The Multiplier

From 2011 to 2023, The Cares Family built five local charities that brought together some 30,000 people across London, Liverpool and Manchester. Yet despite the impact we made in those cities, we knew that communities everywhere were in a crisis of social disconnection.

But with this disconnection in local places, we also knew came solutions to overcome it: people in communities throughout the UK have brilliant and simple ways to create connection in the places they know best. The leaders in those places just need the support to make those solutions work – that's where The Multiplier came in.

The Multiplier was The Cares Family's nine-month leadership programme supporting individuals to increase their confidence and capability in building more socially connected communities.

The curriculum brought together a diverse group of community change-makers from across the UK who were building belonging in their own communities in their own ways – and offered them training, financial resources, a platform, and a peer community to help them scale up their efforts and drive systemic and cultural change.

For three years from 2020 to 2023, we invested in 37 change-makers bringing people together in nature, championing community ownership of local spaces, tackling racism and discrimination, lifting up the voices of people with experiences of support services, using the power of sport to connect communities, facilitating inter-faith groups and many more inspiring ways to build connection.

The Multiplier offered local change-makers the opportunity to connect with people who shared a commitment to community building and brought them together to learn and grow. Like all The Cares Family activities, The Multiplier was a relational programme, focused on building space for connection and celebrating the achievements of Multipliers on their shared journey together. Over the course of the nine-month programme, Multipliers:

• Took part in monthly gatherings to grow their confidence and knowledge in key areas such as community building, storytelling, fundraising, coalition-building, strategy and systems change
• Received one-to-one coaching
• Participated in a three-day residential

• Built a peer-support community with other change-makers, joining a vibrant alumni network of past Multipliers at the end of their year
• Received an unrestricted cash grant ranging from £4,000 to £10,000 to put towards their work or leadership

Through annual impact evaluations of The Multiplier, we learned that 100% of Multipliers in both 2021 and 2022 cohorts said that they felt more confident, less isolated and more connected as community leaders as a result of their participation.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the space you've held and the connections you've enabled us to make. This programme came at a time when I felt alone as a leader and wasn't able to see the bigger picture” - A 2022 Multiplier

In 2021, we produced an evaluation report based on the first cohort of Multipliers. It showed early indications that our aim of creating a model that gives Multipliers the tools they need to adapt and grow their initiatives, think bigger and build networks was being fulfilled.

Meet The Cares Family's 37 Multipliers each working to build connection and bring people together across the UK. We're proud of everything they've achieved and will continue to achieve.