Natalie

Support : COVID-19

by

As a Foundation, we understand that the recent issues around the COVID-19 virus may cause uncertainty and disruption at the workplaces of our grantees. We would like to reassure current beneficiaries that we support you, and understand there may be challenges in the near future.

If your community, services or organisation are affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, and you receive grant funding from us, we would like to reassure you of the following:

  • Adapting – we understand that your organisation may experience problems in achieving some of the agreed grant outcomes during this difficult time. We would like to be able to maintain our grant payments to you at originally-agreed levels during this period. Please speak to us if this is something you wish to discuss.
  • Dates– we don’t want to add pressure in this already tense time, so if you think you will struggle to meet a deadline for your report, please contact our Grants Manager, Kerry, at kerry.whiteheaddymond@rankfoundation so we can discuss a more reasonable deadline.
  • Listening to you – we are here if you want to talk to us about the situation you’re facing. If you wish to speak to us, you can call the main office on 0207 834 7731. If you are unable to reach us by phone, please email contactus@rankfoundation.com.

The Rank Foundation has signed up to a joint funder statement coordinated by London Funders.  The statement can be viewed here.

If in doubt, please speak to us.

Rank Conference 2019: Valuing Place

by

On October 9th-10th, The Rank Foundation hosted the annual conference at the fantastic Queens Hotel in Leeds.

Every year the Foundation brings together beneficiary organisations, Time to Shine Leaders, Rank Aspire members, RankNet members and external funders and guests to a 2-day themed conference where delegates get the chance to participate in tailored seminars, the annual Accelerator Event, networking opportunities and celebratory showcases. This is the biggest event of the year for the Foundation, and we are always excited to share the amazing work of Leaders in our network.

This year, the theme of the conference was Valuing Place: Creating Collaborative Change. Earlier this year, the Foundation released a Valuing Place report focusing on the successes (and lessons learned) of Place-Based funding in Hull, Dundee and Plymouth. Building on this, it felt apt to spend two days with the network looking at how Place affects our communities, and how best to make every opportunity count. We had 250 delegates join us in Leeds, including seminar leaders, performers, key note speakers, judges and panellists.

We would like to thank all delegates for their participation at what we feel is our most successful conference to date, with an extra special thank you to members of the network who helped the team deliver the conference content by running seminars, acting as judges and panellists, and sharing their stories with attendees.

You can take a look at photographs of the event on our conference page here.

CAP: Molly and Sophia

by

We are part way through the period of Community Action Placements, hosted by organisations known to, and funded by The Rank Foundation.

Our School Leadership Award Holders are required to do two Community Action Placements (CAP), learning how charities work, volunteering their time to get stuck in and hands-on with their programmes. Every year, The Rank Foundation organise between 30 and 40 placements with charities and organisations who are members of RankNet. Some placements are residential and some are commutable, and for two weeks the Leadership Award Holders gain experience in the Third Sector.

We will be sharing the reports written by our School Leadership Award holders and their CAP hosts throughout the summer period.

Brook is the UK’s leading provider of sexual health and wellbeing for young people under 25.

They are the only charity working across the UK and Channel Islands that specialises in working with young people to promote their sexual health in the wider context of health and wellbeing.

Brook in Liverpool has been hosting Community Action Placements for many years and is one of the most sought-after placements. Whilst on placement, School Leadership Award Holders are fully immersed into the education and support of young people in the Liverpool area around sexual health and wellbeing.

Sophia

“I wanted to mainly get out of my comfort zone, learn to work in a team with adults instead of students and experience a sense of leadership in a totally different environment. My placement at Brook has allowed me to expand my skill set. I’ve been able to participate in so many incredible things but some of my favourites have been a wellbeing and self-esteem session with vulnerable women seeking asylum in the UK; a group which supports LGBTQ individuals who are questioning their gender identities; attending Pride Liverpool and helping a group of teenage mothers understand healthy and unhealthy relationships.

The staff at Brook are genuinely incredible. I couldn’t have asked for a better placement or better hosts to stay with! I have loved seeing all of the amazing work that Brook do to help their community. I hope to come back to Brook in a future CAP, and see (and help!) the charity develop further.

“It has been wonderful having Sophia stay at Brook. She has achieved so much and participated in lots of sessions during her time.
Sophia is bright and upbeat and has a contagious positive energy that is lovely to be around. She is passionate about her beliefs and will take what she has learnt during her stay here, with her. Sophia has shown lots of interest in the work that Brook does and also provided input from a young person’s perspective.”

– Viccie Hamlet, Brook

Molly

“At Brook, I took part in lots of different activities, including: sexual health workshops, STI testing events, youth groups, Liverpool Pride, and re-designing educational activities. The work was very varied, with a good mixture of office work and practical tasks. It was absolutely amazing, and everyone who we worked with at Brook made the experience one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. I enjoyed all of the outreach work that we did, especially visiting the ‘Work it Out’ group, and Elizabeth Anderson House. Talking to people who are experiencing different challenges in their lives has made me more open minded and has shown me how necessary organisations like Brook are.”

“It was a real pleasure to visit Molly whilst she was on placement at Brook. She had already shown incredible resilience and flexibility after an administrative delay, and she was ready to get completely stuck in with the team. She seemed excited and has a great energy which I think held her in good stead for the remainder of her placement.

The team at Brook gave us some amazing feedback on Molly, that she was an excellent communicator and had a wonderful confidence that meant she settled in really well.”

– Natalie Kay, The Rank Foundation


Press Release: The Rank Foundation receives £3.3m grant to expand Time to Shine

by

The Time to Shine programme is empowering future leaders in the social sector

The Rank Foundation, a charitable trust that promotes leadership development and enterprise within the social sector, is celebrating today after being awarded £3.3 million from The National Lottery Community Fund to support the expansion of its successful ‘Time to Shine’ programme.

