Funding Portal
This is the area of the website where you can find the latest funding opportunities for social enterprises. From loans, finance support packages, grants and more, there is a wealth of financial support for social enterprises now available. Use the links and downloads below to find funding for your social business.
The Social Enterprise Loan Fund
This a new fund designed to help social enterprises in the Northwest beat the current economic downturn. The fund aims to assist social enterprises and charities who are unable to secure funding from mainstream sources.
The Social Investment Business
The Social Investment Business acts as a portal to help social enterprises, charities and community groups access funding. Social Investment Business provide access and information on a variety of third sector funds including Futurebuilders Fund, Social Enterprise Invesment Fund, Communitybuilders Fund and the Modernisation Fund.
Merseyside Funding Information Portal
A brand new online resource that gives you all the information you need to know about funding your social enterprise. Information and support in tendering and procurement related opportunities are also offered through this portal.
Bridges Ventures: Social Entrepreneurs Fund
The Bridges Social Entrepreneurs Fund is an initiative of the Bridges Charitable Trust to address the funding gap often faced by fast growing social enterprises looking to scale up.
Bridges Ventures tailor each investment to ensure that it fits the needs of each particular social enterprise, while also allowing the Bridges Social Entrepreneurs Fund to make a reasonable financial return to demonstrate a sustainable funding source for social enterprises.
The fund is currently open for investment. For more information about the fund, please click on the link above.
Funding Central is a free smart website for all third sector organisations, including community groups, providing access to thousands of funding and finance opportunities, plus a wealth of tools and resources supporting organisations to develop sustainable income strategies appropriate to their needs.
Liverpool Sefton Social Investment Bond
Ethical bank, Charity Bank, is seeking to support social enterprises in Liverpool and Sefton via a guaranteed savings fund for private investors, businesses and wealth funds. The money deposited in the Bond will be used to offer loan finance from £50,000 to £2million. Click on the link above to learn more.
The Phone Co-op's Social Enteprise Start-up & Expansion Fund
The Phone Co-op has re-launched its social enterprise fund which provides resources to social enterprises to help them at critical stages in their development.
Awards For All, England offers grants of between £300 and £10,000 for projects that improve communities, and the lives of people within them. It is for voluntary and community groups, social enterprises, schools and health organisations, parish and town councils.
UnLtd is a charity which supports social entrepreneurs- people with vision, drive, commitment and passion who want to change the world for the better. They do this by providing a complete package of funding and support, to help these individuals make their ideas a reality.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CROWD FUNDING
Crowd funding is a new form of fundraising for social enterprises, charities and community groups. Crowd funding can be used to gather funding for an idea from a crowd of people who back said idea. There is generally a specific time frame for funding targets to be reached, and everyone who gives will generally receive something in return.
There are a number of crowd funding websites which can help social entreprenuers to co-ordinate their crowd funding activities. At present there are 3 websites which cater specifically to social enterprise (These websites charge for their services. See specific sites for further details):
Buzzbnk is an online marketplace that connects social ventures from all walks of life with backers, supporters and fands. Through Buzzbnk, social ventures can get the support and funds they need to make bright ideas a reality. Buzzbnk backers support the initiatives they like by pledging money, time or both and carry the message to their own social networks and communities. (Ventures must deliver social or public benefit)
SoLoCo offers projects that benefit the community the chance to use crowd funding to realise their fundraising targets.
WeDidThis is a crowd funding platform designed to cater specifically to the needs of artists and arts organisations. By bringing arts organisations together with their audiences and supporters WeDidThis aims to form a 'critical mass' of funders of the arts. By rewarding every donation (however small) with a personalised gift that brings audiences and supporters closer to the creative process, WeDidThis believe arts organisations can become more open, and more resilient.
Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects.
