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Growth Impact Fund invests £150,000 in Doing What Really Matters
Growth Impact Fund invests £150,000 in Doing What Really Matters
Written by
Mathu Jeyaloganathan
Head of Investment
A social enterprise widening educational access for people in prison has received £150,000 in investment from the Growth Impact Fund (GIF). Doing What Really Matters (DWRM) is the second investee of the first of its kind social impact investment fund developed by Big Issue Invest and UnLtd.
The lived experience-led consultancy helps universities to broaden their prison education offering, ensure students can continue studies post-release, and support people in prison to engage with and experience the proven benefits of education during a sentence. The investment will support DRWM in their goal of reaching 20,000 students over the next 10 years.
DWRM Co-Founder Dan Whyte personally felt the stigma surrounding incarceration, as well as the lack of support and opportunity for people during and after their sentences. While incarcerated, Dan gained undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with the support of prison education practitioners, including his now Co-Founder Ruth McFarlane. Alongside his successful social enterprise, Dan is now working towards a PhD in Criminology at the University of Westminster.
The Prisoner Learning Alliance has reported that, on entering custody, 47% of prisoners have no formal qualifications. Additionally, 57% of people in prison have English and Maths levels at or below those expected of an eleven-year-old, and over 37% have a learning difficulty or learning needs. These statistics are compounded by racialised groups being disproportionately incarcerated ; having higher levels of exclusion and SEND needs ; and Black people serving a greater proportion of their original sentence too.
He says:
“Having a support network and structure was crucial to navigating the obstacles of academia. In combination with my personal experiences of being incarcerated, I’m driven towards making changes within the Criminal Justice System that are effective and people-focussed. Within the first three years of DWRM we’ve been able to make changes in policy, contribute to prison staff training, and offer hope to the prison population. There is so much work to be done, and I hope my voice and experiences have made these paths easier to navigate for others. With this investment from the Growth Impact Fund, we can get closer to this goal and create real change”.
Ministry of Justice research showed that people who had participated in education during a sentence had lower likeliness of reoffending within 12 months of release, dropping from 40.2% likeliness to 32.6%. However, rates of those able to access and engage in education courses do not reflect these positive potential outcomes.
DWRM’s Co-Founder, Ruth McFarlane, says: “The House of Commons Education Committee in 2016 (The Coates Review) and 2022 recommended that education should be “at the heart of the prison system”. This is yet to happen, and we see many people in prison who still do not have basic literacy and digital skills.”
“We encourage people to have high aspirations for their employment while we also address the lack of progression opportunities to match these aspirations. There are providers who have been delivering distance learning in prisons for a long time, but students must limit their aspirations based on the narrow scope of choice available. Part of our work with universities has also been to allow students to continue their studies on campus after their sentences.”
DWRM has so far supported 150 people into further and higher education. One of their students is 23-year-old Londoner H, who says:
“I didn't engage much in school, but I wanted to be as academically prepared as possible before leaving the Youth Offending Institute. I managed to get my Level 2 English and Maths Functional Skills qualifications, and DWRM helped me through a Westminster Foundation module too.""
H achieved an overall grade of 2:1 (68%) for the module and upon release has continued his studies with the University of Westminster, with the ongoing mentoring and support of DWRM in the transition from being a student in prison to a student on campus. H is currently working part-time alongside his studies, and is due to begin a full degree program in September.
On H’s story, Whyte says: “Being in custody, no matter the length, can cast a long shadow that follows somebody around for their entire life. I know - both personally and through our work - that education is one such way to shed more light. With this investment, we will be able to help many more people just like H, showing both them and society what it looks like to support somebody to fulfil their potential and thrive.”
Mathu Jeyaloganathan, Head of Investment at UnLtd, says:
“We really believe in the mission of DWRM and are excited to be investing in an organisation that can have real change within the criminal justice system. While many mainstream banks may reject someone with experience of the prison system for a loan, we found Dan's lived experience to be critical to the success of the business and the impact its generating.”
Founder of The Big Issue, Lord Bird is currently supporting the Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Bill through the House of Commons, and experienced incarceration as a teenager. He says:
“I am really pleased that Big Issue Invest is supporting DWRM’s brilliant work with education for prisoners. I was educated in the custodial system and can honestly say without that I would have genuinely struggled to achieve what I have today. By providing an education for people in prison, you are not just reducing the risk of recidivism, but you are also giving people a new chance in life to both add to society and realise their own potential. It’s hard to overstate how important this is. With the right resources and support from organisations such as Big Issue Invest and DWRM, we can make a real difference to people’s lives.""
About The Growth Impact Fund
The Growth Impact Fund offers social purpose organisations investment, and support entrepreneurs to grow their impact and sales. GIF supports organisations with a social purpose that are focused on tackling inequity, and have diverse representation at board and leadership level.
Read more at The Growth Impact Fund website.