Pizza Hut’s new grant scheme is set to launch almost 100 new businesses by 2025

Following the successful graduation of the first year of New Founder Programme entrepreneurs, Pizza Hut Delivery and Hatch Enterprise are moving the New Founder Programme partnership into the next phase with the introduction of a grant opportunity for participants.

The New Founder Programme is designed to help budding entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds start and grow their businesses into sustainable enterprises that have a positive, long-lasting impact on their communities. The grant will be available to support successful Launchpad and Incubator programme graduates.

Graduates of the New Founder Programme’s Launchpad scheme can now apply for a grant for up to £1,000. Those who completed the New Founder Incubator programme can apply for a grant of up to £5,000 to grow their businesses.

The grant can support participants to explore new markets, increase trading, build capacity or better measure impact. The grantees will be selected based on the impact the funding will have on their business, as well as the social and environmental outputs of the project.

Groundwork, a federation of charities mobilising practical community action on poverty and the environment across the UK, will administer the grant programme alongside Pizza Hut Delivery partner Hatch, a charity supporting underrepresented founders to imagine, launch and grow sustainable and impactful businesses.

Pizza Hut Delivery is run on a network of franchisees. Many of Pizza Hut Delivery’s franchisees come from underrepresented backgrounds and started as small businesses founders and they continue to provide valuable employment to their communities.

There is still a long way to go in encouraging business founders from underrepresented backgrounds and offering new routes for finance is key.

A report from the British Business Bank showed that access to finance is a major barrier for “Black, Asian and Other Ethnic Minority entrepreneurs, and the reason why 39 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively, stop working on their business idea.” What’s more, only 1 per cent of all UK venture funding goes to businesses founded by all-female teams, which shows that more needs to be done in this space.

Katie Mellor, chief capability and culture officer, Pizza Hut UK & Europe comments: “As a brand, we stand for more than just pizza. We are passionate about helping to open the door for a new generation of entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds especially as, like our franchisees, entrepreneurs give so much back to their communities.”

Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK chief executive, said: ‘We’re pleased to be working alongside partners on this exciting programme that will go a long way to kickstart social enterprise projects in local communities. We look forward to seeing the results of these initiatives and the positive benefits they will bring.“