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MenuOur mission is to reduce inequalities and transform systems by growing people-powered innovations.
Innovation Unit is a not-for-profit social enterprise. We’ve been designing and scaling innovative solutions to social challenges for 20 years, alongside partners who share our values and ambition for change.
Our Values
Our values guide everything we do. This is what it feels like to work with us:
We are always imaginative and practical
We bring diverse voices together to build a shared vision for a better future and develop creative solutions to complex challenges. But we’re not dreamers; we roll our sleeves up and help bring these ideas to life.
We embed continuing learning and participatory approaches in everything we do, to ensure tangible, equitable impact for all.
We bring diverse voices together to build a shared vision for a better future and develop creative solutions to complex challenges. But we’re not dreamers; we roll our sleeves up and help bring these ideas to life.
We embed continuing learning and participatory approaches in everything we do, to ensure tangible, equitable impact for all.
We are always inclusive and courageous
We recognise the profound effect of inequalities on people’s lives. We listen deeply to those affected, fostering genuine shared understanding, and co-create equitable spaces which prioritise accessibility. We’re as comfortable in the community as we are in the boardroom, and understand the vital role of staff doing the work day-in-day-out.
We’re not afraid to name what’s getting in the way, advocate for ambitious new approaches, and do the right thing, even when that’s difficult.
We recognise the profound effect of inequalities on people’s lives. We listen deeply to those affected, fostering genuine shared understanding, and co-create equitable spaces which prioritise accessibility. We’re as comfortable in the community as we are in the boardroom, and understand the vital role of staff doing the work day-in-day-out.
We’re not afraid to name what’s getting in the way, advocate for ambitious new approaches, and do the right thing, even when that’s difficult.
We are always collaborative and accountable
We work with you as partners, walking alongside you to make the most of our combined knowledge and expertise. No two places or projects are the same, so we design and deliver together, laying the foundations for sustainable transformation.
We hold ourselves to the highest standards, and never lose sight of our responsibility to our partners, to the communities we serve and to our shared ambition for change.
We work with you as partners, walking alongside you to make the most of our combined knowledge and expertise. No two places or projects are the same, so we design and deliver together, laying the foundations for sustainable transformation.
We hold ourselves to the highest standards, and never lose sight of our responsibility to our partners, to the communities we serve and to our shared ambition for change.
Our approach
Our approach to innovation is people powered. This means we are trying to grow innovations that:
- Realise human potential, rather than perpetuate low expectations
- Design in collective action, rather than nudge isolated behaviours
- Enhance personal agency , rather than enforce dependency
- Encourage contribution, rather than consumption
- Foster greater social belonging, rather than continued social isolation
- Release resources, rather than add costs
Our commitment to reducing inequalities and anti-racism
Reducing persistent inequalities is at the core of our mission. As an organisation, and as individuals, we are committed to actively applying this - including a central focus on anti-racism - in every area of our work.
This means that, at a minimum, we commit to ensuring we are never perpetuating inequalities and exacerbating harm, whilst working towards dismantling the structures and systems which support these inequalities to persist.
For every project we ask - ‘what inequalities are we tackling, and how?’ and ‘what does it mean to be anti-racist in this work, and how?’ - and take these questions to our partners.
We bring this lens to all our internal activities, as well as our external ones, including:
- Organisational and individual learning and development plans
- Project and staff management processes
- Business development decisions
- Building project teams and partnerships
We are on an organisational journey to ensure that reducing inequalities and embedding anti-racist practice is a lived experience at Innovation Unit, not just a theoretical commitment.
If you would like to learn more about this work, or have a conversation about our commitment to reducing inequalities, please contact Jessie.
