Tagged - Connect Fund

Social enterprise Carefree offers unpaid carers a break by tapping into the power of tech and vacant hotel rooms. It has proven its business model, yet cannot access the finance it needs to grow. What could investors do differently?

Running a food or drink social enterprise means expecting the unexpected – but some forward planning can help you weather the ups and downs. Expert tips from Impact Hub King’s Cross.

Group urges social investors to step up inclusion and equity efforts with new pledges, following damning findings last week from the influential Adebowale Commission.

Honours bestowed on Sara Llewellin, Vidhya Alakeson and Ceri Goddard among others, as new campaign calls for an end to the “colonial links” of their awards.

Government sees clear role for impact investing in driving ‘levelling up’ agenda in face of massive social and economic inequality – and financiers are getting on board with the new concept of equality impact investing.

Covid-19 has highlighted the fact that many common forms of social investment are inflexible and have failed the social enterprises they seek to support, says Ben Smith, head of social investment at Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. But being patient and flexible is not without its challenges.

What happens when a philanthropic foundation starts offering repayable finance? Anything from stronger relationships with investees to “awful situations”, as we heard recently. Pioneers Post digs a little deeper.

A social investor urges the wholesaler’s board to take a more creative approach and make more use of its strong balance sheet if they want the organisation to fulfil its mandate.

Equity investment in UK social enterprises is rare. But a 100-year-old trust set up by a chocolate entrepreneur appears to have made a breakthrough that could be a model for others to follow.