Time to Shine provides paid opportunities within the charity sector for people experiencing underemployment, while simultaneously addressing gaps in skills and capacity both within individual charities and the wider social sector.

The National Lottery funding will enable the programme to roll out across the UK, increasing the number of individuals and organisations eligible for the programme and allowing it to be better tailored to specific operational and business development challenges faced by small and medium-sized charities.

Caroline Broadhurst, Deputy CEO at The Rank Foundation, said:“Our partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund is a great boost for the Time to Shine Leadership Programme. The Rank Foundation and the Fund share a passion for bringing new talent and skills into the social sector, whilst future-proofing the role of small and medium-sized charities. This grant will help to scale Time to Shine across the UK with a wider reach than ever before.”

The Rank Foundation was first supported by National Lottery funding for its Time to Shine programme back in 2016, which was initially delivered across Northern Ireland. To date, dozens of leaders have been supported to both reach their potential and to be effective in their work placements. One leader, placed in a Belfast charity, raised £800,000 in her Time to Shine year, turning around the fortunes of the organisation – and has since started a master’s degree, while continuing to work for the charity.

Joe Ferns, UK Director at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “We are delighted that National Lottery funding is continuing to support The Rank Foundation’s Time to Shine programme, which helps those experiencing underemployment to find meaningful, secure work – alongside filling important skills and capacity gaps both within charities and the wider voluntary sector.”

“Now, thanks to National Lottery players, the programme will reach more people and organisations right across the UK, increasing its impact and enabling more communities to thrive.”

CAP: Joel and Emily

by

We are now mid-way through our annual period of Community Action Placements, hosted by organisations known to, and funded by The Rank Foundation.

Our School Leadership Award Holders are required to do two Community Action Placements (CAP), learning how charities work, volunteering their time to get stuck in and hands-on with their programmes. Every year, The Rank Foundation organise between 30 and 40 placements with charities and organisations who are members of RankNet. Some placements are residential and some are commutable, and for two weeks the Leadership Award Holders gain experience in the Third Sector.

We will be sharing the reports written by our School Leadership Award holders and their CAP hosts throughout the summer period.

Joel
YKids

YKids have a passion to see lives changed – for young people given the best life chances and opportunities. They believe that regeneration and better futures can come about by encouraging young people to become resilent, confident and happy; providing opportunities, training and employment; raising aspirations and dreams for the future; offering exciting and creative projects, and creating a sense of local pride and community.

“By working alongside and observing Claire Morgans, CEO of YKids, and the whole team, I have gained an insight into the qualities of  good leaders. I’ve learned that being organised, ensuring everyone on the team knows their role and feels they are contributing, and creating an atmosphere of camaraderie and collaboration in the team in which people feel appreciated are all important aspects of being a leader. This is something I will take on board and attempt to incorporate into my leadership style in future. Moreover, witnessing Claire’s empathy towards others and her passion for what she does has made a lasting impression on me; I now believe that passion and empathy are qualities that any good leader should have.

The placement with YKids has reinforced my belief that anyone can use their life to make a difference to the world in some way (and that we all have a moral obligation to do so) and strengthened my desire to do this, perhaps by getting involved in the voluntary sector or politics.”

“Joel threw himself into the crazy business of the end of term at Ykids. He helped young people on work placement, completed a huge variety of tasks enthusiastically and willingly and showed a grace about all he did. Joel learnt a few new skills such as badge making, laminating, bee keeping and Barista skills (he can now make a professional latte, cappuccino and flat white!). We particularly enjoyed conversations which showed insight and understanding of a wide range of political and economic issues and an understanding of the world around him that is missed by many young people his age”

Emily
Blackpool Carers Centre

Blackpool Carers Centre provide an extensive range of age specific services and support for carers from the age of 5 to 105 and their families, in order to fulfill their purpose which is to make ‘A Better Life for Carers’.

“The placement improved my leadership qualities as I worked as a team with individuals older than myself who work slightly differently than what I do myself, so I had to adapt.

My overall experience was really enjoyable, everyone was extremely welcoming and I learnt a lot. I found going on home visits really valuable as I could apply my prior knowledge of psychology which helps me with work experience, as it’s difficult to gain work experience for psychology due to confidentiality issues. I picked up how to use the database quickly which meant that I could help with admin which was good as I could gain an insight into what has to be completed for each case.”

“Emily showed confidence and passion throughout her placement here. She participated in dementia awareness training and wellbeing training, and during the second week of placement Emily assisted in supporting individuals with dementia showing passion and respect throughout. During Emily’s time here on placement, she attended a variety of home visits covering; physical health, mental health and dementia”

Lydia goes to Detroit: Memorial Award 2018

by

Who?

Lydia is one of two Memorial Award Winners, formally announced at the Enterprising Leadership Conference in 2018. Lydia originally came into contact with the Foundation back in 2016 as a Time to Shine Intern with Student Hubs, and then subsequently as a Time to Shine manager. The internship was based in Oxford, but Lydia originates from Northern Ireland.

What?

Lydia had identified similarities between Belfast and Detroit. Both Belfast and Detroit have suffered from their decline as industrial powerhouses, resulting in city-wide rioting, tensions between ethnic or religious groups, extreme economic challenges and an increase in derelict spaces.

Why?

Lydia was interested in exploring these similarities further by visiting Detroit’s social enterprises and community led initiatives with the view to bring her learning back to Belfast and implement it in her community.

“The whole time I was in Detroit was a huge listening exercise and I wanted to take in as much as possible from as many different people and places as possible. I was reminded about how important it is to keep listening when working on something, even if you are hearing the same message time and time again”

READ THE FULL REPORT HERE