Applications open for new fund offering loans of between £1m and £4m to social enterprises with track record of profitability in health and social care, affordable housing and ‘social infrastructure’.
‘Diverse-led’ social enterprises often miss out on access to social investment. An obvious solution: involve potential investees in the design of the fund. But it's not a quick win, as social investors UnLtd and Impact Hub Bradford tell us.
The global impact deals, reports and initiatives you need to know about this month – all in one place. Featuring the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, Jack Dorsey's Block, Mirova, Incofin, NatWest and many more.
UK equity and racial justice fund attracts hundreds of leaders and founders from underrepresented backgrounds – debunking fears that there would be insufficient demand from diverse leaders, fund manager says.
The global impact deals, reports and initiatives you need to know this month – all in one place. This month featuring Deloitte, Fair4All Finance, Phenix, the Global Impact Investing Network, and more.
Affordable credit, access to unclaimed benefits, emergency plumbing and more: how UK social enterprises are helping to alleviate the economic squeeze for the most vulnerable.
Social investment counts for just 1.4% of all UK business lending. So how can we get mainstream banks to play a much bigger role in the social economy? By changing the incentives – and therefore the culture – of banking, says the Big Issue Invest CEO.
Listening to feedback and making tangible changes in response isn't easy, says UnLtd's David Bartram – but Big Society Capital's recent proposals will not drive the transformation needed to support purpose-led ventures.
PLUS: Willicroft targets new markets with €2m raise; UK’s CDFI lending jumps by a third in one year; appetite for impact investing rises; Lendahand crowdfunding platform shifts gear; and much more.