Introduction

Investing in Children CIC is a children’s rights organisation based in County Durham, working across the North East of England to promote the voice and rights of children and young people. Established in 1995, the organisation supports young people across a wide range of areas including health, mental health, SEND, care experience, LGBTQI+, poverty and inclusion in arts, culture and heritage. In 2023, Investing in Children received £1.75m from the Youth Investment Fund (YIF) to refurbish a derelict care home and create a new, modern youth hub grounded in a rights‑based approach.

Central Support Offer – Identifying the Need

While the YIF investment represented a major opportunity, increasing build costs reduced the scope of the refurbishment, leaving elements such as the first floor and a sensory room unfunded. At the same time, the scale of the capital project and the organisation’s status as a Community Interest Company (CIC) raised questions about long‑term income generation, access to funding, protection of purpose and sustainability. Investing in Children also recognised the need to strengthen fundraising skills across the organisation and embed a wider culture of income generation.

Support Provided

Through the YIF Central Support Offer, Participate Projects delivered a structured package of income‑generation and governance support.

Participate Projects works with charities and community organisations to strengthen income generation, governance and strategic planning. Their participatory approach supports organisations to clarify purpose, build fundraising capability and develop sustainable, mission‑aligned business models, particularly during periods of growth or transition.

The support began with a discovery diagnostic, exploring the short‑, medium‑ and long‑term challenges facing the organisation and its YIF‑funded investment. The diagnostic highlighted that the organisation’s ambitions and funding potential would likely be better supported by a charitable structure, and that further development of fundraising capacity across the team was needed.

Participate Projects worked with Investing in Children to:

  • Review existing activities against Charity Act requirements
  • Provide fundraising training for key staff
  • Explore how different legal structures would affect fundraising, gift aid, business rates and protection of purpose
  • Support the organisation to convert from a CIC to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)

Alongside the legal transition, Participate Projects conducted funder research to identify potential revenue and capital funders, including opportunities accessible prior to charitable conversion. They also provided bid‑writing support, mentoring and feedback, helping to strengthen the quality and confidence of funding applications.

The Result and Impact

With Participate Projects’ support, Investing in Children submitted a full application to the Charity Commission to convert to a CIO. This included drafting charitable objects and a constitution, identifying trustees, preparing board resolutions and responding to Charity Commission queries. The application is currently awaiting a decision.

Additional Impacts

The organisation has submitted funding applications totalling £150k to complete the first‑floor refurbishment and create a sensory room. Team‑wide fundraising confidence has increased, with improved understanding of what is required to develop high‑quality bids and a stronger foundation for long‑term income generation. Participate Projects continues to support the organisation with its short‑, medium‑ and long‑term fundraising strategy.

What They Said

“The support given to us from Participate has been invaluable… they explained the complicated nuances between a CIC and CIO and completed all the preparatory work, which simplified the whole process. The funding support, training and coaching has been extremely useful and has given the team real confidence in making bids.”
 Helen Mulhearn, Director, Investing in Children CIC

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