Spring Impact Spring Impact

Social Impact at Scale

Spring Impact Spring Impact

Scale Accelerator: Intensive Consultancy

A 6 month, highly-subsidised programme offering over £35,000 worth of bespoke consultancy and peer to peer learning support.

“We are now much more confident about what we want and how we are going to get there” (Previous participant)

Do you have a great solution that you know needs to get to even more people? Want to figure out how to make that happen in a sustainable way?

Scale Accelerator: Intensive Consultancy is a highly-subsidised 6 month programme offering over £35,000 worth of bespoke consultancy and peer to peer learning support.

The programme will help you work out how to reach more people (without necessarily needing to grow your organisation!).

We’ll work collaboratively with you to think through what your programme could look like in new locations, how you might approach working with partners to implement your solution elsewhere, and how to find the right balance between reaching more people and maintaining the quality of your work.

Applications open until Monday, 12 April 2021, at 11:59pm.

The programme will take place between June and December 2021.

Applications now closed

Register your interest for future cohorts

What you'll leave with

Organisations will leave the programme with:
  • A clear strategy built collaboratively with your team, and a plan to take it forward
  • A detailed report, financial model and clear roadmap for you to take with you on your journey
  • A strong case to bring to funders and partners – a large number of participant organisations have accessed funding after completing the programme
  • A supportive network of forward-thinking social leaders with proven scalable solutions to social issues
  • Lessons from other organisations who have been on the same journey

“Our ability to scale at speed and some of the quality of our work is due to Scale Accelerator. We have scaled much more practically and rapidly than we had initially planned.”- (Previous participant)

See our Mayday case study for more info.

Not sure? Why not check out:

Leaders of Scale

Find out if this route is a better fit

Who it's for

The Intensive Consultancy programme is aimed at:

  • Non-profit organisations with a revenue over £150k
  • Non-profit organisations with a proven solution to a social need. To take part, you need to be able to demonstrate your solution works and that you are ready to take it to the next level. Need help assessing this? Take our replication readiness test
  • Non-profit organisations that have been running for 2 or more years

All applicant organisations must be registered charities, social enterprises, with a UK-based project.

Check out the full eligibility via our quiz.

Not sure? Why not check out:

Leaders of Scale

Find out if this route is a better fit
“

It is not something you do and forget about. It is something we will forever and ever build on to make us permanently better

”
— Previous participant

What does the Intensive Consultancy involve?

Bespoke Consultancy

Tailored support

Organisations will receive bespoke support from a dedicated team of consultants (meet them here!). Your consultants will work collaboratively with you, providing you with the structure, frameworks, and processes needed to make the scaling process achievable and a whole lot easier.

We’ll help you gain the confidence that you’ve asked yourselves all the right questions, crossed all the t’s and dotted all the i’s.

After the 6 months intensive programme, you will receive ongoing coaching from a member of our team so you can put your plan in action.

“It genuinely felt like we were collaborating in partnership with the consultants. The consultants brought expertise around scaling and systems.” – (Previous participant) 

Peer to peer support

Learning together

You will become part of a cohort of carefully selected organisations with huge potential, so you can learn from each other and build valuable networks. Together, you will:
  • Share challenges and support one another (e.g through regular action learning sets and events)
  • Hear from and speak to alumni organisations who have already scaled
  • Practice pitching your offer to other organisation, so you can learn how to make a strong business case for your solution.

Alumni network

Valuable connections

Enter our prestigious cohort of Scale Accelerator alumni and you will: 

  • Receive exclusive invitations to free training sessions
  • Meet and learn from alumni organisations on a similar journey
  • Build supportive, long lasting relationships with other social organisations

“It was very useful to have the chance to meet other organisations that were at different points of scaling.” – (Previous participant)

Programme Fees

The Scale Accelerator programme is generously funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. Due to significant demand for the previous cohort, we are now asking organisations selected for this cohort to contribute between 15% and 30% of the cost of their space (depending on organisational revenue).

This will enable us to increase the number of organisations we are able to support, ensuring that more social solutions have the potential to reach the people who urgently need them.

