Latest

How volunteering in urban slums led me to set up a social venture

Blog | 31 January 2017

The start of the year is a good time to consider how to make use of your time with some volunteering, but with so many options out there, how can you make sure you are making a meaningful contribution and using your skills (whilst hopefully meeting some great people and having a good time)?

Our year in 2016

Blog | 26 January 2017

Big Society Capital is an independent financial institution with a social mission, set up to help charities and social enterprises find the right kind of repayable finance they need to do more of their fantastic work.

Once you start, you’ll find it very hard to stop!

Blog | 25 January 2017

What do we mean when we talk about volunteering?

Call for evidence on pensions and social investment

Blog | 16 December 2016

We recently submitted our response to the Law Commission’s call for evidence on pension funds making social investments.

Impact Measurement in Practice: Learning from the frontline

Blog | 15 December 2016

We recently commissioned a case study report to understand more about impact measurement approaches that are being used by charities and social enterprises who have taken on social investment.

Addressing home truths in local communities

Blog | 13 December 2016

The UK housing crisis topped the agenda at this year’s Autumn Statement and it isn’t looking like it’s moving from that position any time soon.

Commissioning Better Outcomes

Blog | 13 December 2016

Today the latest report for the Big Lottery Fund’s Commissioning Better Outcomes (CBO) Fund Evaluation is published. The CBO Fund aims to support the development of more social impact bonds (SIBs) in England, and the evaluation is tracking the impact of these SIBs over their lifetime.

In pursuit of impact

Blog | 5 December 2016

We have today published a research paper written by Deloitte and jointly commissioned by Big Society Capital and the Government Inclusive Economy Unit which focuses on mission-led businesses in the UK.

Kick-starting a new journey

Blog | 5 December 2016

South Bristol Sports Centre is a charity created to serve and provide facilities for the local community. We pride ourselves on being able to provide activities and facilities which cater for a wide range of public need.

Publishing the Building Blocks… the key components of a strong intermediary

Blog | 1 December 2016

Back in June I wrote about a new piece of work we’d embarked on, identifying the key components needed to make a strong intermediary organisation.

Time for a fresh look at how and why we do what we do

Blog | 29 November 2016

It’s been almost 9 months since I joined Big Society Capital.

A set of principles around recovery and resolution planning

Blog | 28 November 2016

Today we’re publishing a set of principles to guide behaviour and actions at a time when a recovery and resolution plan is needed.

How social investors assess impact

Blog | 25 November 2016

Impact assessment is a key part of the social investment due diligence process and should have parity with financial assessment.

Three thoughts from a sheepishly short week on the breadline

Blog | 24 November 2016

The first learning is that you don’t have to go hungry on £2.50 a day.

A five-day challenge for us, a harsh reality for many

Blog | 22 November 2016

This week, I’ve joined a few colleagues participating in the Breadline Challenge, living off no more than £2.50 per day for all my food and drink.

What's next for social investment?

Blog | 16 November 2016

Social investment is an exciting and growing field. More investors are deploying more money in different areas to benefit more people and more communities.

GET INFORMED: Incorporating social investment into strategy

Blog | 11 November 2016

*Trustees Week Special* As part of the GET INFORMED blog series, Caroline Copeman - Principal Consultant & Senior Visiting Fellow for CASS CCE, discusses how boards should consider social investment when developing strategy.

GET INFORMED: Embracing and understanding risk

Blog | 10 November 2016

*Trustees Week Special* As part of the GET INFORMED campaign blog series, Kate Sayer - Partner at Sayer Vincent, discusses how charity and social enterprise boards should think about risk when considering social investment.

GET INFORMED: Making the right decisions

Blog | 9 November 2016

*Trustees Week Special* As part of the GET INFORMED blog series, Sarah Atkinson - Director of Policy & Communications at the Charity Commission, highlights how boards should ensure they are making the right decisions when considering social investment.

GET INFORMED: Social investment - obstacles, barriers and success?

Blog | 8 November 2016

*Trustees Week Special* As part of the GET INFORMED blog series, Nick Temple - Deputy CEO of Social Enterprise UK, discusses the demand for social investment.

Growing enterprise in communities

Blog | 31 October 2016

Last week saw the relaunch of Key Fund – a social investment intermediary originally based in Yorkshire – offering loans and grant/loan packages to help community and social enterprises start-up, grow and/or become more sustainable.

What's next for social pensions?

Blog | 25 October 2016

As the biggest financial investment you make (apart from a house), you should probably put a lot of thought into which pension to choose.

We need an inclusive approach to achieve an inclusive economy

Blog | 12 October 2016

On 11 October, the Social Investment and Finance team in the Office for Civil Society changed its name and ambition. Now it will be the Government Inclusive Economy Unit with a remit to innovate and contribute to the broader agenda of an economy that works for all.

People living in poverty end up paying higher prices across the board

Blog | 7 October 2016

Being poor is not just about being unable to afford those ‘nice to have’ things - it’s being forced to pay more for the absolute essentials, such as gas, electricity, banking, household goods and even groceries simply because you are living in poverty. It’s called the ‘poverty premium’ and it is effectively a tax on the poor.

If knowledge is truly power, then we all need to ‘Get Informed’

Blog | 6 October 2016

The phrase ‘knowledge is power’ is more relevant now than ever in our high tech, fast-moving and often digitally overloaded world, so it’s interesting the saying is widely attributed to Sir Francis Bacon and dates back to around 1597.