WeMindTheGap receives National Lottery Funding

WeMindTheGap, the charity borne out of Moneypenny today announced that it has received £1.1 million of National Lottery funding from The National Lottery Community Fund (formerly Big Lottery), to increase opportunities for disadvantaged women.

The charity model is a six-month paid traineeship, followed by a further six months of support, as former trainees use their new skills to gain employment, education and a better life in general. The charity aims to help underprivileged young women transition from “prisoners of circumstance” to “pilots of their own lives”.

This grant means that the charity can now grow its core team to set up 16 traineeships in different cities across the country. By 2023, the charity will provide six months’ employment for 160 trainees in 16 different communities, sustain continued support for over 450 graduate trainees as they make their way in the world and work with over 140 local employers.

Co-founder of Moneypenny, Rachel Clacher, is WeMindTheGap’s Founder and Chair. “We saw a real need to address social mobility in our community, and we applied the same ethos that Moneypenny was founded on, to focus on helping young people in need,” said Rachel.

“We strongly believe in doing the right thing, treating people well and providing ongoing support. This is not about ticking boxes, it’s about business and communities. We have proven that public and private partnerships work, and more importantly that under-served young people can achieve real careers and real choices if they have access to the right opportunities. This grant allows us to have the resources to bring those opportunities to so many more young people, and we can’t wait to see what they achieve.”

Joe Ferns, UK Funding Director at the National Lottery Community Fund said: “We’re proud that National Lottery funding is helping more young women thrive in their local communities by expanding this successful project. Through coaching and mentoring, WeMindTheGap empowers women to gain the skills they need to gain confidence and full time employment.”