News from Access - covering governance, data and more

Hello,

A quick update from me. We are delighted to welcome Daniela Barone Soares as the new Chair of Access. It's an exciting time for the organisation and I am looking forward to working closely with her.

It's also been a year since we launched our 2025-2029 funding programme (following our £87.5m Dormant Asset allocation in October 2025). We have now committed just over 50% of the money available to us, broadly in line with the plans we set out at the start.

Demand for Access funding has already exceeded four times the amount of money we have available in this period, highlighting both the scale of unmet need and the opportunity to help more organisations access the finance and support they need to grow their impact. 

Read on for other news!

Neil Berry, Interim CEO
 

News in brief

• Daniela Barone Soares appointed Chair of Access
• Over half of 2025-29 funding now committed
• Enterprise Growth for Communities drives deployment
• Social investment at party conferences
• New report highlights blended finance impact

News at Access

Daniela Barone Soares appointed Chair of Access
We are delighted to welcome Daniela Barone Soares as Chair of Access. Daniela brings more than two decades of experience across impact investing, philanthropy and business, having previously served as CEO of Snowball and Impetus, and played a key role in shaping the UK's impact investing ecosystem through advisory roles with Better Society Capital and the G7 Social Impact Investment Taskforce. More here. 

From the dashboard
Our latest dashboard continues to track how Access funding is reaching charities, social enterprises and communities across England. Our Enterprise Growth for Communities programme drove 41% of deployment this quarter, making it our largest area of activity currently.

New Charity Bank report showcases the power of blended finance
Charity Bank's latest report highlights how their Cost of Living Fund, supported by Access, helped 26 charities and social enterprises support communities through the cost of living crisis and improve their own financial resilience, through a combination of grants and affordable loans. Access will shortly be publishing a full independent evaluation of the Cost of Living programme.

Partner news

Social investment at party conferences
We attended party conferences alongside colleagues from across the social investment and social enterprise sectors. Across the major parties, there was significant discussion about how social investment can support economic growth, strengthen community ownership, tackle social challenges and unlock additional sources of capital for impact. For more, read the conference reflections from Pathway Fund and Better Society Capital.

Acumen Fellowship applications open
Applications for the Acumen Fellowship are now open. A fantastic opportunity for people leading change in their communities, organisations and sectors. Closing date is 3 November. 

Network spotlight: CSIIN

This month we're shining a light on the Corporate Social Impact Investing Network (CSIIN).
Hosted by Funders Together and supported by Access, Macquarie Group Foundation and Collective Futures, CSIIN brings together corporate philanthropy, CSR and sustainability practitioners who want to explore social impact investing in practice.

The network builds on the findings of Driving Impact: Unlocking Corporate Social Impact Investment in the UK, commissioned by the Macquarie Group Foundation. The network will offer peer learning, practical discussion and opportunities to collaborate with others who are exploring how capital can be used alongside grants and other forms of support to create social impact.

What We’re Reading

The Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) manifesto sets out practical recommendations for governments, funders and investors to help social enterprises access suitable finance. The report find that today's financial systems aren't set up to meet the needs of mission-led businesses. We're pleased that Access features as one of the case studies included in the report, alongside examples from across the global social enterprise movement. It's well worth a read for anyone interested in the future of social investment, enterprise and inclusive growth.
 

Behind the investment

Behind every investment are people and places working hard to create change.

Nuneaton Signs is a signage manufacturing company based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. They provide meaningful employment and skills development for people with disabilities to help them transition into sustainable employment. Social investment from Key Fund helped Nuneaton Signs expand its operations by opening a second premises in Hinckley, Leicestershire.
 

This video explores how social investment is helping Nuneaton Signs grow its operations, increase capacity, and create meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the UK.

Did You Know? 
We’re now on Blue Sky and LinkedIn, and you can follow us for the latest updates and conversations. Check out our profiles here and here.

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