Latest News

Charities urged to bid for £500,000 in social investment

By Joe Lepper

Big Issue Invest has opened applications for £500,000 worth of investment for 12 social ventures in Scotland.

Power Up Scotland was launched four years ago by the Big Issue’s social investment arm and has supported 19 social ventures to date.

Its latest funding round is offering £500,000 of investment and is open for applications until 17 September.

Charities, social enterprises as well as businesses creating social value can apply.

“We are really excited about this year’s Power Up Scotland programme,” said Big Issue Invest chief executive Danyal Sattar.

“It’s a tough job starting up a social venture and early-stage finance is hard to get.

“We are so pleased, working with our brilliant partners in Scotland, to be able to support those organisations with the investment and business development expertise that they need in order to make an even greater difference within their communities in a post-Covid world.”



Funding can be used for buying equipment, hiring talent or progressing with business development plans, said Big Issue Invest.

“The programme has been designed for early-stage social ventures, regardless of company structure - social enterprises, charities, and private enterprises are all welcome, with social value creation being the key criterion. The expectation is that many applicants will be accessing finance for the first time,” it added.

Power Up Scotland is funded by abrdn, University of Edinburgh, Experian, Places for People and the Scottish Government.

    Share Story:

Recent Stories

Government survey reveals major shift in volunteering behaviour

Samaritans to ramp up safeguarding after volunteers 'met vulnerable callers for sex'

Stormzy scholarship expands scope following £2m HSBC link up


How to elevate your non-profit storytelling with data and performance metrics.
Sage Intacct the non-profit financial management platform, takes a look at giving trends and insights.

The importance of the ‘S’ in ‘ESG’
In this episode, Lauren Weymouth is joined by Ketan Patel, equities fund manager at EdenTree, to delve into the issue of social investment and why that all-important ‘S’ in ESG is more relevant now than ever before. The social element of ESG often gets forgotten when thinking about investing in more ethical and sustainable ways. But, after a challenging year for all areas of society, social injustice has been highlighted, and there’s a much greater need for charities to put people at the heart of their investment decisions.

What does the future of civil society look like post-pandemic?
In this episode of the Charity Times Leadership Podcast, Lauren Weymouth chats to Dame Julia Unwin, the chair of the Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society about what the future has in store for the charity sector. When it launched in 2018, the inquiry found issues around power, trust and connection within the charity sector. But do these issues still remain? And how has Covid accelerated the pace of change that was required?

© 2021 Perspective Publishing     Privacy & Cookies