The Ootsider Awarded £40,000 Grant from FirstPort 🎉
We’re absolutely thrilled to share some incredible news: The Ootsider CIC has been awarded a £40,000 grant from FirstPort!
This is a huge milestone for us — and a powerful endorsement of the work we’re doing to create positive change in our communities.
Thanks to this funding, we’ll be able to take a significant step forward in our journey. The grant will support the creation of one full-time and one part-time role, both essential to driving our growth and amplifying our impact over the next 12 months.
Importantly, this grant also means we can continue to reinvest 100% of our net profits and every penny we receive in donations directly into making and donating our Sleeping Coats to people rough sleeping across the UK.
To date, over 300 people rough sleeping have received one of our Sleeping Coats — thanks to the generosity, compassion, and support of our community.
This moment is not just about funding — it’s about belief. FirstPort’s support is a strong vote of confidence in our mission and our model, and we couldn’t be more grateful.
To everyone who’s supported us on this journey so far:
THANK YOU.
From all of us at The Ootsider — and most importantly, from the hundreds of people rough sleeping whose lives have been touched by your kindness — thank you for standing with us.
Together, we’re building something special.
With gratitude,
John
Founder, The Ootsider CIC
