Five grassroots projects set to compete for £20,000 at Cinnamon Incubator Final

Five grassroots projects set to compete for £20,000 at Cinnamon Incubator Final

Five grassroots projects from across the UK are preparing to take centre stage at this year’s Cinnamon Incubator Final, where they will compete for a £20,000 development grant to help take their work to the next level.

The final takes place on 12 November at St Peter’s Church, Notting Hill, bringing together five organisations tackling some of the most pressing challenges facing communities today – from young people’s mental health and family breakdown to the experiences of care leavers and the isolation faced by vulnerable single mothers.

The five finalists are:

• Concrete Rose, which provides one-to-one mentoring for care-experienced and estranged university students, helping them build confidence, wellbeing and a sense of belonging.
• Onside Soccer, which uses football to help children and young people develop confidence, character and purpose, while equipping churches to create lasting relationships with their local communities.
• ParentFuel, which equips churches to support families affected by trauma, poverty and isolation, helping parents find healing, hope and stronger relationships.
• The Pillar, which helps churches provide early, relational mental health support for young people through safe and welcoming ‘Pillar Spaces’.
• Riverbank Trust, which walks alongside vulnerable single mothers and their children, offering long-term emotional and practical support to families facing challenges including poverty, homelessness and isolation.

While one project will take home the £20,000 development grant, all five finalists will join the two-year Cinnamon Incubator Programme.

Through the programme, they will receive coaching, mentoring, residentials and access to a growing network of social-action leaders, all designed to help them strengthen their work and develop models that can be replicated in communities across the UK.

Now in its 12th year, the Cinnamon Incubator has already supported 63 projects, helping them replicate their approaches thousands of times and contributing to transformation in the lives of more than 198,000 people.

The finalists now have the opportunity to become part of that growing legacy – taking ideas that are already making a difference in their communities and developing them so that many more people can benefit.

The Cinnamon Incubator Final will take place on Thursday 12 November at St Peter’s Church, Notting Hill, London.

For more information about the event email sarah.taylor@cinnamonnetwork.co.uk