At Hatch we have been working collectively with organisations across the country to dismantle barriers to entrepreneurship that are compounded by geographical barriers faced by those outside of London, as part of our partnership with NatWest. Our research published last year, The Entrepreneurs Club, indicated that those in London were more than twice as likely to say that an entrepreneur was someone who resembles them.
Regional disparities in this research are stark, with Londoners repeatedly reporting higher confidence and higher appetite for entrepreneurship.
This ties into the perception of what an entrepreneur looks like, and who is welcome into this ‘exclusive club’. Talent and ability is not concentrated in England’s capital, but historically opportunity has been, leaving those across the rest of the UK feeling excluded and not represented.
That's Where the Dream Fund Comes In
GirlDreamer is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to drive social change through fostering a community for young women of colour. They are champions of building and nurturing the leadership journey, providing the tools and funding to dismantle barriers and redraw the lines of opportunity for women of colour.
We chose to work with GirlDreamer on the Dream Fund to benefit from their industry-leading experience supporting women of colour leading social impact projects. We know that working in collaboration, not competition, is critical in dismantling barriers to accessing entrepreneurship, so working with like-minded organisations such as GirlDreamer allows us to achieve this whilst expanding our reach to new people.
This fund and its eligibility criteria have been designed to ensure that more funding is available for projects and ventures centred on social impact at various stages in their growth.
That’s why this grant round will be open to young women of colour leading both unregistered or registered projects, meaning the funding is decided on a simple criteria of social impact and does not discriminate against those applying who may not yet be at the stage of registering, or who may want to use the grant funding to support proof of concept to secure additional funding down the line.
The application process is clear, concise, and simple to ensure that a long, time-consuming process does not hinder applicants from submitting an application.
Who Can Apply to the Dream Fund?
This Dream Fund pot will be exclusively for women of colour between the ages of 18 and 35, and successful grantees will be located outside of London and the South East.
Organisations applying must be running a project or organisation specifically focused on social impact. Successful applicants can be running either registered or unregistered organisations; and must provide evidence of work and social impact.
For more information on the Dream Fund and how to apply, visit the GirlDreamer website here.
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