Power to Change

WHAT WAS THE SERViCE?

Power to Change provided grants ranging between £50,000 and £500,000, distributed through several targeted programmes with different objectives. As well as providing money, Power to Change offered advice and support to strengthen community businesses.

WHAT DiD UMi DO?

We were contracted to provide grant assessment and administration services to Power to Change for 2 years in respect of their Initial Grants Programme and Community Business Fund. This included building of the online application and grant management system, scoring of initial applications, management of a pool of external assessors to provide reports for a grants panel, carrying out compliance checks, provision of a helpline for applicants, management of grant offers and claim payments, monitoring of grant performance and reporting to Power to Change on financial/social impact metrics.

WHAT WAS THE RESULT?

In addition to an extension of a further 2 years, the scope was extended such that UMi provided grant administration services in respect of a broad range of grant programmes for Power to Change including Empowering Places; Homes in Community Hands; Health & Social Care; the M&S Community Business Challenge; and R&D grants. In 8 rounds of the Community Business Fund, we scored more than 1,500 applications for funding, issued in excess of 150 offer letters, and defrayed more than £20m of grant funding.