News and Views

  • ‘Hold me to account’ – top UK minister commits government to support impact economy

    Partnering with philanthropists, impact investors and mission-led businesses should become the norm across government, says Darren Jones, but concerns emerge that grassroots organisations might struggle to be heard by policymakers.

  • ‘Yet again the UK social sector has been locked out of finance that could transform our work’

    OPINION: The £28bn National Wealth Fund’s new strategy firmly closed the door on social enterprises and charities, says Social Investment Business’s Jack Wakefield. The social economy should have equal access to public finance.

  • ‘Impact economy’ contributes 15% to UK GDP – new estimate

    New Philanthropy Capital claims it's made the first estimate of the scale of the UK’s impact economy, bringing together impact-led businesses, charities, political parties and others, while omitting co-operatives and employee-led businesses.

  • England’s blended finance wholesaler receives glowing review, but social investment ecosystem remains fragile

    Quadrennial review praises Access for its success in providing wider access to social investment but highlights challenges as mobilising new sources of funding beyond dormant assets proves increasingly urgent.

The Impact World This Week: 13 February 2025

This week: impact investors unite against US foreign aid freeze; sustainability gets lukewarm embrace at Paris AI summit; concerns raised about UK government’s social investment advisory group members; and more.

The Impact World This Week: 6 February 2025

This week: the financial fragility of Black-led social enterprises and charities in London, a bonanza of multiyear grant funding for creative enterprises in Scotland and a bumper harvest of payouts for employee-owned veg box firm Riverford.