporter income if we are to survive and continue to campaign for the sort of society you want to see.
For that is the truth of it, you are part of a growing movement for a more equal and fairer country, one where you, your family and your community can live comfortably, peacefully and securely. Any help you can give would be hugely appreciated.
Thank you for your support.
The Equality Trust Team