This Lunchtime Talk shared the story and learnings from the Women and Girls Initiative, a five-year £44.7 million initiative which was developed and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. It is the tale of the incredible women and girls that were supported by the 62 funded projects across England. It shows how women and girls were helped to survive before the pandemic and how projects stepped up to the challenge of supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our society during the hardest of times.

We - the Learning and Impact Services team, a partnership between the Tavistock Institute, DMSS and CWASU at London Met University - worked with the projects in developing evaluation and organisational skills, offering support and a place to think and reflect, creating networking opportunities, writing briefing papers, running workshops, webinars, showcase events, even making a film. Working out and gathering on what works for women and girls all served as a contribution to the strengthening of a sector that had been long under-resourced.

Hear practitioners and commissioners reflect on and add to messages for future funding initiatives and why learning and impact contracts of this kind are so important to ensure that learning and support is deep, vibrant, relevant and useful.