News

This Autumn, we ran our national funding round. Twelve more exceptional charities and social enterprises, from Dumfries to Sussex, will receive unrestricted funding, introductions to our networks and access to our training and support. They are the Rising Stars of the sector.

Next Chapter Scotland

Next Chapter Scotland (NCS) support people across Scotland to move forward after being affected by the criminal justice system (CJS).

More than 1 in 10 people in Scotland have a criminal record and stigma makes finding work almost impossible, yet unemployment is a key factor in reoffending. NCS tackle this through peer groups and one to one support and by improving how society and services treat people with experience of the CJS. They’ve designed a new service that connects highly skilled people who’ve been affected by the CJS with potential employers, but they lack the resources to bring it to life.

NCS plan to use our funding to launch this service, boost their income and accelerate their work with the Scottish Government and other agencies to destigmatise people affected by the justice system.

Darkside Rising

Darkside Rising (DR) are opening up health and fitness to women who have traditionally been left out.

Many women are excluded from fitness because most entry level fitness training doesn’t equip instructors to work safely with women going through major life transitions or living with long-term health conditions. DR offer specialist physical activity programmes for women experiencing menopause, neurological issues, postnatal recovery and other health needs. They also deliver industry-recognised training for fitness professionals, but high demand and limited capacity keep them from offering more.

Our backing will help DR launch courses that help fitness instructors support women with a wider range of health needs. This will build a sustainable operating model, and enable more women around the UK to access physical activity in ways that genuinely meet their needs.

stem4

stem4 are transforming young people’s mental health through accessible, NHS approved digital tools.

One in four young adults have a mental health disorder and over 270,000 children are on NHS waiting lists. stem4 have developed apps that provide immediate support. 93% of users of their Clear Fear app report reduced anxiety. Clear Fear is an individual-use app, but stem4 have developed Clear Fear for Schools (CFS) – a programme incorporating psychoeducation and resources to reduce anxiety across entire schools, rather than one pupil at a time. To take CFS nationally, they need to run a 12-month pilot to demonstrate impact, but they lack the resources.

stem4 will use our funding to run the pilot. With the proof of concept, they’ll be able to scale CFS nationally and move from an organisation dependent on grants to one with a confident, earned-income model.

Meet all 12 exceptional charities and social enterprises here.