Our projects

Powering Up

Powering Up was a collaborative and innovative programme working to support the growth of community businesses, funded by Power to Change.

Supporting community business leaders to develop and grow leadership skills and their organisations.

Powering Up offered capacity strengthening support over a 12-month period. The programme supported community businesses in England that needed resources and help investing in their future. We supported community business leaders addressing social and economic disadvantage within their local communities. We also supported leaders that are improving equity within their organisations.

Our committment to open learning

To share the ‘why’, the ‘what’, and the ‘how’ of the Powering Up programme, we developed a Notion page. It is an experiment in promoting open working by funders.

Explore the Notion site

Reflections and guides

Blogs, guides and reports sharing the lesson we learned throughout Powering Up.

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

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.

Building resilience through digital and climate skills

Our thinking

In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, community businesses face significant challenges around digital transformation and climate change, impacting their sustainability and effectiveness. Recognising these critical areas of support, Power to Change developed Powering Up, a targeted programme dedicated to strengthening community businesses by building essential capabilities in both digital innovation and climate action.

Equity and inclusion in community business support

Our thinking

The Powering Up programme placed equity and inclusion at its heart, recognising the additional barriers faced by minoritised and racialised communities. This blog shares key lessons from our approach, from simplifying access and embedding culturally competent support, to building trust through lived experience and continuously evolving the programme design.