Strongly rooted in place, the Citizen First model brings together a powerful network of local citizens, businesses, civic authorities and academic partners to transform communities through the power of citizen-led business. Key features of this unique and proven model include:
1. Inclusive opportunity: A totally CV-less recruitment process that is proven to reach deep within communities and find inspiring hidden entrepreneurs locally.
2. Financial stability: One year’s Real Living Wage salary paid to all entrepreneurs alongside seed funding to remove the barriers for participation.
3. Meaningful support: A small, tight-knit cohort supported by a dedicated full-time business advisor/ mentor.
4. Specialist expertise: A rigorous business curriculum alongside specialist tech-enablement and acceleration support from a leading academic institution.
5. Powerful network: A strong community of influential local experts and organisations to support participants in all aspects of building their business.
From local communities across the Liverpool City Region, a cohort of nine hidden entrepreneurs was recruited through our CV-less process. Backed by the Mayor of Liverpool, University of Liverpool, Fusion21 Foundation, and local businesses, each entrepreneur is building a business that solves an important social challenge faced locally.
The recruitment process demonstrated the strength of the Citizen First model through:
1. Meaningful engagement. The programme was 20x oversubscribed with over 200 applicants for 9 places. It mobilised the local ecosystem with over 40 organisations from businesses, to public sector bodies, to grassroots organisations getting involved.
2. Strong diversity. Above average representation for the Liverpool City Region across all key indicators including for women (68%), BAME (34%), LGBTQI+ (18%), disability (42%) and economic disadvantage (90%).·
3. Exceptional ideas. All selected business ideas are rooted in participants’ lived experience – from the use of robotics for hospital settings, to AI-guided sleep support, to a uniquely accessible mobile hair salon.
We anticipate a social impact of over £3 million during the first year of the programme alone.
Click here to find out more about the Liverpool programme and meet the hidden entrepreneurs on it!
Our impactful programme in Liverpool builds on the success of a series of pilot programmes across the country. These have seen:
An independent university evaluation of the last iteration of the programme found it delivered in its first year alone a social return of £6.26 for every £1 invested.
"The principles should be taken as transformational trends for the future of community development."
Independent University Evaluation