Strengthening communities through building resilience in charities and social enterprises
Enterprise Growth for Communities (EGC) was established in 2022 to sustain the flow of small-scale unsecured loans. It succeeds our Growth Fund programme, continuing to offer simple blended finance products that are largely unsecured.
These loans—typically between £50,000 and £100,000—are the most commonly sought type of investment for charities and social enterprises. However, their relatively small size and high risk of default make it difficult to create viable funds to support them.
EGC extends the reach of social investment to smaller organisations and those in disadvantaged areas, helping trading charities and social enterprises grow or diversify their business models.
How the programme is funded
With £20 million in grant funding from the Dormant Assets Scheme, EGC combines grants with repayable finance, leveraging £29.8 million of additional investment. This will provide over £50 million in blended finance for charities and social enterprises through co-investment and recycling.
Governance
Enterprise Growth for Communities is overseen by our Investment Committee. You can find details of the Committee’s membership on Our People page.
A fund operating operating in Greater Manchester, with investment available from £20,000 to £100,000.
A fund delivered by Big Issue Invest offering simple unsecured debt products of between £30k and £200k.
A fund delivered by Livv Housing Group offering small, blended investments ranging from £10 - 150k, specifically to VCSEs in the Liverpool City Region.
Using funds from Enterprise Growth for Communities, Key Fund helped Training Cave with their cash flow and the salary costs to employ a team member.
Using funds from Enterprise Growth for Communities, Key Fund helped Handcrafted Projects purchase two new buildings to expand their work.
Using funds from Enterprise Growth for Communities, Key Fund supported Collaborative Women by part-funding a property purchase.
You can read more about our approach in the Enterprise Growth for Communities investment policy.
A fund operating operating in the North and the Midlands, with investment available from £5,000 to £150,000.
A fund offering blended investments of 75% loan and 25% grant, with an average total investment of £100k.
