Breadline

Charity Number: 1060661

Annual Expenditure: £0.2M

Geographic Focus: Moldova

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Quick Stats

Annual Giving: £244,478 (2023)
Annual Expenditure: £298,127 (2023)
Success Rate: Not publicly available
Decision Time: Not publicly available
Grant Range: Not publicly specified
Geographic Focus: Moldova (Eastern Europe)
Application Process: No public application process - works through established church partnerships

Contact Details

Registered Address:

BREADLINE (Charity No 1060661)

157 London Road

Kettering, Northants

NN15 6NQ

Website: www.breadlinemoldova.org

Email: RMSAMWAYS@YAHOO.COM

Phone: 01536 515756

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BreadlineMoldov/

Donations: Via Stewardship - https://www.stewardship.org.uk/partners/20032036

Overview

BREADLINE was founded in 1995 by Mike Kirkwood, who had a vision to empower missionary-minded churches in Romania and the Republic of Moldova. Today, the charity focuses primarily on partners in Moldova, described as Europe's poorest country where average income is approximately £70 per month. As a UK registered charity since 1997, BREADLINE operates as a grant-making organisation with 9 trustees and no salaried staff. In 2023, the charity had total income of £244,478 and expenditure of £298,127, demonstrating active grant distribution. The charity's mission is to relieve poverty and provide life-changing opportunities by facilitating and empowering churches and local charities to develop projects with transformational impact on poor communities. BREADLINE's approach emphasises respecting local partners' autonomy, allowing them to “determine the direction and pace of their work” while providing external support.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

BREADLINE does not operate fixed grant programs with specified amounts. Instead, the charity provides flexible funding to established partner organisations in Moldova based on project needs and organisational relationships. Examples of funded projects include:

Agricultural Support: Funding for polytunnels and equipment (e.g., two polytunnels for Tabita Association in 2017-2018 to support horticultural projects)
Disability Services: Support for day care centres, physiotherapy facilities, summer camps for children and adults with disabilities
Church Development: Leadership training programs, evangelistic outreach, networking initiatives for multiple churches
Child Protection: Projects for children at risk, transition homes for teenage girls leaving institutions
Community Development: Business start-ups for poor farmers, family welfare programs, work skills training

Priority Areas

Church-Based Community Development: Supporting local Baptist and evangelical churches to deliver social programs
Children at Risk: Day care centres, summer camps, life skills training, protection for vulnerable children
Disability Advocacy and Support: Day centres, therapy services, summer camps, community integration programs
Agricultural Development: Helping poor farmers achieve self-sufficiency through equipment, training, and cooperative models
Education and Training: Church leadership training, mobile training teams, work skills programs
Family Welfare: Emergency support, counselling, poverty relief for vulnerable families

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, BREADLINE's focus indicates they likely do not fund:

Projects outside Moldova and Eastern Europe
Organisations not connected to Christian churches or faith-based mission
Direct service delivery by UK organisations (they fund local Moldovan partners)
One-off emergency appeals without ongoing relationship
Secular organisations without faith-based mission

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Governance and Leadership

Founder: Mike Kirkwood established BREADLINE in 1995 as a former member of Christ Church Purley.

Governance Structure: The charity is governed by 9 trustees and operates as a charitable company incorporated under memorandum and articles (amended by special resolution in September 2012). The charity has no employees receiving benefits over £60,000.

Key Philosophy: The founder's guiding principle states: “Our aim is to stand alongside the poor as friends and help them through a life-giving process of transformation.” The charity emphasises empowering local partners to build “ministries with lasting impact on their communities” and ensuring that “Christians really care.”

How to Apply to Breadline

How to Apply

BREADLINE does not have a public application process. The charity operates through established partnerships with local churches and charities in Moldova that have been developed over many years. Grants are awarded based on trustee discretion to known partner organisations rather than through competitive application rounds.

The charity's website does not provide application forms, guidelines, or open calls for proposals. Instead, funding decisions appear to be made through ongoing relationships with partner churches and organisations that the trustees know and trust.

Getting on Their Radar

BREADLINE works exclusively through established church partnerships in Moldova. Their partner organisations include:

Church Partners:

Dancu Baptist Church
Poganesti Baptist Church
Cioropcani Baptist Church

Social Service Organisations:

Tabita Association (agricultural cooperative)
Emanuel Clinic
Centre for Legal Assistance for People with Disabilities (CLAPD)
Charity Foundation 'A New Hope' (disability services)
Nehemiah Charity, Cobani

Other Initiatives:

Mobile Training Team
Lord's Army Chisinau

BREADLINE receives support from UK churches including Christ Church Purley, Freedom Church Liverpool, and Ruislip Baptist Church. The charity encourages 10 churches and local charities to network together in Moldova and supports 33 churches in remote areas to develop joint leadership and training programs.

Organisations interested in BREADLINE's support would need to be church-based or faith-based organisations operating in Moldova with a focus on poverty relief and community transformation. Building relationships through the charity's existing network of partners or UK supporting churches may be the most viable approach.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly available as there is no formal application process. Funding decisions appear to be made by trustees on an ongoing basis in consultation with field partners.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the charity does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - there is no formal application or reapplication process.

Application Success Factors

Since BREADLINE does not have a public application process, the key success factors relate to alignment with their mission and partnership model:

Partnership Characteristics:

Faith-Based Mission: All partners are churches or Christian organisations that “embody the life of Jesus Christ in their ministry”
Local Leadership: BREADLINE emphasises that local partners “determine the direction and pace of their work”
Long-Term Relationship: The charity has worked with many partners for years, suggesting they value sustained relationships over one-off projects
Transformational Impact: Projects must have “lasting impact on their communities” rather than providing temporary relief
Community Integration: Programs should help participants become “more integrated into their community”

Project Examples That Have Received Support:

Tabita Association's horticultural project with two polytunnels for growing vegetables to support other social programs
Charity Foundation 'A New Hope' day care centre serving 10-16 children with disabilities aged 3-16 with therapy and meals (supporting 62 children and families total in 2024)
Summer camps serving 135 children and 100 adults with disabilities annually
Church leadership training and networking programs for 33 churches in remote areas
Transition home for teenage girls leaving institutions with profession/practical skills training

Language and Values:

The charity's communications emphasise:

“Stand alongside the poor as friends”
“Life-giving process of transformation”
“Empowering” local churches (not directing them)
“Sustainable economic, social and cultural change”
Bringing “the love of Christ to others in word and action”

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

No Public Applications: This is not a funder that accepts unsolicited applications from unknown organisations - they work exclusively through established partnerships
Faith-Based Focus: All partners must be churches or Christian organisations with evangelical mission at their core
Moldova-Specific: Geographic focus is almost exclusively in Moldova (formerly Romania), with no indication of funding elsewhere
Long-Term Partnership Model: Success depends on building multi-year relationships rather than securing one-off grants
Local Empowerment: The charity values local leadership and autonomy, providing support rather than direction
Church Network Strategy: Getting on their radar likely requires connections through their existing UK supporting churches or Moldovan partner network
Flexible Funding: Grant amounts appear project-specific rather than following fixed programme tiers, ranging from equipment purchases to ongoing programme support
UK Donor Base: The charity relies on UK churches, trusts, and individual supporters, suggesting potential for collaborative funding approaches