News and Views

Latest Big Society Capital research reveals £6.4bn was invested in social sector organisations by the end of 2020, as investments in social property funds boom and Covid-19 support schemes drive momentum.

Social Enterprise UK's 2021 State of Social Enterprise Survey  finds that UK organisations are shifting priorities towards mental health, that exporting has become more frequent – and that 61% of enterprises expect their workforce to grow next year.

Mid Worcestershire MP fills vacancy left by former civil society minister Diana Barran in last month’s government reshuffle – taking on responsibility for charities and social enterprises alongside sport, tourism and heritage.

PLUS: Access Foundation's flexible finance grantees; Irish government offers €1m for social enterprise awareness-raising; Key Fund reports £447m 'total impact'; Olio and Oddbox lure investors; Social Finance raises $50m; and more.

Speaking at the GSG Summit, Julia Gillard says impact investing should help build a gender-equitable world post-pandemic, while First Bank of Nigeria chair Ibukun Awosika warns investment in women must be more strategic.

Global Steering Group for Impact Investment chair Sir Ronald Cohen gives a rousing welcome to delegates at this year's Global Impact Summit.

Are public sector accounts ‘materially misstated’? Our columnist gets anxious as he submerges himself in the alphabet soup of global public sector accounting standards – and proposes a simple addition to bring social value back to the surface.

Making social innovation skills available to all would also help heal a fractured society, says Ashoka founder, as a new survey finds that 77% of social entrepreneurs are already collaborating widely – and many are 'activating' others to become changemakers.

As social investment network AVPN turns 10, its first Asian boss explains how she's translating the foreign concept of venture philanthropy, why the “cloak of joint decision-making” is so powerful – and why she was an unlikely candidate for CEO.