CodeAtt secures financial support through Inclusive Recovery Fund

The small pot of funding will go towards CodeAtt’s (@CodeAtt) operational costs as it prepares to launch its first training initiatives 

Wednesday, February 17 2021: CodeAtt, a provider of training for prisoners, prison leavers and young people at risk of crime, has today revealed it has been awarded a small pot of funding from UnLtd’s Inclusive Recovery Fund. The funding, which is the first pot of money that has been awarded to the organisation since its launch last year, will be used for operational costs over the next three months to help the business function on a day-to-day basis as it continues to work towards implementing its first training initiatives. 

CodeAtt is a not-for-profit organisation that’s on a mission to create long-term social change by teaching life empowerment skills and industry specific coding skills that leads to high level employment opportunities for prisoners, prison leavers and young people at risk of crime. The organisation was launched in September last year and is currently working towards implementing educational training and employment pathways across the UK.  

The UnLtd Inclusive Recovery Fund, which was awarded to 120 social entrepreneurs, was presented to CodeAtt to help it deliver its important services while adapting to challenges presented by the coronavirus crisis. The fund also aims to unleash the potential of social entrepreneurs at a pivotal moment in the UK’s economic and social recovery. In total, the fund amounts to £4.75M and is available through a partnership with Comic Relief, matched by the Department for Digital, Culture Media & Sport as part of the Government’s £750 million support package for charities. 

72% of the grants also went to leaders of organisations with lived experiences, such as CodeAtt’s founders Michael Vreugdenhil and Josh Rolland, who both came through a prison coding course while serving a custodial sentence before going on to create successful business ventures for themselves following release from prison.  

“We are absolutely delighted to have been presented with a small pot of money by the UnLtd Recovery Fund and the money is really going to help our organisation as we continue to work tirelessly towards the role out of a number of different training initiatives for prisoners, ex-prisoners and young people at risk of crime in 2021 and beyond,” said Tariq Hassan, Co-Founder and Investment and Relationships Director at CodeAtt. 

“CodeAtt is making huge strides in the judicial industry and this small pot of money will really help us accelerate towards our goal of making sustainable career paths more attainable for those that currently have limited career prospects because of their past and current circumstances,” Hassan added.  

“Social entrepreneurs need to be supported to deliver their important services, especially through the challenges presented by the coronavirus crisis. With the Inclusive Recovery Fund, we hope to unleash the potential of social businesses, like CodeAtt, to make a crucial difference to their communities”, said UnLtd – the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs.