Government-backed Covid lending schemes have been a lifeline – but in the long term, high levels of debt cause problems. One solution: transitioning at-risk, viable private businesses into employee or community ownership at scale. 

How do you distribute £800m – announced recently as part of the planned expansion of the UK's Dormant Assets Scheme – for maximum social impact? Nick Temple, CEO of the Social Investment Business, has three suggestions. 

New data is released today from one of the UK's earliest social investment funds, the £142m Futurebuilders fund created in 2004. The lessons learned can help us to design the right kind of finance now, writes Social Investment Business CEO Nick Temple.

What have the two main parties promised for the social economy? Ahead of Thursday’s vote, Social Investment Business CEO Nick Temple picks apart the detail and offers his analysis of what matters.

Any part of the social investment market that isn’t helping charities and social enterprises to access the right finance needs a rethink, writes The Social Investment Business CEO, as he picks up on the debate on reshaping social finance.

Social enterprises are no longer merely viewed as “pipeline” or “deal flow” by social investors. Instead, their needs for flexible, aligned and appropriate finance are recognised, says Nick Temple. But challenges remain.

Social enterprises up and down the country come in all sorts of surprising shapes and sizes. Social Enterprise UK is heightening awareness of them with the #whoknew campaign. 

The Buy Social Corporate Challenge aims to get leading corporates to spend £1bn on social enterprises by 2020. Social Enterprise UK's Nick Temple explains more following yesterday's launch in Downing Street.

Nick Temple tells social enterprises and housing associations to start doing and offers ten practical suggestions.