Access is established to ‘disrupt’ the social investment market and reach underserved places and communities.

How we’ve helped social investment reach organisations, places and communities that were previously excluded
How our work, alongside our partners, leads to lasting impact and positive change
Access is established to ‘disrupt’ the social investment market and reach underserved places and communities.
Launch of Good Finance , a partnership between Access and Better Society Capital, to help charities and social enterprises navigate social investment.
Access funds start reaching the frontline – with £20k going to Intraquest, a CIC in Oldham that supports children and families dealing with trauma.
“We’ve got the business model nailed and Key Fund has really helped us analyse what’s working and what’s not. It’s been a lifesaver really." More here and here.
Access expands its focus to include enterprise support.
The Growth Fund now has 16 funds across 15 social investors, deploying £50 million to organisations with half the turnover and 1/8th of the assets of other social investment deals.
Local Access, a place-based programme working across six places launches with a £10 million investment from Dormant Assets.
Access launches its Emergency Lending programme to get money flowing rapidly during the Covid-19 pandemic. £5.5 million in grant unlocks £21 million of investment.
A review commissioned by the Oversight Trust concludes that Access has had a “significant positive impact” on the infrastructure and investment needed to support small charities and social enterprises.
An independent review, commissioned by DCMS and conducted by NPC, highlights how blended finance has enabled “organisations in some of the poorest areas to grow and increase their impact through reaching more people.”
In response to rising energy costs and the cost-of-living crisis, Access launches two new programmes focussed on getting support to those most in need.
Backed by Dormant Assets, we launched an £11 million cost-of-living programme to scale solutions that deliver for the hardest hit communities and developed at pace a £20 million support package on energy resilience.
By the end of 2024, Access grant has now enabled over £100 million of investment to flow to the VCSE sector.
£57 million of grant deployed. Unlocking £96 million of additional co-investment (this amount will increase as more funds are deployed). Total investments of £153 million flowing to charities and social enterprises in England.