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Our Mission

What we do

"As a funder, we support a range of tools – from grants to investments – to help charities and social enterprises grow their trading income, strengthen their resilience, and access social investment that works for them. 

"We do this by building a social investment market fit for the future – one that delivers the right kind of finance to grassroots organisations, particularly in underserved places and communities.

"Together with our partners, we ensure they have the means to sustain or scale their impact."

Seb Elsworth Chief Executive

We do this by:

  1. 1

    Funding enterprise development and blended finance in England.

  2. 2

    Sharing knowledge and data and translating it into practical insight that others can use

     

  3. 3

    Mobilising others who share our goal of making capital work for communities.

Access helps charities and social enterprises become financially sustainable and reach more people.

Our values

Our values guide us to achieve our mission to make social investment work better for charities, social enterprises, and the communities they serve.

 

Why we do it

Charities and social enterprises play a unique role in our communities, tackling deep-rooted challenges and creating lasting social change. They create jobs, strengthen communities, and contribute to economic growth —but they need the right finance to succeed.

Too often, they struggle to access the finance and support they need to grow their impact.

At Access, we believe that social investment should work for the organisations and people that need it most. That means finance that is patient, flexible, and designed around the realities of delivering social impact.

We focus on:

  • Underserved places and communities – ensuring investment reaches those who need it most.
  • Innovative financial tools – from Blended Finance to Enterprise Grants we explore tools to build resilience and sustainability.
  • Systems change – By connecting, convening, and collaborating, we’re reshaping the system to work better for charities, social enterprises, and the communities they serve. 

Our vision

We want to see an investment eco-system that works, particularly those in need of patient and flexible investment, helping to create stronger communities, especially in underserved places. 

In more detail

  • Our impact

    Explore how our work, alongside our partners, leads to lasting impact and positive change

  • Our theory of change

    Find out more about how we are making a difference

  • Our measures of success

    Find out what we measure and why