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News from Access - Our new Impact Report and 10 Reflections on Change

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News in brief 

  • Access Impact Report reveals £153m invested in over 2,700 organisations
  • A decade of learning: 10 Reflections on Change published
  • Social investment in action: York’s first community-led housing co-op
  • Dormant Assets: Draft investment policy and consultation feedback published while we await the Government’s £87.5m spending direction
  • Review of Access now underway – share your views

Finance that works for communities 

Over the past decade, Access has worked closely with a range of partners to explore how finance can work better for community-based charities and social enterprises.

Our new Impact Report looks at the difference this has made – from supporting enterprise to increasing the flow of finance to organisations in underserved places and communities. 

  • By the end of 2024, Access and its partners have deployed more than £153 million in investment to over 2,700 organisations in England, transforming the supply of small-scale, patient finance.
  • Many of these organisations would have struggled to secure investment elsewhere — particularly those in underserved communities or at early stages of trading.
  • A quarter of our grants reach the 10% most deprived areas in the country, with organisations there being among the best at repaying, challenging assumptions about risk and financial resilience.  65% of Access grant goes to the 40% most deprived areas.

10 Reflections on Change

Marking our 10th anniversary, we’ve also published 10 Reflections on Change.

These are insights from our work, our partners, and other voices offering different perspectives on what has changed and what needs to come next: 

  • John Kingston, our founding chair, reminded us why we were set up: “to bring flexibility, patient capital, and real collaboration into social investment.”
  • Bonnie Chiu emphasised equity, noting that “diversity alone isn’t enough. Real equity means confronting bias and shifting power in who makes decisions and how money flows.”
  • Practitioners from Pathway Fund, Better Society Capital, Power to Change, Key Fund, Unity Trust Bank, IntraQuest, and Voscur shared their perspectives on how investment has been designed to reach communities and support resilience.
  • Nick Hurd, Chair of Access, argues that the “real test for our work is whether we leave behind a system that is stronger, more confident, and truly accessible.”

 

Social Investment Stories 
Resonance Community Developers is a social impact fund that helps communities deliver the assets they need, from affordable homes to sports facilities and renewable energy. The fund invests mainly in Community Benefit Societies, offering support from early feasibility through to development finance.

Check out this short video from Resonance capturing the excitement as York’s first community-led housing co-op comes to life.
 

Dormant Assets Update 

Please note Access does not fund charities and social enterprises directly – we fund social investors and other intermediaries that do. If you are a charity or social enterprise seeking social investment, please visit goodfinance.org.uk

We are awaiting the Government’s spending direction, which will formally commit £87.5 million to Access to contribute to the delivery of the Community Enterprise Growth Plan. Until that happens, we have published a draft Investment policy and a post-consultation report reflecting on what we heard over our summer consultation. More here.
 

Review of Access 

Every four years, the Oversight Trust runs an independent review of the organisations it oversees - including Access - to understand how effectively they’re delivering on their goals and where they can go further.

An independent review of Access is now underway. Find out more and share your thoughts by 31 October 2025: 

 

Chloe Stables
Chloe Stables