Programmes
NSI-Comic Relief GMF Phase III Initiative
We are pleased to be an intermediary partner with Comic Relief Global Majority Fund
Working in partnership with Comic relief fund and National Emergencies Trust since 2020, this initiative aims to build organisational resilience, strengthen internal systems and processes and support NSI ambitions as future grant makers, with fund to onward grant to smaller African and Caribbean/Minoritised organisations and communities across Scotland, working with Global Majority Ethnic Communities.
Structured Ongoing Capacity Building & Small Grant Programme:
The programme also consists of small grants as well as structured organisational development support capacity building programme to African and Caribbean/Minoritised organisations across Scotland who have been funded, ensuring their resilience and sustainability in their work. The aim is to strengthen some of the previously funded organisations in The Global Majority Fund Phase 1 and ensure that they are able to undertake vital organisational development initiatives and are well positioned to continue making sustainable impact in underserved and marginalised communities across Scotland
This Initiative, through Comic Relief Global Majority Fund, recognises that structural racism disproportionally impacted Global Majority Communities and that traditional funding models and practice reinforce this racism.
NSI Business Accelerator & Employability Hub
Our social enterprise programme-business incubation and accelerator hub has supported over 975 individuals, organisations and community groups.
This has been described by Fiorina Mugione , of the chief Entrepreneurship Section, United Nations Conference for Trade and Development Geneva as ‘’ the prime exemplar of diaspora impactive entrepreneurship’’.
Additionally, our Inclusive Museum heritage Project Funded by Heritage Lottery Fund was recognised as a Recruitment Best Practices Model.
This hub continues to provide coaching, mentoring and capacity building support to African and Caribbean/Minoritised social enterprises, community groups and individuals across Scotland.
Our social enterprise programme-business incubation and accelerator hub has supported over 975 individuals, organisations and community groups.
This has been described by Fiorina Mugione , of the chief Entrepreneurship Section, United Nations Conference for Trade and Development Geneva as ‘’ the prime exemplar of diaspora impactive entrepreneurship’’.
Additionally, our Inclusive Museum heritage Project Funded by Heritage Lottery Fund was recognised as a Recruitment Best Practices Model.
This hub continues to provide coaching, mentoring and capacity building support to African and Caribbean/Minoritised social enterprises, community groups and individuals across Scotland.
NSI Kitchen Incubation Hub & Training Facility
NSI through her Kitchen Incubation Hub & Training Facility in both Glasgow and now Edinburgh continue to help several start-up enterprises, provided mentorship, as well as supporting these starts ups to raise funds and expansion.
We continue to provide support to enhance the capacity and sustainability of these community organisations and social enterprises from the disadvantaged and deprived African and Caribbean communities across Scotland through this hub.
We continue to leverage on our platform to establish lines of communication between the leaders of African and Caribbean third sector organisations to local decisions makers in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Fife, Renfrewshire, Paisley and Edinburgh in terms of how they support our social enterprises and community organisations.
This has afforded the opportunity to express their opinions directly to policy makers. Additionally, NSI facilitated establishment of the Scottish African and Caribbean Social Enterprise and Engagement Network (SACSEN) in the bid to ensure a unified front for leaders of African and Caribbean third sector organisations.
We are indeed proud even with the challenges that we are facing, to say that this hard work and sacrifices made has created and continues to create significant impact and change in our community social enterprise and families as below
Coming To Scotland-The Stories of African Pioneers fund by Heritage National Lottery
The African Climate Change Centre in Scotland Heritage Initiative (2012-2015). This built the expertise of over 1000 African and Caribbean/Ethnic Minority participants in environmental sustainability and conservation, leading to over 5 full time jobs over a 4-year period.
The Youth Cultural Diversity Heritage Leadership Project “The Way Back to My Roots’’ (2014/2015). In this successful youth heritage leadership capacity-building initiative, over 150 young people developed a better inter-cultural understanding of the different cultures and their inter-connectivity across Scotland.
