What we do

Financing the future economy

The right kind of finance – at the right time – can ultimately make or break the success of community businesses.

When there is affordable, flexible and accessible finance available, community businesses can thrive. Using the breadth of our learning and experience, we advocate for more affordable, flexible, and accessible finance for community businesses. We leverage investment into the community business sector through working in partnership. And we invest in new financial models to increase the sustainability of the community business sector, testing ways to break the cycle of grant dependency.

We shape the conditions for the future economy – a fairer economy that works for people and planet. To do this, we influence decision-makers – from funders to regional authorities – to grow the social economy and shape finance that works for everyone.

Want to work with us? Contact our Practice and Innovation Manager, Natalie White.

Email Natalie

Current projects

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Community Shares Booster

The Booster Fund supports new and existing community businesses in England that are at all stages of a community share issue.

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Energy Resilience Fund

This finance enables community businesses to retrofit energy-generating or saving technology on community-owned or managed buildings, with a focus on stabilising or reducing energy costs.

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North East Flexible Social Finance fund

The Flexible Social Finance fund for the North East provides community businesses and other socially trading organisations across the region access to the flexible and tailored finance and support they need to thrive.

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Trading for Good

Trading for Good will support you to develop your community business through a specialist programme of support. This includes a Match Trading™ Grant and a learning programme that will support you to develop trading income streams and build a resilient community business.

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Current and past projects

Resources for community businesses

Whether you’re wanting to start a community business or looking to do something different for your community, we have resources and tips that can help. Including resources and funding opportunities from our partners.

Explore our resources

Research and reports

Evidence on why accessible and flexible finance works for communities

Community Business Market Report 2024

Community Business Market Report 2024

Our first bi-annual report on the community business market shows the positive impact they continue to have on local communities, other businesses, and their high streets.
Financing the future economy: How community businesses can access the right finance to achieve their ambitions

Financing the future economy: How community businesses can access the right finance to achieve their ambitions

This report provides an overview of the finance and funding landscape for community business, outlining the challenges in accessing the right type of finance at the right time, and situating access to finance within the wider policy context.
Resilient Communities Fund: Review

Resilient Communities Fund: Review

The Resilient Communities Fund provided emergency support as quickly as possible to community businesses, to support them to implement energy resilience projects to become more resilient to both climate change and the cost-of-living crisis.
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Our reports

News and views

Our latest thinking and updates on high streets.

Empowering community businesses through flexible support

Empowering community businesses through flexible support

Our thinking
The Powering Up programme illustrates how devolving power and adopting flexible, inclusive approaches can significantly enhance the effectiveness of support for community businesses.
Unlocking potential through open working

Unlocking potential through open working

Our thinking
As part of the Powering Up programme, Power to Change embraced open working. Through this process, we learned how transparency and collaboration can drive innovation, amplify impact, and support a more sustainable and equitable future for community businesses.
Developing innovative approaches to impact finance

Developing innovative approaches to impact finance

News
Over the next two years, we’re working with five community asset developers to understand the role of accessible finance in unlocking positive impact for our communities.
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More insights

Get inspired

Stories of the power of accessible and flexible finance

Nudge Community Builders

Nudge Community Builders

When traditional regeneration initiatives failed to deliver, residents decided to nudge their main street back to life, one building at a time.
Black and Brown-led Social Trader’s (BlaST) Network

Black and Brown-led Social Trader’s (BlaST) Network

In November 2020, Kindred developed the Black and Brown-led Social Traders (BlaST) Network. Its mission is to increase social impact and help accelerate change to address inequalities in the Liverpool City Region.
Three Seas

Three Seas

Three Seas is helping to tackle the housing crisis in Cornwall by developing old coastguard cottages into affordable long-term rental accommodation for local people.
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More community business stories