We made our first social investment in 2012, and since then we've invested £17m in charities and social enterprises helping to reduce poverty and inequality in London
What is social investment?
Social investment is a valuable tool alongside our grant making to support organisations delivering social impact. Our social investments are typically in the form of loans or equity. Unlike grants, they are repaid with some interest, but we can be flexible about the size or type of investments we make and how much interest we charge. We want to support pioneering projects and social enterprises working in new ways to tackle issues around poverty in London.
Want to know more about social investment? Visit Good Finance for a breakdown of how it works.
Who's it for?
Charities and social enterprises based in London that are looking to take on social investment to help them grow and become more sustainable.
This programme is open to organisations that:
- Are based and work in London
- Have been operating for at least one year
- Have a clear social mission
- Can provide a business and financial plan
Projects we're funding
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Repowering London
A social investment to support Repowering's community clean energy projects.
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Micro Rainbow
A social investment loan of £400,000 to help Micro Rainbow to provide safe housing and support for LGBTQI+ asylum seekers and refugees.
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Branches
A social investment loan of £300,000 to purchase a new property to support single homeless people in Waltham Forest.
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Hackney Co-operative Developments
£550,000 towards renovation costs of a new building that will support local social enterprises and help create new employment opportunities
What we're working on
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Putting investment decisions in the hands of Young Londoners
Applications are open for a new £300,000 participatory social investment programme, funded by Trust for London. Vested is a programme offering up to £100,000 of investment to organisations that provide good work for young Londoners (16-25 years old) and aim to tackle poverty or inequality in London.
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An affordable co-working space, support to get investment-ready and three new projects: our social investment work in 2023
Did you know that alongside grant making, we invest in businesses, charities and organisations with a social mission? Social investment allows us to support a wide range of projects and organisations tackling inequality in London.
Get in touch
If you think social investment could be right for you, get in touch with our social investment manager Luke Kavanagh for an informal chat.
