Paul Birtill, Director of the Migration Foundation, explains why the Migration Foundation has been launched and what it aims to achieve.

Migration happens. It’s a fact of life. People who are fleeing persecution need safe countries to seek refuge in and business leaders constantly argue that migration is essential for economic development. Nevertheless, the subject has continued to fuel some of the big political debates over the last 10 years. This was highlighted in the recent election with all parties talking about immigration caps and when immigration doesn’t work. But there was little talk about what does work and fewer solutions offered to make things work. This is where the Migration Foundation comes in.

What we will do

The Migration Foundation seeks to understand migration in the UK and make life better for new migrants and whole communities. We will do this through three main activities:

Funding in partnership

At the local level, so important to making migration work, we will fund innovative projects to try new approaches or extend something that works to benefit more people. By securing match funding from partners with similar interests, we will increase the bang for our buck, promoting the benefits further still. Like the Housing and Migration Network jointly funded with Joseph Rowntree Foundation and delivered in partnership with HACT. The network gives publicity to local projects and fuels the national debate about what needs support at the local level.

Research and evaluation

We will evaluate the projects we support to build an evidence base about how new migrants integrate and how communities respond and, indeed, plan for their arrival. We also want to offer our expertise to other organisations who want to address new migration issues. We’ll do this through our research and consultancy service that is dedicated to new migration issues, headed by Dr Charlotte Keeble.

Influencing policy and practice

It’s not just about building up evidence. We will use what we learn to make change. To influence policy and practice, to make life better for all.

Why we are well placed to make sense of migration

I’m proud to be the first Director of the Migration Foundation, and I’m committed to realising our vision of communities that feel and see the benefits of their diversity; where new migration complements and extends traditions. I know that our Chair Maureen Dalziel and the rest of the Committee are equally committed to realising our goals. We feel that we have a unique offer to make to our funding partners and commissioners. Not only do we have an exclusive focus on new migrants and the communities where they live and work, but we also have access to literally thousands of new migrants and wider communities through Metropolitan Housing Partnership and benefit from its 50-year history working with diverse communities. We believe we will make sense of migration – and we would like your help in doing it.

Keep in touch

Whether you are:

• a potential partner who may jointly fund a new programme
• looking to commission experts to help you resolve new migration issues, or
• an individual or an organisation with similar interests

…please do get in touch. Visit our website to find out more and to sign up for updates as we begin our journey. Migration happens. Let’s build a base of evidence on new migration that we can share. Let’s focus on how new migration can help to build on the richness of our communities. There’s real gold out there.

More about Paul Birtill.