We supported Brink, a global team of psychologists, strategists, designers, creative thinkers and technology optimists, to launch Brink Foundation - a vehicle for establishing and running grant funding programmes to address unmet global needs.
In this client spotlight, we find out more about Brink and its ambitions to be part of a movement towards new kinds of grantmaking.
Finding non-obvious solutions to non-trivial problems
Brink makes a real positive difference, at scale, to help solve the big challenges that matter to the whole world: global education, health, climate change and digital transformation, to name a few.
Its theory of behavioural innovation, which combines aspects of behavioural science and psychology with aspects of practical and structural innovation, has been shaped following the founders and teams’ many decades of innovation work.
Brink has been operating through Brink Innovation (a certified B Corp) and now with Brink Foundation CIC (a registered Community Interest Company), which is looking to have greater impact by both receiving and disbursing grants to others.
Making dents in the world
Brink Foundation is an innovative legal vehicle to establish and run grant funding programmes, to address unmet needs identified by Brink. Through the Foundation, Brink aims to:
- Shift power. Brink believes that decisions about what gets funded are best made by those who are closest to the challenge. Not only is this the right thing to do, it has found that greater participation in funding decisions leads to excellent work and improved outcomes.
- Tap untapped talent. Brink Foundation tackles patterns of bias and privilege by using grant capital as a key lever to de-risk those who are often overlooked, so they can get their rightful place at the table. Brink Foundation will experiment with new forms of capital that have been developed, by tweaking traditional grant making (e.g. recoverable, convertible grants, guarantees, forgivable loans, etc.) to make funding more inclusive, more sustainable, and more purpose driven.
- Spark cooperation. Brink Foundation uses grant funding to spark new forms of collaboration and partnerships, explore new modes of funding ‘missions’ through pooled funds, complementary funding partnerships, and build on Brink's CoLab work.
Brink Foundation has partnered with TRANSFORM, a unique joint initiative between Unilever, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and EY, to explore the Future of Work in the Informal Economy in Kenya.
The project has engaged over 700 people to take a closer look at the informal economy in Kenya, with a specific focus on women and youth, who often face greater levels of adversity and 3 main segments (Creatives & Entertainment, Agri-livelihoods and Food Service Provision). Alongside TRANSFORM, Brink also partnered with Laterite, PROCOL Kenya, Busara, and Ideas Unplugged Ltd on this exciting work to surface the challenges, needs and wants and have collectively co-designed a better future of work for the informal economy.
Supporting Brink's vision
Chris Willis Pickup and Kieran John, from Mishcon de Reya's Charities and Social Ventures team:
- Analysed Brink's existing legal structure, advising on the available options and recommending a legal model that achieved Brink's brief;
- Worked with Brinksters to implement the constitutional element of the new legal model for Brink Foundation, including supporting with the adoption of Articles of Association and the legal aspects of the name change;
- Established the contractual relationship between Brink Innovation and Brink Foundation CIC; and
- Supported with the appointment of non-executive directors to Brink Foundation, all innovators with senior experience in health (Kristoffer Gandrup-Marino, Chief of Innovation at UNICEF), education (Teresa Mbagaya, Global Trustee at Save the Children) and climate (Magdalena Banasiak, Director, Development and Partnerships at Acumen).
Abigail Freeman, Co-Founder of Brink said: “We have found working with Chris, Kieran and the team to be so much more than legal support. Not only do they provide us with sound legal counsel that’s grounded in real world examples and based on their extensive experience, they also bring ideas and energy. As we design and set up the Foundation and enter this new chapter as Brink Group they have become trusted collaborators and an extension of our team.”
Chris Willis Pickup said: "We're delighted to have supported Brink to set up its Foundation. Brink has an inspirational team of genuine innovators, who are determined to use their skills and intelligence to shape a better world for everyone. It's been a fantastic, collaborative effort to design a Foundation that can deliver innovative, participatory funding models with robust governance and an effective working relationship with Brink's innovation business."
What does the future hold for Brink?
Brink Foundation is ready to receive and distribute grants, in turn finding opportunities to do more and have greater impact in the world.
This work will be delivered by Brink's global team (with around a third of Brinksters now in East Africa) and by collaborating with partners who are equally committed to solving big global challenges.
If you would like to read more about Brink Foundation, and are interested in exploring opportunities to collaborate, visit this link.
Contact Mishcon de Reya
Our Charities and Social Ventures practice is at the forefront of legal innovation, providing bespoke services to those who strive to make a difference. Our team is composed of experienced legal experts who bring a wealth of knowledge and a deep passion for social impact, including unparalleled experience from the Charity Commission for England and Wales. If you'd like to speak with a member of our Charities and Social Ventures team please get in touch.