We want to share some of the historic and pivotal moments for the the National Mikey Powell Memorial Family Fund (NMPMFF) over the last five years.

These mark some of our key milestones and developments over the period which demonstrates how we have progressed our mission.

Much research, as well as grassroots knowledge, has shown that people of African and Caribbean decent, die in disproportionate numbers in state institutions.

Below are a collection of articles published on this website (showing the oldest first).

UFFC 20th Anniversary conference and rally (held October 2018)

2 November 2018

In 2018 we collaborated with the United Families & Friends Campaign to mark the 20th year of the annual rally and protest by also holding a conference on 26 October, followed by the rally on 27 October from Trafalgar Square to 10 Downing Street. Read more >

National Family Fund – Unprecedented donations in calls for justice

14 June 2020

Initially triggered by the brutal police killing of George Floyd, international protests and a Tweet from Oonagh Ryder (@oonskie) and subsequent follow-up Tweets by Lucy Brisbane McKay (@lucybrisbane) and others, we saw unprecedented donations to the National Mikey Powell Memorial Family Fund in May and June 2020. Read more >

National Mikey Powell Family Fund announce 1st funding round

14 June 2020

In June 2020 were extremely pleased to announce that after 5 years of fundraising, the first ever National Mikey Powell Memorial Family Fund round would open for applications. Read more >

The National Family Fund is formally incubated by Catalyst4Change

8 August 2020

We were pleased to announce that (with effect from 29 July 2020) the National Mikey Powell Memorial Family Fund would be formally incubated by West Midlands based social enterprise Catalyst 4 Change, thereby taking on its legal identity but maintaining our operational independence. Read more >

UFFC Rally 2020 : Memorial family event takes place online

1 November 2020

In October 2020 we collaborated with the United Families and Friends Campaign to hold the annual protest & rally online due to Covid restrictions, with a powerful video tribute that remembered the victims and heard from some of the families affected. Read more >

Launch of the Two-Way Give-Back Programme

23 January 2021

In conjunction with 4WardEverUK our ‘Two-Way Give-Back’ programme will block-purchase selected services or products and offer them to affected families at discounted prices. When families use the service, vendors simply give a little back! Read more >

National Family Fund & UFFC to launch Crisis Family Fund

23 January 2021

The National Memorial Family Fund added a new funding stream called the Crisis Family Fund in March 2021 in partnership with the United Families & Friends Campaign (UFFC). Read more >

Looking Back : Moving Forward – National Family Fund event report

20 September 2021

This event took place on 10 September 2021 marking the 18th anniversary of the death of Mikey Powell in West Midlands police custody, and celebrated 6 years of the National Mikey Powell Memorial Family Fund developed by his cousin, Tippa Naphtali, in September 2015. Read more >

National Mikey Powell Family Fund & UFFC launch Legacy Fund

25 October 2021

The Legacy Fund was a new funding stream administered by the National Memorial Family Fund on behalf of the United Families & Friends Campaign (UFFC) and Migrant Media. Read more >

BLM UK announce funding for the National Memorial Family Fund

25 October 2021

Black Lives Matter UK agreed to the release of £40,000 in grant funding to the National Memorial Family Fund to further our Development Plan and appoint two new key part-time staff members (employed via accountable body, Catalyst4Change CIC). Read more >

INQUEST donates funding for the National Memorial Family Fund

11 November 2021

INQUEST donated £7,500 in grant funding to the National Mikey Powell Memorial Family Fund to further our development of the Annual Gala Dinner & Awards initiative. Read more >

NMPMFF presents its inaugural Annual Report for 2021-2022

1 October 2022

We were proud to present our first full annual report of our activities between 2021 and 2022. The 1 September 2022 marked 7 years since the National Mikey Powell Memorial Family Fund was founded, and just over 2 years since our first ever funding round. Read more >

UFFC Legacy Fund support for the NMPMFF Holiday Scheme

1 October 2022

The United Families & Friends Campaign and Migrant Media donated £10,000 through the Legacy Fund in order to support the National Memorial Family Fund Holiday Scheme and respite initiative supporting children, young people and families. Read more >

Abigail's 30th Birthday Fundraiser raises over £2k for the Family Fund

3 February 2023

Everyone at the NMPMFF wholeheartedly thanked the family and also Doughty Street Chambers for this wonderful gesture and contribution to the Family Fund - this will very much help in our continued efforts to support affected families in the UK. Read more >

Families Matter : Caring Matters – event report & photo gallery

6 June 2023

This event took place in Manchester on 27 May 2023 and was a free family only entertainment, socialising pampering event for those affected by deaths in custody. It consisted of a 3-course meal and beverages, pamper zones, arts & wellbeing stalls, resident DJ and local performing artists. This event was essentially all about respite, entertainment, fun and pampering. Read more >

Two Decades On – A continued legacy in remembrance of Mikey Powell

29 August 2023

The 7th September 2023 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the brutal and needless death of father of three, Michael Lloyd Powell (commonly known as Mikey, and a cousin of the renowned poet and writer, Dr Benjamin Zephaniah) at the hands of West Midlands Police in Lozells, Birmingham. Mikey was experiencing a psychotic episode. Read more >

40-20-1 Event report: Celebration, Memorial and Gala Awards 2023

November 2023

The first National Mikey Powell Memorial Family Fund (NMPMFF) Annual Gala Dinner & Campaigners Awards for 2023 (in conjunction with INQUEST) took place on 25 November 2023 at the Legacy Centre, Birmingham, and combined three significant events in-one. Read more >

What can you do?

Can you help with the Memorial Family Funds’ aspirations? If you have skills, experience, knowledge, resources or connections that can help, please contact us.

About The Memorial Family Fund

Founder, Tippa Naphtali, said; "We are the only organisation nationally that occupies this space, and are therefore absolutely unique and bespoke".

The Fund is the first permanent national resource of its kind for those affected by deaths in custody, making small grants available for families and their campaign groups across the UK to provide practical domestic assistance, to further the work of their own campaigns or to assist them in engaging in other local, regional or national campaigns, events and initiatives.