A Scottish charity has been set up to help others develop alternative funding sources in the face of public sector cuts, with £250,000 financial backing from the Scottish government and the Robertson Trust.
The Lens charity has recieved £200,000 from the Scottish government and £50,000 from the Robertson Trust. But charities are required to contribute to an investment fund – with the average contribution being £20,000.
It aims to “nurture a culture of innovation” by helping charities to develop “Intrapreneurial” - or social entrepreneurial skills - through a series of taylored workshops.
The project was originally piloted by Scottish children's charity Aberlour in 2014. Four charities are currently signed up to the scheme, including the Prince’s Trust, Loretto Care, Carer’s Trust and Cornerstone.
Scottish minister for business energy and tourism, Fergus Ewing, said the initiative would help Scottish charities “unleash their entrepreneurial talent” and become “part of Scotland’s ‘can do’ movement” to “become a world-leading entrepreneurial and innovative nation”.
“This will ultimately lead to greater sustainability and impact,” he said. “Sustainable economic growth is about more than profit. More people should be able to reap the benefits of entrepreneurial activity, which is why I am delighted that the Scottish Government has supported the creation of the Lens.”
Chief executive of the Lens, Steve McCreadie, told Civil Society News the project aims to “enable people within charities to bring forward ideas that are entrupeneurial in nature to deliver more value.
“Our role is to help people to develop their ideas, acquire new skills and engage in service redesign. We need all our collective intelligence to respond to the opportunities and challenges ahead and make sure we can deliver sustainable impact where it’s most needed,” he said.
The Scottish government has predicted a £42bn reduction in public spending in Scotland between 2010 and 2026, according to a statement from the Lens.
Edel Harris, chief executive of Cornerstone, one of the charities involved with the project, said: “With the landscape of the social care and charitable sectors having changed considerably in recent years - and with more changes on the horizon - never has the need for innovation and enhanced sustainability been more important.
“In view of this, we are absolutely delighted to be partnering with the Lens programme and look forward to seeing the process enhance our approach to innovation and also encourage our staff to become intrapreneurs and to realise their creative ideas and potential.”
The Lens was launched on Monday at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh. The charity’s new website will launch today.