The true cost of the programme, including bespoke consultancy and ongoing peer support, is £35,000 per organisation. The contribution for each organisation taking part is:

  • £5,000 for organisations with an annual revenue between £150k-400k
  • £8,000 for organisations with an annual revenue between £400k-£1mil
  • £10,000 for organisations with an annual revenue over £1mil

Organisations that are selected would need to secure their contribution by end May 2021, before the programme commences.

Not sure you would be able to match funding for your contribution? Find out more about our Leaders of Scale route. 

Think this might be for you?

Check your eligibility.

Complete our short quiz.

FAQs

We’re not a UK organisation. Can we still apply?

Unfortunately this programme is only for the UK based organisations looking to maximise the impact of interventions in the UK, as this is a condition of our funders The National Lottery Community Fund. If you’re still looking for scale support, please see our consultancy support and don’t hesitate to get in touch to explore what options could be good for you. 

What will be expected of us?

Organisations chosen to take part in Scale Accelerator receive highly-subsidised consultancy support.
In return, successful organisations are expected to:
  • Engage fully with the programme, committing around 12 days of time for 2 team members over a 6 month period 
  • Engage in the programme evaluation (taking part in short interviews and completing surveys)
  • Support with marketing of the programme, including social media activity; inclusion of logo on website; drafting blog(s) about the programme
  • Take responsibility for engaging, influencing and informing their internal team and trustees 

How much time will be required from our team?

We tailor our support to the needs of each organisation so it can look quite different from organisation to organisation. However, as an indication, the time required from you might look something like this:
• ~4 full days for 3-4 members of your leadership team to attend collaborative workshops tailored to your organisation (or~8 half days) 
• ~1hr a week for communication with Spring Impact team
• ~2 days each for 2 members of your team to be upskilled in financial modelling 
• ~2 days for someone in your team to test your plan with stakeholders 
• ~3-4 days for 2 members of your team to attend cohort events

What about COVID-19? How will that impact the programme?

We are planning for workshops and cohort events to take place remotely. We have proven our ability over the last year to adapt our approach to online and are confident that organisations will continue to benefit from high quality interaction with their consulting teams. When it is safe to do so, we will aim to complete these activities in person. We will of course engage you in this decision.

Does my organisation need to work in a particular sector to apply?

No, as long as you are a UK-based non-profit that meets the eligibility criteria, you can apply. We are particularly interested in applications from:

  • Organisations addressing an issue that has worsened as a result of COVID-19
  • Organisations based in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland
  • Organisations led by people with lived experience
  • Organisations supporting BAME groups and/or with BAME leadership

Will organisations in particular locations be favoured over others?

We are looking for a geographical spread of organisations across the UK. We are particularly keen to hear from organisations based in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. 

We have requested funding internally, but have not yet obtained approval. Can we still apply?

We know that it can take time to get internal approval for funding, so are accepting applications where the funding has not yet been approved. After applying, you should let us know as soon as you know whether you would be able to secure the funding to progress your application

When will I need to secure funding by?

You would be expected to secure the funding for the programme by the end of May, before the programme commences.

My organisation needs to fundraise externally to take part in the programme. How can you help?

If you would need to fundraise externally, get in touch with us and we’ll help providing with materials and resources to support your fundraising efforts.  

If you are successful in raising funding, you could apply for the following round, or we could look at how Spring Impact could support you outside of Scale Accelerator.

As a funder organisation, can we support our grantees to take part in this programme?

Funders can decide to fund an organisation’s contribution for them, as long as  the funding will be released by the end of May, before the programme commences.

What if I’m not quite ready yet?

We will be recruiting for the next cohort in winter 2021 – if you don’t feel like this is the right time for you and your organisation, register your interest now and be the first to know when future applications open.

Not sure? Why not check out Scale Accelerator:

Leaders of Scale

A 4 month programme equipping you with the know-how and confidence to be in the driving seat of your organisation's journey to reaching more people.
Leaders of Scale

Want to find out more?

