Last Saturday I was on a 40th birthday night out in Norwich, during which I learned three important lessons.
1. Norwich is a lot further from London than you initially might think. It’s actually quicker to get a train from my house in south east London to Brussels than it is to get to Norwich.
2. It is now impossible to be in a social situation and avoid people talking about Brexit. Whereas pub chat a few years ago would be something along the lines of “no, it’s too early for jagerbombs and there’s no way I’m having tequila” you’re now more likely to have a conversation about the indicative vote process, which will in turn lead you to deciding that it’s just the right time for a jagerbomb and you certainly will be having a tequila.
3. At 38 years old I’m too old to be heading to 90s themed pop nightclubs until gone 2am. Anyone who saw me staggering towards Norwich station on Sunday would have assumed I was involved in some sort of 28 Days Later re-enactment. Still, a 90s themed pop nightclub does provide a loose song-based them for this newsletter so here we go…
All ‘Bout the Money (by Meja, released 1998)
The chorus of this song is “it’s all about the money, it’s all ’bout the dun dun do do do dumb” which makes about as much sense as I did by about 4pm last Saturday. Fortunately, the good people at Paul Hamlyn Foundation are rather more coherent in communicating their new Shared Ground Fund, which supports organisations to explore opportunities and address challenges in the area of migration and integration.
Two funding levels are available – ‘Explore and Test’ offering grants of up to £60,000 and More and Better offering grants of £100,000 – £300,000 (or even £400,000 if you really nail that application form).
You Oughta Know (Alanis Morisette, 1995)
If you are going to pop in a bid to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation you really should make sure that you’re giving yourself the best chance. And how can you do that? By coming on our Fundraising from Trusts and Foundations course in London next Wednesday. After all, knowledge is power.
What’s Up? (4 Non Blondes, 1992)
“What’s up Dave?” asked my colleague Amy Barbor the other day.
“Not much”, I replied, “just doing the usual and working really hard and not messing around at all. What’s up with you?”
“Well Dave, I’ve just written a blog about how ‘nice progressive white people’ need to challenge themselves to make the social sector more inclusive. Would you like to read it?”
I confirmed that I would and asked Amy to send it to me, so she sent me this link to it on our website. It’s a really thought provoking piece.
Around the World (Daft Punk, 1997)
It’s quite difficult to find songs about computers and the internet from the 1990s. Did we have computers back then? It’s so long ago it’s all a bit of a blur…I thought Daft Punk might be a good bet but they didn’t start banging on about technology until well into the mid 2000s. So the tenuous link here is that the Third Sector Digital Leaders webinar series that we’ve done with Zoe Amar is now over and I’ve popped all the videos on our website. Which you can access from around the world.
Watch them from the beach next time you’re on holiday
I’ve Got Something to Say (Reef, 1999)
Reef, of course, famously hail from the west country; Somerset to be exact. If they decided to put down their guitars (they still tour, I saw them last year) they could decide to sign up to the Somerset Development Programme. It’s a new free programme of support delivered by SSE Dartington in Taunton between June and September 2019. The course is aimed at social enterprises that are incorporated or plan to be by the start of the programme – priority will be given to applications from Somerset.
Tellin’ Stories (The Charlatans, 1997)
“I’ll be there in the mornin’, can’t you see I’m tellin’ stories” crooned The Charlatans, a band who appear to have a severe aversion to the letter ‘g’. Also hopin’ to tell more stories is SSE Fellow Jude Habib, who is runnin’ a crowdfundin’ campaign to create a network of media savvy storytellers led by people with direct experience of some of the biggest issues facing our society today. The aim is to create a more diverse media which reflects the views and ideas of a wider cross section of society.
You can find out more and back the campaign here
One Week (Barenaked Ladies, 1998)
That’s about the length of time you’ll need to commit if you want to read all of Charity Comms’ absolutely mammoth guide to innovation. It’s great, particularly if you love buzzwords: blockchain – check, iterative – check, ideation – check. You get my point.
We like to Party (Venga Boys,1998)
If the Venga Boys still like to party and they happen to be in London on April 11th they might want to head to Kensington for Resurgo’s second Ventures Showcase, an opportunity to cheer on your favourite of six social impact ventures as they vie for a top prize. Wine and canapés will abound, apparently, which is always a good thing.
You can get £5 off by using the code ‘Showcase.2019’ when making your booking.
No Limits (2 Unlimited, 1993)
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no ,no ,no, no there’s no limit at Untld, who have just launched ‘How Do You Solve A Problem Like..?’ a new podcast for anyone concerned with the big problems facing society. Milly Chowles is traveling around the UK meeting ‘ leaders of social change who have created ‘business for good’ ventures, working on a local or national scale’.
King of My Castle (Wamdue Project, 1998)
You could make the newly launched SSE Hub Dartington your castle if you are looking for a new place to work from. If you need workspace or would like to work in an inspiring place where you can meet other businesses you should check it out. There are a range of packages available, starting from £20 a month (if you buy by 31st March).
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What’s on at SSE:
- Developing a Fundraising Strategy, London, 2nd April (sold out, other dates available)
- Fundraising from Trusts and Foundations, London, 3rd April
- Sources of Funding for Charities and Social Enterprises, London, 18th April
- Unlocking Social Investment, London, 10th May
- 3 Day Intensive Start Up, Cornwall, starts 13th May
