About Us

MyGrant is a social enterprise working to make Migrant & BME charities sustainable by helping them overcome barriers to accessing funding and undertaking research. We empower charities by working together to build robust fundraising and research strategies through training workshops, 1-2-1 support and online resources. Charities are then in a position to carry through their long term strategies and become sustainable.

By having effective procedures and long term strategies in place, particularly around fundraising and research, charities are empowered to to secure long term project funding, and be in a position to provide consistent, quality, informed services to Migrant & BME communities.

We also work with charity  funders to help them understand the needs of Migrant & BME charities, particularly their barriers to funding and research. These barriers include language barriers, cultural difference, the digital divide etc. We particularly connect funders to charities who work with hard to reach Migrant communities through Meet the Funder Events, Neighbourhood Visits and Video Exchange Letters.

This space is more than just a blog- it is a place to learn from each other's experiences, to encourage one another, and to work together to ensure Migrant & BME charities and community groups fulfil their  potential, and reach the people we set out to help.

Your views, comments, gripes, videos, pics etc. are valuable to our cause...please share them on this blog!

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MyGrant was founded by social entrepreneurs, Rachid Choaibi, BSc MinstF (Cert), and Demetri Vlachos, BSc Msc. 

Rachid Choaibi

I am a certified member of the Institute of Fundraising, and have 15 years of charity fundraising experience. I started my charity career as a Youth Worker at a grassroots, self-help, community group for socially excluded, young BME men. Quickly realising that successful youth diversion projects needed funding, I completed the Institute of Fundraising's Certificate in Fundraising Management course, and applied my new fundraising skills to transform the little youth club to a Skills Development Centre with 300+ members.

I remained at the community group for another 4 years before moving to several national charities and social enterprises, taking on senior fundraising roles, including Head of Fundraising. I have vast experience in securing multi-year 6-figure donations from Trusts, Companies and Major Donors for disadvantaged people.

I have also sat on funding panels to assess grant applications from charities and community groups, including local Single Regeneration Budget initiatives.

I have been a Trustee of the Migrants & Refugee Communities Forum and the Kensington & Chelsea Social Council, and built vast expertise and understanding of the needs facing the Migrant & BME charity sector. My achievements for the charity sector were recognised in 2005 when I received the Mayor of London Award.

Demetri Vlachos

I have worked in the charity sector for 7 years, and am an expert in scientific  and social research. I have a degree in Psychology and Health, and a Masters degree in Clinical Neuroscience. These subjects provide a strong research background that are applied to social research projects.

In the last 3 years I have developed a strategic, forward thinking approach and delivered leading charitable research that both inform projects and policy. I have worked with a multitude of reputable organisations, including Roehampton University, London School of Economics, and nfpSynergy on various projects involving  BME people.

Currently, I am working on a number of research projects that are investigating issues surrounding poverty. One of these projects looks to highlight issues of low income workers, particularly from BME backgrounds who are wrongly not claiming their benefits.