How we were funded

In the beginning, Who Made Your Pants? was me, an idea and a burning desire to do something useful.

It's now nine years - nine years! - since I came up with the name and the concept and seven years since I left my job in the public sector to set us up.

Setting us up took a lot of money. We delivered training - English, Employability and Sewing - for a year before we even tried to sell a pair of Pants. We had to pay rent on a space to train in, we had machines to buy, trainers to pay - I needed to be paid though back then it was a bit erratic! I tweeted about this recently and someone asked who funded us. And as I often get asked for advice on who might be a good place to approach, here's the list. They are in no particular order - we are enormously grateful to them all.

The Tudor Trust

John Paul Getty Junior Charitable Trust - they are winding down and not accepting any more applications.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation/Comic Relief

BAA/Southampton Airport

The Allen Lane Foundation

Business Link

The Co-operative Fund

CDF Faiths in Action

European Social Fund

Lush Charity Pot

Salaam Project

Southampton Active Communities

Southampton University

UnLtd

West Itchen Community Trust

Co-operatives South East

Pfizer Foundation

And last but not least I won £10,000 last November in the Lloyds Social Entrepreneurs of the Year Award

We're now funded in part by our revenues and in part by investment. We are projecting being entirely funded by our own revenues in three years and WE CAN'T WAIT. We want to do this ourselves and we're so grateful that people can see that and want to help us get there. I believe firmly in the Big Issue principle of a hand up not a hand out - people are empowered through doing. YOUR support means we're getting there. THANK YOU.