PRESS RELEASE: BeyondMe is recognised with a Big Potential Grant
Date: 24/2/2017
Embargo: For Immediate Release
BeyondMe, a movement dedicated to strengthening the social sector with the time, skills and resources of active philanthropists, is successful in its funding application to Big Potential, the Big Lottery Fund grant programme that helps charities and social enterprises evaluate their suitability and readiness for social investment.
Big Potential, managed by Social Investment Business, offers grants so that organisations with viable and effective models can undertake in-depth investment-readiness work with approved providers.
The £22,988 grant has allowed BeyondMe to work with The Social Investment Consultancy, experts in maximising the impact of businesses, charities and social enterprises. This work will build on a strong and sustainable infrastructure developed in BeyondMe’s first five years co-ordinating charitable giving and social sector services.
The grant has enabled BeyondMe to explore where financial systems and reporting practices can be improved, review its Theory of Change and digital communications strategies and scope new opportunities to scale-up its model across England.
The first ever BeyondMe Impact Report published this month, has demonstrated how charities and social enterprises working on the frontline of social and environmental issues benefit from innovative approaches to partnership, capacity-building and resourcing offered by BeyondMe’s robust programme.
As BeyondMe celebrates the achievements of over 150 ‘BeyondMe teams’ bringing together businesses, professionals and charities since its start in 2011, the grant recognises the big potential concept, organisation and programme to drive social impact at scale in future.
Kawika Solidum, Chief Executive of BeyondMe said:
“The work we’ve been able to undertake, off the back of the rigorous due diligence process, means we have greater clarity on what our vision can achieve by scaling up and possibly tapping into the social investment market. We are determined to be an ever more reliable partner for the social sector, so that charities can capitalise on the resourcefulness and commitment of engaged business professionals. We’re proud to see our confidence in BeyondMe’s unique model for cross-sector social impact shared by The Big Lottery Fund, Social Investment Business and The Social Investment Consultancy.”
Deborah Smart, Head of Programmes (Grants) at Social Investment Business, said:
“Thanks to Big Potential, BeyondMe will investigate how social investment can help to scale-up their proven concept for giving. We hope many more organisations will be able to benefit from the support provided by their network of skilled professionals eager to give.
Notes to editors:
1. BeyondMe is a social enterprise that spearheads support for social sector organisations using the long-term commitment, combined resources and collection action of professionals eager to make a meaningful social impact.
Since its start BeyondMe has partnered professionals in 18 businesses with a portfolio of 83 charities to deliver over 150 year-long projects. Summarising the impact of these achievements, BeyondMe’s 2011–2016 Impact Report, published in February 2017 finds that: 93% of BeyondMe’s charity portfolio said the standard their projects were completed to a good or excellent standard by their ‘BeyondMe team’; and that the amount of money given and time volunteered by professionals each year increased due to BeyondMe.
2. Big Potential is a Big Lottery Fund grant fund, which will deliver approximately £20m of grant funding over 3 years to eligible VCSE organisations with the aim of improving the sustainability, capacity and scale of VCSE organisations in order that they may deliver greater social impact.
3. The Big Lottery Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK. It puts people in the lead to improve their lives and communities, often through small, local projects.
It is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Every year it invests over £650 million and awards around 12,000 grants across the UK for health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
Since June 2004 it has awarded over £8 billion to projects that change the lives of millions of people.
4. Social Investment Business provide loans, grants and strategic support to charities and social enterprises to help them change the lives of the people they work with.
They have helped hundreds of organisations become more resilient and sustainable so that they can grow and increase their impact.
They were one of the UK’s first social investors and since 2002 have provided over £380 million of loans and grants to charities and social enterprises.
5. The Social Investment Consultancy are an international consulting firm using the latest models of social enterprise, revenue generation, impact investment and venture philanthropy to help businesses, charities and philanthropists maximise their impact.
6. Contact Growth Campaigns and Communications Manager, Joel Cohen for further enquiries at joel@beyondme.org
