Some of the most important work in our region happens with almost no budget and no fanfare. Across Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar and beyond, grassroots organisations are quietly changing lives every single day. They are the small charities, community groups and social enterprises that show up when nobody else does, and their impact reaches far further than their size suggests. The Tees Valley EDI Awards exist to celebrate them, and this is a look at why they matter so much.
What grassroots organisations do
Grassroots organisations are rooted in the communities they serve. They run the youth clubs, the English classes, the advice sessions and the food projects. They support new arrivals, tackle isolation, help people into work, and give young people somewhere to belong. Because they come from the community rather than being parachuted in, they understand the real problems and the people facing them. That trust is something no amount of funding can buy, and it is why a small group with a church hall and a handful of volunteers can achieve what larger bodies cannot.
Small budgets, big impact
Ask anyone who runs a grassroots organisation and they will tell you the same thing: there is never enough money, time or hands. Yet somehow the work gets done. A few hundred pounds and a lot of goodwill can keep a lifeline running for a whole neighbourhood. Across Tees Valley, these organisations stretch every resource, lean on volunteers, and deliver outcomes that would cost many times more to buy. Their return on investment, measured in lives changed, is extraordinary.
Think of the breakfast club that means a child can concentrate at school, the befriending scheme that gives an isolated pensioner a reason to answer the door, or the mentoring project that keeps a teenager out of trouble and into work. None of it makes headlines, but all of it changes the direction of a life. Multiply those quiet victories across the hundreds of grassroots organisations working in Tees Valley and you begin to see how much of the region’s wellbeing rests on their shoulders.
How the EDI Awards recognise them
The Tees Valley EDI Awards, formerly the BME Achievement Awards, have championed the region’s community organisations since 2010. The Community Organisation award exists specifically to recognise the voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises promoting inclusion and building stronger neighbourhoods. Winning, or simply being nominated, brings visibility, new supporters and a well-earned moment of recognition for teams who spend all year putting others first. You can see the full range of what the awards celebrate in the award categories.
Why recognition matters for grassroots work
Recognition is not a luxury for organisations like these. It is fuel. A public award can open doors to funding, attract new volunteers, and give exhausted teams the lift they need to keep going. It also tells the wider region that this work is valued, which makes it easier for the next group to get the backing it needs. Celebrating grassroots organisations is one of the most practical ways to strengthen the communities of Tees Valley.
Nominate an organisation
If a local organisation has changed things for the better where you live, put them forward. Nominating is free and takes about ten minutes, and nominations for 2026 are open until 2 October. Read more about the awards, or nominate a grassroots organisation now. The groups changing lives across Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar and beyond deserve their moment in the spotlight.
