UK Community Foundations

UK Community Foundations

Project: Social Investment Pilot for Community Foundations
Grant: £50,000 

UK Community Foundations (UKCF) is a registered charity that acts as the national network organisation representing 46 community foundations (CFs) around the UK. The organisation is dedicated to working locally to inspire philanthropic donors to give back to their community.

UKCF wants to grow the confidence of member CFs to engage in social investment, to stimulate the opportunity for smaller VCSEs to consider trading as a part of their income mix, and to help cascade models to other CFs ready to consider social loans. CFs are particularly well placed to help small and medium-sized VCSEs understand whether social finance is right for them, and the pilot would help change the current CF culture so that social investment is seen as an important tool for CFs.

This pilot will help UKCF explore how philanthropic capital could be used to stimulate local enterprise, including how best to use SITR, crowdfunding, and partnerships with social investment intermediaries as methods to draw in new donors, and persuade donors to invest in different ways in their communities.