Tagged - flexible finance

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?

Pre-investment support is critical to make a deal successful. But what should it look like, and who pays for it? Sumerian Foundation's Chris West shares lessons from his 20 years of supporting social enterprises – plus one lesson from a 1980s pop phenomenon...

The rise in living costs is already hitting organisations that rely on public donations. What can corporates, foundations and individual donors do now to help social sector leaders balance their budgets? 

Catalyst 2030 network mobilises some 1,000 organisations worldwide to sign open letter calling for end to short-term funding focused on symptoms, as network’s Systemic Change Awards go to SAP, European Commission and more.

The Adebowale Commission was a timely challenge to UK social investors. But to provide more enterprise-centric finance we need answers to some important questions, says the Social Investment Forum chair. 

How to incentivise social entrepreneurs to make even more impact? How to protect impact businesses against mission drift? Impact-linked finance, the youngest kid in the impact investing family, offers some solutions.

Do investors care about impact? Often, no: they're more focused on the warm fuzzy feeling of 'doing good'. But some are accepting moderate returns for more impact, and they're crucial to the growth of early-stage social enterprise. 

PLUS: Pioneering revenue-based fund launches in Scotland; Back Market raises $335m in “bullish” circular economy market; AU$8m boost for Queensland social enterprises; Dutch trio backs “truly disruptive” AI firm Envision – and more.