Like many smaller charities who are breaking through the £1m income 'barrier' we have exciting challenges ahead, and finding funding that not only supports programme delivery but also bolsters growth and scale is vital. We were therefore delighted to be successful in our application for funding from The Fore, a foundation with the mission to 'turbo-charge exceptional small charities that are transforming lives and society'.

The Fore awarded us a grant of £30,000 in 2001 to support our goal to reach 3,000 struggling young readers from disadvantaged communities by 2024. Prior to receiving the grant, Chapter One already supported 1,000 children but we felt that we could not scale to reach 3,000 by organic growth alone. Recruiting new corporate partners, which provide us with both funding and volunteers, was vital to enable us to realise our ambitions.

Our grant from The Fore enabled us to bring in marketing support. Most trusts and foundations offer restricted and project-based funding, but The Fore's unrestricted grant meant we were able to recruit a Marketing and Communications Manager and develop strategies for targeted marketing to existing and prospective corporate partners. We ran digital marketing campaigns to help generate new corporate partners and to reach many more beneficiaries.

“We at The Fore were delighted to support Chapter One through the provision of grant funding to bring in marketing expertise," says Mary Rose Gunn, Chief Executive, at The Fore. "Chapter One really fitted the bill for what we are keen to support, having great ambitions and a proven and innovative solution to help improve the literacy outcomes of children. It has been a pleasure to watch them put our funding to such good use, unlocking their potential by scaling up and becoming financially stronger. We can’t wait to see what happens next.”

Read The Fore's Impact Report for 2022-23 (see page 9 for a case study on Chapter One).

Chapter One is grateful to all our corporate and funding partners for their support of our mission and expansion. Click below to see our list of partners.