Charity Spotlight: Vital Regeneration

This quarter, we take a closer look at PEF’s investment in Vital Regeneration which is working to create opportunities for people in London's most deprived neighbourhoods.

PEF is donating £530,000, alongside pro bono resources from Terra Firma, Weil Gotshal & Manges and Deloitte, over three years to help the charity build up its capacity for growth. It has funded a new Business Development Director to increase and diversify funding streams, and a Finance Director to improve financial control, reporting and planning.

Although PEF initially came on board to back the charity’s innovative Studio+ programme (which embeds literacy improvement and personal development in a unique music production course for NEET young people), as the relationship has developed, so has PEF’s role. We are now supporting the charity across its youth interventions as it works to create synergies between programmes and expand into more London boroughs.

And just one year into its relationship with PEF, Vital Regeneration is celebrating its first successes.

The charity has not only won funding to expand its Studio+ programme into Hammersmith and Fulham but it has also secured its first local authority contract in the same borough for its FreqOUT! Project, tackling issues of inter-generational relationships, anti-social behaviour and fear of crime.

News of this first step towards achieving PEF’s investment objective of scaling Vital Regeneration’s highly effective NEET programmes across London, was closely followed by the award of one of only three Microsoft 'Unlimited Potential' grants given to charities in England and Wales this year. The money promotes innovation, digital learning and employment opportunities within socially excluded communities.

Vital Regeneration’s digital learning centre at The Greenside Community Centre, in the heart of the regenerated Lisson Green social housing estate in Westminster, connects thousands of local people with technology. Microsoft’s grant, which includes financial support as well as a significant donation of its software, will enable Vital Regeneration to undertake a complete makeover of this learning centre to provide state-of-the art IT facilities to the local community and link them with opportunities for employment and progression.

Vital Regeneration’s Chief Executive, Angela McConville, commented “Vital Regeneration's ambition is to engage with disadvangated communities and young people, not just in Westminster, where we were established, but right across London. PEF’s investment is helping us move towards achieving this vision and opening new horizons in terms of our impact.

“In the 12 months since we began working with PEF, its investment has enabled us to build a stronger senior team with the addition of Finance and Business Development Directors. This has already translated into success in winning funding bids to take our proven programmes to other London boroughs. We can clearly see the impact of PEF’s investment in management and infrastructure, together with its strong focus on performance and the added value of the professional pro bono team, notably Eric Machiels at Terra Firma and advisers Weil Gotshal & Manges and Deloitte.”