About us
Ready to grow is a three year programme (2008-2011) delivered in partnership by Olmec and Red Ochre and funded by Capacitybuilders.
Our objectives:
- Offer appropriate, relevant and in-depth business support
- Tackle barriers to social enterprise growth and
- Provide flexible, innovative solutions to BAMER social entrepreneurs in London.
Olmec
Olmec was established in 2003 to create lasting positive social change by challenging injustice, disadvantage and discrimination. It aims to facilitate stronger and empowered communities through the provision of training, support and networking and by bringing opportunities and investment to local people. 
The main areas of Olmec's work are:
- Developing the capacity and sustainability of community based organizations and enterprises;
- Promoting community led initiatives;
- Brokering business support and investment into local neighborhoods and communities;
- Delivering employment, training and work experience opportunities;
- Enabling local people to develop appropriate skills to influence change;
- Facilitating the sharing of best practice.
For more information about Olmec, please visit
http://www.olmec-ec.org.uk/
Red Ochre
Red Ochre is a Third Sector consultancy a training organisation. We are also a social enterprise. We passionately believe that social enterprise and responsible ethical business offer the best route to economic, social and environmental sustainability and well being. We also expect that social entrepreneurship should be exciting and rewarding.
Our mission is to provide appropriate, imaginative and innovative advice, support and guidance to individuals so that their organisations are better able to deliver their own economic, social and environmental objectives. All of us have extensive experience of both the commercial and the community and voluntary sectors.
Uday Thakkar, Managing director of Red Ochre, was recently presented with the Social Enterprise Mentor of the Year Award for 2008 by Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.
For more information about Red Ochre, please visit
www.redochre.org.uk
Capacitybuilders - Improving Reach Programme
Capacitybuilders is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) set up in 2006 to take over the management of the ChangeUp programme and to work with other funders to build the capacity of the Third Sector. Capacitybuilders exists to create a more effective third sector and we do this by improving support for third sector organisations.
http://www.capacitybuilders.org.uk/
The Improving Reach Programme aims to extend and improve sector support services available to frontline organisations dedicated to working in and with excluded communities.
Ready to grow is meeting a specific Improving Reach outcome,
'More frontline organisations working in and with excluded communities can get high quality support services which are appropriate for them.'