Watch our webinar

Watch a recording of our Scale Accelerator Taster Session to find out more about the programme and whether it's a perfect fit for you.
Watch here

Scale Accelerator Case Studies

Learnings and insights

Previous Scale Accelerator participants

Intensive Consultancy

Age UK Cheshire provides care and support services to elderly people including physical and mental health and be an active member of their community. This in turn empowers them to love later life. We worked with Age UK Cheshire to explore how their Men in Sheds programme could be scaled up.

Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy

A Band of Brothers is a nonprofit established by men committed to positive social change through personal development and community building. A Band of Brothers was a participant in our first UK Scale Accelerator  programme.

Intensive Consultancy

Bikeworks is a London based non-profit social enterprise that uses cycling as a tool to tackle social and environmental challenges in the community. It aims to build a diverse cycling community, initiate capability of mechanical skills and supports businesses to be greener.

Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy

Groundswell is a nonprofit which works to tackle homelessness by working with homeless people and enable othem to take more control of their lives, have a greater influence on services, and therefore set a chain reaction of togetherness and opportunity. We worked with Groundswell to scale the impact of their Homeless Health Peer Advocacy Programme that partners former homeless with current homeless, to ensure health appointments are met.

Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy

Leonard Cheshire Disability is a nonprofit supporting disabled people in the UK and around the world to remain active members of society, fulfil their potential and establish their independence.  We specifically helped Leonard Cheshire to scale their CAN DO project: a volunteer programme for 16-35-year-olds across the UK.

 
Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy

RECLAIM is a social change organisation that challenges the homogeneity that exists in the leadership profiles across UK society and supports youths and the working class people.

 
Intensive Consultancy

Safer Places is a nonprofit which provides a comprehensive range of services to adults and children affected by domestic and sexual abuse, not only offering safe accommodation (West Essex, Mid Essex, Hertfordshire and Southend) but helping victims to overcome these experiences and build a better future for themselves.

Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy

Staying Put is a UK nonprofit which offers a range of services to victims and survivors of domestic abuse and aims to empower them to safely remain in their own home and community.

Intensive Consultancy

Street Doctors is a UK nonprofit who change the lives of high risk young people by giving them the skills they need to deliver life-saving first aid. Through the programme Street Doctors aim to increase the confidence and aspirations of youths, give them a sense of responsibility for their actions and help them to change their attitudes towards violence.

We facilitated an initial workshop with Street Doctors to consider their replication potential and are now providing ongoing support and advice to Street Doctors as they develop a replication model for international expansion.

Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy

The Reader is an award winning UK social enterprise working to connecting people with great literature through shared reading. Furthermore, it pioneers the use of shared reading to improve well-being, reduce social isolation and build resilience across diverse communities.

Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy

Vi-ability, based in North Wales, is a social enterprise working with young adults to transform struggling community sports clubs into viable, thriving businesses and hubs, using this as a catalyst for entrepreneurship and engaging youths into local communities. It provides opportunities to develop skills by offering training, work experience and qualifications in commercial sports management.

Intensive Consultancy
Intensive Consultancy
Action West London is a social enterprise that runs Acton Street Market, which brings diverse communities together by creating entrepreneurial opportunities and an inclusive, high profile public space.
Intensive Consultancy
Urban Uprising is a Scotland-based charity using rock-climbing to improve the wellbeing of at-risk 8 to 18 year olds in the UK who are disadvantaged by poverty, health and other inequalities.
Intensive Consultancy
Settle is a London charity that supports vulnerable young people moving into their first home, as part of a mission to break the cycle of youth homelessness
Intensive Consultancy
PeacePlayers International is a cross-community charity that uses basketball to unite, educate and inspire young people in Northern Ireland, as a means to promote peace and reconciliation
Intensive Consultancy
Social Bite is a social enterprise running an employment support programme for vulnerable and marginalised people experiencing homelessness across Scotland
Intensive Consultancy
Humber All Nations Alliance is a charity promoting the  well-being of Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and migrant communities throughout Hull and the Humber.
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