Social investment readiness grants
Social investment
For social enterprises, the thought of social investment is enticing but also slightly scary. However, for the right organisation, social investment can help you unlock innovation, develop capacity and scale impact. (See our section on fundraising for more detail and links to other great sources of information on social investment and other types of funding and grants.)
To be successful in attracting social investment you need to be investment ready. In general, this means a social enterprise needs to be able to demonstrate the following:
- Theory of Change – that you have a clear vision and mission, with connected outcomes
- Impact – that you have a handle on impact and a framework for measuring and reporting it
- Business Model – A clear income-generating model that has some track record and future potential
- Plans & Projections – a robust set of plans and forecasts that shows how you generate income, how you will repay investors and how you will mitigate risk
Although a social enterprise might have some of the above, it’s likely you won’t have it all or it won’t be in the right format for an investor, and that’s where the Reach Fund can help, and that’s where we can support. Read on!
The Reach Fund
The Reach Fund is a program designed to assist charities and social enterprises in England in securing social investment. It provides grants ranging from £5,000 to £15,000 to support these organisations in providing crucial information required by investors before making investment decisions.
This opportunity is intended for charities and social enterprises facing challenges in providing the necessary information to attract investors. To apply for a grant, organisations must be referred by an Access Point—social investors endorsed by the Reach Fund. If uncertain about eligibility or the application process, feel free to reach out for assistance.
Eligibility criteria include:
- being in the final stages of securing repayable finance for a specific purpose
- having a social investor indicating missing information hindering investment offers
- intending to secure repayable financing within the next 6–12 months
- having a clear social mission
- reinvesting at least 51% of surpluses into the social mission
- maintaining a constitutional or contractual lock on the social mission
- demonstrating good governance with a minimum of 2 independent Directors (sole traders are not eligible).
Get in touch
Considering these complexities, BCause is here to guide you. As experts in the field, we specialise in supporting charities and social enterprises seeking to raise social investment and can be your chosen provider to deliver the Reach Funded Investment Readiness Work. Get in touch so we can find out more about your challenges and discuss whether we are the right fit for you.
