Case study: CheckIn Works
How CheckIn Works used our funding to create a community training kitchen for adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health needs
The project
In 2019 CheckIn Works were looking for a new home for their Giraffe Community Kitchen project, which provides training and work experience for adults with learning disabilities. Though Giraffe had already been running for a while, due to increasing demand the charity needed funds to create a modern, spacious, and welcoming facility for trainees. Once complete, the new training kitchen would increase capacity to offer trainees a professional production environment developing essential work skills, fostering confidence and independence.
The organisation
Giraffe is a social enterprise in Perth run by the charity CheckIn Works. Through Giraffe, they provide a supportive platform for individuals overcoming barriers like autism, learning disabilities, and mental health challenges. Trainees not only receive valuable training but also contribute to the Giraffe community café through their culinary creations. This holistic approach empowers trainees to acquire new skills, enhance their quality of life, and actively participate in community enrichment initiatives.
The funding
With Giraffe outgrowing its existing home, the charity knew it had to find larger premises. This would help not only to give more – and more varied – opportunities to their trainees, but also allow them to generate more revenue from providing catering services to local businesses and individuals.
Gareth Ruddock, CEO at CheckIn Works, said: “Once we had decided to go ahead with the project, it made sense to focus on obtaining capital funding first. The hope was that secured capital funding would kickstart the project, and that further funding would follow. There are very few funders who specifically fund capital, and we were aware of the Wolfson Foundation’s good reputation, so decided to submit an application.”
In 2022, we granted the project £50,000 after their application was successful.
Grant Fact File
Grant Programme:
Health & Disability, Charities working with disability
Year awarded:
2022
Amount:
£50,000
Project location:
CheckIn Works, Perth
CheckIn Works
Key milestones
Gareth Ruddock, CEO at CheckIn Works, outlines the key milestones for the community kitchen project.
Flexibility in evolving circumstances and identifying new needs
Our dedication to trainee development has long been complemented by enterprising activities, including a community café, a garden centre and a farm-food shop. These endeavours not only provide valuable engagement opportunities within the community but also contribute to our financial sustainability. However, we began to recognise the challenge of maintaining a balance between the two. It became evident that a new training facility was essential. Understanding that public interaction can be overwhelming for some trainees, we sought to create a distinct and separate space for the training kitchen, ensuring a focused environment conducive to their growth and comfort.
Preparing our Stage 1 application
I spent time reading through the Wolfson Foundation website to make sure I understood the application stages. I prepared our Stage 1 application, and we were then invited to apply for Stage 2 in March 2020.
Updating our project plans
The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic forced us to pause our plans, and ultimately, we had to find an alternative location to the one we had originally intended to move to. I was able to discuss these changes with the Wolfson team prior to submitting the Stage 2 application in March 2022.
Confirmation of funding
We got confirmation that we had been awarded £50,000 towards refurbishment and equipment costs in June 2022.
Broadening the search for other sources of funding
Once we had secured the funding from Wolfson for the building works, we started thinking about other sources of funding for the wider project. We felt that securing funding from the Wolfson Foundation added credence to our applications elsewhere. We later secured funding from other sources, including a grant to cover staff costs from The Robertson Trust.
Work completed
The project was completed and the facility was fully functional by May 2023.
- There were some interesting wider outcomes for this project, including addressing food insecurity in the local community post-pandemic and diverting waste food from landfill, but the application made sure to focus on the impact of the new kitchen on the charity’s core beneficiary groups. More broadly, the charity’s collaborations with local third sector organisations showed their ability to adapt but without compromising their core objective of providing meaningful activity for their trainees. This was particularly encouraging as there were some changes to the project between Stage 1 and Stage 2, and we felt reassured that these were informed by the needs of current and future users of the kitchen.
Eleanor Hodges, Senior Programme Officer (Science & Health)
The impact
Gareth said: “The new training kitchen has had a wonderful impact on our trainees. Having a new, modern space has created a professional environment and a real team atmosphere. The individual progression is clear to see, with trainees feeling as though they are benefitting the community and participating in a wider initiative that helps others. The facility has aided that progression and growth.”
Teambuilding activities for Giraffe trainees. Credit: Gareth Ruddock.
Looking ahead
Gareth said “Having settled into our new space, we’ve identified numerous ways we can expand our offer to trainees. We now know how the space feels when full, what our capacity is, and how we can utilise the building in more creative ways. There are ideas to create a one-to-one welfare environment for trainees, so there are opportunities for individual focused learning as well as group activities.”
What would your top tips be for a similar organisation applying for funding?
Don’t be afraid to make links with funders, even before you apply for funding. Making an effort to understand the funder and their aims will help you to produce a good application
Before embarking on the application process, seek expert advice from architects and surveyors. Understanding the possibilities and limitations upfront will ensure your application is thorough and well-informed from the outset, increasing its chances of success.
When you’re meeting with architects and builders initially, present the ‘gold-standard’ dream facility that gives you capacity to change as the future dictates. This gives a much better platform for later when you inevitably have to ‘value engineer’ the project to be affordable – it makes it easier to identify the difference between the ‘wants’ and ‘essential needs’.
