Ānene, United Kingdom.
Securing start-up funding for UK-based social enterprise Ānene.
The project
Ānene is a design-led, ethically sourced, and sustainable fashion label founded by artist and entrepreneur Bridget Credland Dey. To help achieve her vision of running the brand as a social enterprise, Bridget sought start-up funding from the UK’s Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Start-up Programme. To be successful, Bridget needed to make a compelling case for how her project would benefit people in need and, once operational, the enterprise would reinvest the majority of any surplus into the project and for a social purpose.
The task
The challenge was turning Bridget’s creative idea into a long-term, sustainable business that would benefit her impact community – people suffering from mental health issues – and donate surplus profits to Mind, a registered mental health charity in England and Wales. Bridget sought my help to review her application and suggest improvements, especially to the project narrative, to ensure it matched her vision to the funder’s objectives and conveyed her message within strict word limits.
The outcomes
The grant application was successful, and Bridget was awarded funding to pay for essential start-up costs for her social enterprise.
The application’s success also opened doors to mentorship: the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Start-Up Programme is run in partnership with the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE), the UK’s leading incubator for people starting or scaling projects with purpose.
In securing a start-up grant, Bridget tapped into SSE’s knowledge and networks, allowing her to share her vision for Ānene and build her credibility.