Real Ideas Organisation has won a place on a national Scale Accelerator programme, which helps help non-profit organisations identify the most sustainable ways to reach more people and support more communities across the UK.

Real Ideas is one of just twelve organisations from across the UK to be selected for the prestigious programme run by global non-profit consultancy Spring Impact, in a highly competitive process.

A social enterprise with 15 years’ experience delivering transformational change across a broad range of sectors (from education, skills and learning to community development and regeneration – and much more in between) Real Ideas exists to solve problems and create opportunity. Real Ideas makes real change happen on the ground, with people they support and use that experience and insight to challenge the status quo and drive positive structural change at regional, national and international levels.

The Scale Accelerator programme provides vital consultancy support alongside a new opportunity for leadership training which will enable social leaders to be in the driving seat of their organisations’ scaling journeys. The programme is made possible thanks to a grant of more than £1,500,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

Participants will take part in two programme routes:

  • Intensive Consultancy: a 6-month programme offering bespoke consultancy, strategic support, and peer to peer learning opportunities with a network of forward-thinking social leaders.
  • Leaders of Scale: a 4-month intensive training programme supporting leaders of mission-driven organisations to build the skills, knowledge, and tools necessary to lead change within their organisation.

Kate Reed, Head of Employability and Pathways for Real Ideas, said:

“We’re really excited to be part of such an exciting programme with other amazing organisations. The programme will help us to scale our ability to enable more young people in rural locations to find their futures and access opportunities through entrepreneurial approaches that help them to recover well from the past turbulent year”

Mohamed Osman, UK Director at Spring Impact, said:

“Congratulations to Real Ideas for their well-deserved success in joining the Scale Accelerator. We are thrilled to work with such fantastic organisations, and provide organisations and social leaders with the guidance and training needed to take their scaling plans forward.

Every participant organisation’s social innovation provides crucial support to diverse communities across the UK. As we begin to recover from Covid19, it is paramount that more people can access such life-changing support. We are so inspired by the participants’ ambitions to harness the power of their solutions and change even more lives, and we look forward to helping them turn their ambitions into reality.”

Scale Accelerator forms an important part of Spring Impact’s work to enable mission-driven organisations and funders to scale social impact. It is made possible and highly-subsidised thanks to a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

Since 2015, over 35 UK charities and social entrepreneurs have participated in the programme and, as a result, many have increased their reach and impact, and gained funding for their next phase of scale.

John Knights, Senior Portfolio Manager at The National Lottery Community Fund, said:

“As charities and voluntary sector organisations grapple with the impact of Covid-19, it is important that those with great ideas to address society’s most pressing challenges have access to support to help them expand their work in the right way. Thanks to National Lottery players, more mission-driven organisations will be able to help more people and communities to respond, recover and thrive.”