Launch of the ‘New Dawn’ project for Muslim refugee entrepreneurs
Thursday 27th January 2022
NZF and partners launch an exciting new project which will work with refugees to start up their own small businesses.
We are pleased to announce that today we are launching a new accelerated entrepreneurship programme, New Dawn, in partnership with Mercy Mission and University of Bradford.
The programme will support resettled refugees to develop business ideas, followed by a period of mentoring and then a further workshop leading to a real ‘Dragon’s Den’ investor forum. New Dawn will be making £60,000 of seed funding available to support new ventures.
A total of 18 refugees from the Bradford area will take part in the programme of training at the University of Bradford and gain business support and mentoring from Mercy Mission, helping to support them to develop their ideas and business plans.
As part of the Dragon’s Den-style investor forum, NZF will be offering start-up grants of up to £5,000 to candidates who have investable ideas through an investment pitching event after Ramadan. Some early business ideas include a Libyan cafe, a clothes recycling scheme and a language school, and more than half of the candidates are women.
The New Dawn project aims to serve Muslims in the Bradford area who are simultaneously some of the most marginalised yet have enormous potential to contribute to their communities. We’ll also be working with the Bradford City of Film team to record a documentary of the refugees’ entrepreneurial journey, with a film premiere celebration planned in the summer.
MP for Bradford West, Naz Shah said, “it’s great to see such an initiative being launched in Bradford. New Dawn epitomises what Bradford as a city is about, it’s a city of business, and a city of a culture that supports entrepreneurs, business start-ups and those that come to our city and are starting new lives while seeking refuge.”
The New Dawn programme supports our work through the Work Fund to help people with skills and qualifications to get a job or increase their income so they can become financially independent.