The African Music Academy Funded by Creative Scotland; building & developing the creative, music and leadership skills of African and Caribbean youth across Scotland 2012
African Housing Forum;
A platform that empower African and Caribbean communities across Scotland to have voice, be able to shape and influence decisions that affect them on housing issues.
The Heritage Leader Traineeship Programme
This is a 3-year programme funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund
Vision
The vision of the “Heritage Leader Traineeship Programme” is to contribute towards an inclusive and diverse heritage sector in Scotland that reflects, engages, provides access, opportunities, tells the stories and represents the past of Black and Minority Ethnic communities across Scotland. The aims of the project are:
Aims of the Project
To promote a more diverse heritage sector, more reflective of the population at large.
- To contribute to the wider decolonisation movement, which has emerged over the last couple of decades, initially in academia and more recently in the public realm.
- To support organisational and workforce development intended to address barriers to cultural change within the Scottish heritage sector.
- To support heritage organisations within Scotland in tackling EDI issues internally, raising awareness at board and senior management level and bringing people from African &Caribbean/Minoritised communities into organisations to help make cultural shifts.
- Sharing best practice
Programme Purpose
The Heritage Leadership Traineeship Programme is a workforce development and systems-change initiative designed to address longstanding underrepresentation of Black and Minority Ethnic communities in the heritage sector. Delivered by Next Step Initiative, it combines paid placements, accredited learning, leadership development, community engagement, and organisational change support. The programme goes beyond individual employability. Its core purpose is to embed inclusive leadership practice within institutions, strengthen community trust, and create sustainable pathways into heritage careers for those historically excluded from the sector.
Programme Structure
The programme is designed as a multi-layered intervention combining workforce development with institutional change. Core components include work-based placements, SVQ-aligned accredited learning, one-to-one mentoring, leadership development sessions, and structured delivery coordination by Next Step Initiative. Year 1 demonstrated that diversifying the workforce and transforming institutions are inseparable goals. The programme therefore integrates organisational readiness and community engagement alongside individual skills development.
Target Participants and Partners
The programme engages multiple audiences simultaneously. It supports trainee leaders aged 18–30 from African and Caribbean communities, develops pathways for senior volunteers and board members, and works directly with heritage organisations seeking to strengthen inclusive practice. Partnership working is central to delivery. Next Step Initiative coordinates collaboration between host organisations, training providers, community partners, and evaluators, ensuring that placements operate within a shared framework of support and accountability.
Past Programmes
The Ethnic Minority Career Museum & Built Environment Heritage Programme
(2017-2020). With this project, we recruited 16 trainees from Black & Ethnic Minority communities to achieve the diversity aim of the programme, delivered 3 year-long 16 placements in skills related to museums and the historic built environment with an associated accredited qualification, enhanced capacity through a cultural change programme including training for heritage organisations in equality and diversity and seminars and workshops on how to engage with black and minority and ethnic communities. Additionally, we shared learning and good practice through our Best Practice Guide and an end of project seminar. It is worthy of mention that a total of 10 secured employment following the programme.
Coming To Scotland-The Stories of African Pioneers fund by Heritage National Lottery
The Inspiring Inclusive Museum Heritage Project (2016/2017). This was an innovative project which created greater opportunities for African and other ethnic minority communities to access and engage with the Scottish museum sector, leading to 4 trainees from ethnic minority communities to successfully achieve the SVQ level 3 in Museum and Galleries Practice; over 80 staff within museums in both Glasgow and Edinburgh were trained on equality and diversity by NSI, and over 400 ethnic minority participants were empowered to engage and access services within the Museum sector.
The African Music Academy Funded by Creative Scotland; building & developing the creative, music and leadership skills of African and Caribbean youth across Scotland 2012
Inspiring Transformation (2012-2016) Funded by the Scottish Government; to build the skills of African and Caribbean employability skills, connect with the labour market and support social enterprises and community organisations within this communities across Scotland
African Housing Forum; A platform that empower African and Caribbean communities across Scotland to have voice, be able to shape and influence decisions that affect them on housing issues.
Trust and Worth
Our Clients
