Flexible Social Finance

The Flexible Social Finance fund has been designed with the social sector, for the social sector, with the aim to provide access to finance for socially trading organisations looking to grow their social impacts and improve self-sustainability. Big Issue Invest, in partnership with The North East Combined Authority and Power to Change, has launched this fund specifically to address the challenges socially trading organisations face in delivering significant social impact. This includes organisations struggling to secure loans from traditional sources, including those that other lenders have previously rejected. The fund provides affordable and flexible repayable finance for social trading organisations, supporting them to grow their social impacts and improve self-sustainability while promoting the socio-economic importance of social enterprises. The fund primarily benefits social enterprises, charities, and community businesses across seven local authority areas in North East England: County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, and Sunderland, fostering a thriving, inclusive economy.