Helping charities and social enterprises with rising energy costs
The Energy Efficiency Social Investment Programme (EESIP) aims to support charities and social enterprises looking to reduce energy costs, improve efficiency, and support a just transition towards a greener future.
This programme is designed to support social investors and enterprises in responding to rising energy costs and transitioning towards more sustainable operations. Alongside financial support, it aims to improve sector-wide understanding and capacity for energy efficiency
How the programme is funded
Launched in 2023, this £20m programme was funded through the Dormant Assets Scheme (£12 million from Access plus £8 million co-investment from Better Society Capital).
Programme objectives
Following extensive consultation with stakeholders, two core strands were identified to ensure the funding effectively addresses both financial and non-financial barriers to energy efficiency within the sector:
1. Blended finance for energy efficiency measures – Grant funding is provided alongside investment from social investors to help organisations implement energy-saving improvements to their buildings, transport, or equipment.
2. Grant funding for market-building initiatives – Supporting research, upskilling programmes, data gathering, procurement frameworks, and convening stakeholders to strengthen the long-term market for energy resilience.
Governance
The Energy Efficiency Social Investment Programme (EESIP) is overseen by our Investment Committee. You can find details of the Committee’s membership on Our People page.
A fund delivered by Key Fund, providing small grants for energy audits and blended finance for energy-saving and renewable energy retrofits in community assets.
A fund providing small grants for energy audits and blended finance for energy-saving and renewable energy retrofits in community assets.
A fund delivered by Charity Bank, supporting social sector organisations to implement energy efficiency measures.
A blog from Programme Manager, Josh Robinson, looking at the challenges and opportunities faced by non-profits in this space.
Report by the Centre for Sustainable Energy looking at the challenges and opportunities faced by charities and social enterprises looking to deliver retrofit services. Developed in collaboration with key partners, this report provides a roadmap for supporting these organisations to grow and thrive.
You can read more about our approach in the EESIP investment policy.
If you're interested in learning more about the role social investment can play in increasing energy resilience for charities and social enterprises, check out the Energy Resilience Hub. Featuring case studies, blogs, events and more, this hub has been designed to help your organisation explore how repayable finance can and has helped to finance energy saving measures.
The Procurement Pathway is for any organisation looking at using social investment to retrofit their build.
The purpose of the procurement pathway is to bring together the advice and guidance materials for charities and social enterprises looking to procure energy efficiency upgrades and install low carbon technologies in their buildings. Ultimately, these pages have been designed to empower charities and social enterprises to make informed decisions on the why, what, how and who of retrofit.
