There is support available to help you become more financially resilient and self-reliant.
The growth of earned income is one key way that charities and social enterprises to achieve greater resilience, with social investment being one way to help sustain or grow that income.
About
The Reach Fund is a two-year grant programme that is testing a new model for investment readiness support. The programme is funded by Access – The Foundation for Social Investment and managed by the Social Investment Business and is open to organisations in England.
It enables social investors to refer charities and social enterprises to apply for grants that can pay for the extra support they need to become 'investment ready’.
What they offer
Between £3m and £4m of funding will be available and you can apply for grants of up to £15,000.
If you are referred to the programme your social lender will work with you to identify your needs, develop an investment readiness plan, and apply for a grant. If you are successful in your application, you can use this funding to pay for the support you need to become investment ready. You can then return to your Access Point to hopefully get the investment you need.
Key benefits
- Helps you prepare your organisation for investment through a tailored plan
- Places the social investor at the heart of the process: they will advise you on your investment readiness plan, which may increase the chance of an investment being secured
Points to consider
- It is a new programme and is testing a new approach to investment readiness – you can only apply for the fund if you are referred by an ‘Access Point’ social investor
- The programme currently focuses on organisations which have already done some work towards developing a potentially investable business model. If you are at the earliest stages of considering social investment, the Reach Fund may not be for you
Visit the Reach Fund website for more information.
Other support programmes
If you want more general help on getting ready for investment and finding it, you could apply to a support programme such as the School for Social Entrepreneurs’ Match Trading and Scale-Up, UnLtd’s Thrive and Grow it award, or one of the growing number of incubators and accelerators. These programmes offer a package of help over a set period of time.