We’ve been Breaking Barriers for 10 years. But we haven’t done it alone. Many people and partnerships have helped shape our journey.
Our partnership with The Rank Foundation is one of the most significant and long-standing. Rank’s generous support has totalled over £250,000. And it has played a transformational role in helping us grow from a small, ambitious organisation to one with national reach and impact for refugees across the UK.
Supporting leaders and building community
The Rank Foundation backs people and ideas that make communities stronger. It invests in leaders, nurtures entrepreneurial thinking, and creates networks that drive change. This ethos runs through everything it has supported at Breaking Barriers, and aligns closely with our organisational value of being ‘entrepreneurial’.
The Foundation began working with us when Breaking Barriers was still a startup. Through two key initiatives, Time to Shine and the Rank Aspire programmes, Rank brought talented leaders into our team. The Foundation’s energy and drive helped shape how we ran the organisation – from fundraising and operations to direct client support.
Voices from the programme: Harriet Boland’s experience
The Time to Shine programme is a leadership development initiative for early-career social sector professionals, offering training, mentoring and practical experience.
One of the emerging leaders who joined Breaking Barriers as a Fundraising Officer, and then went on to become a Philanthropy Manager, through the Time to Shine programme, was Harriet Boland: “What consistently impressed me about Breaking Barriers was the holistic and deeply person-centred approach to supporting refugees.
“I was lucky to work with such a passionate, intelligent and driven team who loved what the organisation stood for and continuously tried to make improvements to our programme to make it better for clients. The people I met at Breaking Barriers have had a profound impact on my life.
“It wasn’t just about finding any job. It was about understanding each individual’s unique skills, experiences, and aspirations – and then diligently working to match them with meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities.”
Reflecting on her own growth through the Time to Shine programme, Harriet added: “It provided a unique blend of on-the-ground learning within a dynamic and impactful organisation, coupled with the broader perspective and development opportunities offered by Rank.”
Harriet is now the Director of Fundraising and Partnerships at The Economist Educational Foundation. She stays closely connected to the Rank network, is trained as an Action Learning Set Facilitator, and leads peer support sessions for new Time to Shine managers. Her journey is a brilliant example of how people-centred investments create cascading impacts throughout communities and sectors.
Standing together through the pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, The Rank Foundation stood by us. Its £25,000 Recovery Fund gave us the breathing room to move services online, keep our team together, and respond to the growing needs of refugee clients who told us our help was essential to their well-being.
That flexible support meant we could:
- Expand our digital services
- Grow our team of Employment and Integration Advisors
- Continue offering high-quality, one-to-one support at a time when it was needed more than ever
Support through Rank’s Profit for Good programme also allowed our founder, Matt Powell, to develop the reach of the organisation and build relationships with corporate organisations, such as our partnership with Ikea.
The power of belief
The foundation of our partnership with Rank has always been belief. Belief in our mission. Belief in our people. Belief in the potential of those we support.
As Rank told us: “We believe in backing good leaders – especially where a small investment can unlock significant, long-term impact.
“We supported roles that other funders might have overlooked, such as design and communications, which helped Breaking Barriers punch above their weight and build credibility with their stakeholders.
“We’re proud to have played a small part in Breaking Barriers’ growth. Its work with refugees is vital, and its evolution into a respected, established organisation is a powerful reminder of what good leaders can do with trusting, long-term support.”
As we look to the next decade, we do so with immense gratitude for The Rank Foundation’s support. Their partnership has helped to change lives, shape careers, and work towards building a future where refugees can thrive.
Thank you to the Rank Foundation for standing behind our entrepreneurial spirit and empowering us to grow.
