Social finance & ventures

One Year On: The impact of our 2012 Accelerator course

Publication 10 September 2014

Our Accelerator course supports social ventures to find the investment they need to increase their social impact, specifically supporting organisations looking to increase the scale at which they are working. The Accelerator Impact Report demonstrates the impact the course had on

Bridging the Divide: Social entrepreneurs and commissioners on public sector contracting

Publication 18 December 2013

Successive UK governments have pursued an agenda of opening up public services to alternative providers from the private and third sectors, with the stated aim of diversifying provision in order to promote competition, efficiency and innovation. The current coalition government

Growing Social Ventures

Publication 4 November 2013

Britain’s history is full of examples of forward-thinking co-ops, charities, mutuals as well as profitable businesses that have pioneered innovative ways to tackle social needs. From the rich activity of socially oriented businesses and charities in the 19th century, to

Keeping in Touch with our Roots: The case for housing associations to build closer links with social enterprises

Publication 21 October 2013

The history of housing associations is rooted in supporting the most vulnerable in society. As their reach has expanded, the challenge has been to stay connected to the communities they serve. Social enterprise and entrepreneurship offers a route for housing

Social Investment in Education

Publication 26 June 2013

A public educational system, free at the point of use, should be our greatest tool for delivering equality of opportunity. But this is not happening. When pupils from poorer backgrounds enter the education system they are already behind their peers. Instead of catching

The Whats, The Whys and The Hows

Publication 5 April 2013

An introduction to social investment for youth sector organisations. This briefing was prepared as part of the Catalyst Investment Readiness Programme, offered by the Young Foundation. Catalyst was a consortium of four organisations working with the Department for Education as

From Growing Interest to Interest Grown: Is the youth sector ready for social investment?

Publication 31 March 2013

Being a young person in the UK today is tough. Unemployment, failures in the education system and high levels of young people not in education, employment or training are being compounded by cuts to youth services and funding for voluntary youth sector

Financing Social Impact

Publication 30 April 2012

Creating a finance ecosystem where social innovations can flourish. Where do we want to be in 2022? The field of social innovation is beginning to gather momentum, with significant investment from governments, foundations and business. The field combines commitment, experience

Lighting the Touchpaper: Growing the Market for Social Investment in England

Publication 1 November 2011

The UK has a long history of developing innovative approaches to meeting social needs. With the establishment of Big Society Capital and the development of new products such as social impact bonds the UK led the world in this area.

Grow Your Own: How local authorities can support social enterprise

Publication 1 November 2011

Social enterprises have long been established in Britain, providing a range of products and services whilst also delivering social value. In 2011, as a sector, social enterprise was still emerging but attracting more attention – largely driven by public spending

Growing interest? Mapping the market for social finance in the youth sector

Publication 1 August 2011

The 11,000 organisations that comprised the voluntary and community youth sector (VCYS) in 2010 were (and are) under unprecedented pressure. This report considers the potential for social finance to not only address under-capitalisation, but also to grow the capacity and

Social Impact Investment: The opportunity and challenge of Social Impact Bonds

Publication 1 March 2011

The spending squeeze in the UK from 2008 onwards means that there is more interest than ever, both in tools to achieve greater value, and ones that can tap new sources of finance for social goals. Different approaches to investment