# New £20 million community investment fund will help charities that provide “local solutions”

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/02/26/new-20m-community-investment-fund-will-help-charities-provide-local-solutions/
- Published: 2014-02-26T07:20:09+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

A new £20 million social investment fund providing loans of up to £1 million to 
charities and social enterprises launches today [Wednesday 26 February 2014].

The Community Investment Fund – set up by fund management company Social and Sustainable
Capital – will offer loans from £250,000 to £1 million to “community-based” organisations
that aim improve the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged local people and “provide
local solutions to local needs, create jobs, and develop the local economy”.

The fund, which expects to invest around £5 million a year, will focus on supporting
organisations that provide health and social care, education, training and employment
support, and children’s services.

## Advertisement

Ben Rick, the founder of Social and Sustainable Capital, said the Community Investment
Fund had been “designed to allow for substantial individual investments into the
best social organisations serving their communities”.

The fund is financed by social finance company [Social Investment Business](http://www.sibgroup.org.uk/)
and social investment bank [Big Society Capital](http://www.bigsocietycapital.com/),
which have both committed £10 million to it. But Social and Sustainable Capital 
hopes to attract further investors who are looking for social as well as financial
returns.

The fund’s backers say they expect demand for finance from charities and social 
enterprises to rise to £1 billion by 2015.

Charities and social enterprises seeking investment from the fund can apply through
the [Community Investment Fund](http://socialandsustainable.com)‘s website.

 * **[New £10 million Big Potential Fund to help charities ‘get investment ready’](https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/02/27/new-10m-big-potential-fund-help-charities-get-investment-ready/)**(
   27 February 2014)
 * **[Concern’s fundraising income shows big increase](https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/05/31/concerns-fundraising-income-shows-big-increase/)**(
   31 May 2014)
 * **[Charity for children of the fallen doubles income in a year](https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/07/01/charity-children-fallen-doubles-income-year/)**(
   1 July 2014)