Offploy is pleased to announce that today it has received a game-changing investment of £99,932 from the Postcode Innovation Trust towards the growth of two areas of the social enterprise.
Offploy, a service that peer-supports people with criminal convictions to secure employment,
has received the investment to grow two areas and the overall impact of the social enterprise.
The investment will be used to:
1) Increase the surplus generated by Offploy Justice Personnel, a recruitment service that
supplies staff (typically without criminal convictions) to the criminal justice sector and
reinvests 100% of the fees into the social enterprise. The funds will hire senior industry
professionals to help open more doors for the organisation and increase the capacity to
place more people into employment.
2) Launch Offploy Education, a service that will see peer-led accredited delivery of CSCS
Cards, Functional Skills and other courses required for our candidates with criminal
convictions to secure employment.
On receiving the part-grant, part-loan investment, Jacob Hill, Managing Director of Offploy said:
“I am incredibly honoured to receive this investment as Offploy approaches its third birthday. It
is a very emotional time of year as I think back to writing the social strategy in a prison cell in
Leeds. We have come so far over these years, met so many amazing individuals and worked
with some exemplary organisations keen to change the lives of others.
This funding is the dawn of a period of stability for Offploy. We have spent three years growing
the organisation; it is now time to consolidate our growth and build on our strong foundation.
The process of applying for the Postcode Innovation Trust support helped our leadership team
clarify what we envisage for the future of Offploy. The fact that an organisation as diligent as the
Postcode Innovation Trust, who have scrutinised our proposal, finances and outcomes, have
decided to support our organisation gives me, our colleagues and our board great confidence
that we are doing the right thing.”
Postcode Innovation Trust’s Social Investment Programme, funded by players of People’s
Postcode Lottery, has been created to provide sustainable funding for social enterprises within
Great Britain that are looking to increase their social and environmental impact.
On awarding the investment, Joseph Ray, Social Investment and Innovation Advisor for the
People’s Postcode Lottery said:
“We are delighted to support Offploy with their plans for expansion as they seek to develop
their social enterprise so they can provide more life changing opportunities for their
beneficiaries”
The funding will support two more positions in Offploy in the Education and Recruitment arms of
the social enterprise. Half of the fund will be repaid on a low-interest rate over 48 months which
will then be reused to support other social enterprises in scaling their impact.
Offploy is excited to receive the investment which will see the development of more sustainable
revenue streams for the organisation which will ultimately help more people with criminal
convictions for years to come.
Offploy is on a mission to reduce reoffending and make society safer by placing people with
criminal convictions into meaningful, mentored and sustainable employment. You can read
more about our work here.