Social Investment Business
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Whether this fits depends on which programme matches your work.
- The Community Builders Fund lends for any purpose to organisations in England, Wales and Scotland, the Energy Resilience Fund and Reach Fund are for organisations in England, and the Flexible Finance Fund is for Black and Racially Minoritised-led charities and social enterprises in England.
- The Reach Fund's grants of £5,000 to £15,000 are the smallest stated, so a modest request suits it best, while the Community Builders Fund and Flexible Finance Fund loans go up to £1,500,000.
- Organisations with turnover below £400k (or £200k in Scotland or Wales) should not apply to the Community Builders Fund, below £200k should not apply to the Flexible Finance Fund, and below £100k should not apply to the Energy Resilience Fund; the Reach Fund requires good governance and at least two independent directors, and sole traders cannot apply to it.
- For the Reach Fund, contact an Access Point first, since it shares the application form only if it agrees the fund could support you; applications are otherwise accepted on a rolling basis.
Overview
Social Investment Business is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1117185).
Social Investment Business is a registered charity in England and Wales that aims to create a more equal society by supporting the social economy and making it more resilient, more diverse and more fairly distributed. It provides finance such as loans, grants and equities, along with support and advice, through programmes including the Reach Fund, the Energy Resilience Fund and the Flexible Finance Fund. Its annual report records £171,648,000 awarded, though that single total may include grants to individuals.
What they fund
Priority Areas
Social Investment Business uses grants, loans, blended finance and tailored support to back charities and social enterprises tackling inequality, improving lives and driving positive change. Its stated priorities are the green transition, including climate challenges and opportunities in energy and nature; community infrastructure, including sustainable housing, community buildings and land; and public services, including their design and delivery. The Community Builders Fund lends to charities and social enterprises in England, Wales and Scotland for any purpose. The Energy Resilience Fund provides a loan-and-grant package for eligible organisations in England undertaking energy resilience measures. The Reach Fund gives grants to organisations in England to prepare to raise social investment. The Flexible Finance Fund combines loans and grants for Black and Racially Minoritised charities and social enterprises in England, helping them grow, take on assets and become more resilient.
Themes
- Green Transition
- Community Infrastructure
- Public Services
- Investment Readiness
Geographic Focus
England; Wales; Scotland.
What they don't fund
- Energy Resilience Fund only:
- Refinancing except in exceptional circumstances
- Costs that have already been incurred. Retrospective funding is not permitted, the ERF can only be used for future purchases or projects that have not yet been paid for
- Community energy or heating generation projects such as district heat networks, solar or wind farms or large hydro power projects, or nuclear energy and/or where the primary purpose is to sell the energy to a 3rd party
- Community energy organisations that bring groups of people or organisations together to purchase, manage, generate, or reduce consumption of energy
- Hybrid Electric Vehicles that cannot be plugged into the mains as the engine is still the main power source. For clarity Plug in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVS) are eligible
- Facilities primarily for statutory services e.g. hospitals, state funded primary or secondary schools, universities etc
- Buildings or sections of them used primarily for political campaigning
- Buildings or sections of them used for worship/ furtherance of faith, unless: >50% of activity/usage of the building is for community services, and the Energy efficiency measures being funded benefit the areas of the building used primarily for community services
- Community Builders Fund only:
- Banks, Building Societies, Non-bank Deposit-taking Organisations
- Insurers and Reinsurers (excluding Insurance Brokers)
- Public sector bodies
- State funded primary and secondary schools
- Flexible Finance Fund only:
- Banks, Building Societies, Non-bank Deposit-taking Organisations
- Insurers and Reinsurers (excluding Insurance Brokers)
- Public sector bodies
- State funded primary and secondary schools
- Your organisation must not have received repayable finance of greater than £25k. This excludes Bounce Back Loans
- The grant element cannot be used for refinancing
- Flexible Finance Support Grant only: Only available for the blended loan and grant customers
- Reach Fund only: The funds cannot support sole traders; The Reach Fund is unlikely to be able to support general capacity building
How to apply
For the Reach Fund, contact an Access Point to discuss the organisation and its investment plans. If the Access Point agrees the fund could support it, the Access Point shares the application form.
Who can apply:
- Community Builders Fund
- Based in England, Wales, or Scotland.
- Legally constituted and a registered charity or social enterprise**.
- Primarily constituted for social benefit improving people’s lives or the environments they live in, within England, Wales, Scotland.
- Community Builders Fund, Flexible Finance Fund: Operating for at least two years.
- Community Builders Fund: Minimum turnover of £400k in the last financial year (or £200k if the organisation is based in Scotland or Wales).
- Energy Resilience Fund
- Incorporated voluntary, community or social enterprise organisation*.
- Based in England and serving communities primarily within England.
- Constituted for social benefit and improving people’s lives or the environments they live in.
- A minimum of 2 years’ operating activity.
- A minimum turnover of £100k in your last set of end of year accounts.
- Does your organisation have less than 250 employees and an annual turnover not exceeding £40m and an annual balance sheet total not exceeding £35m
- Flexible Finance Fund
- Based in England.
- Black and Racially Minoritised-led: 51% or above of the organisation’s board and senior management team must be from Black and Racially Minoritised backgrounds.
- Legally constituted and a registered charity or social enterprise*.
- Minimum turnover of £200k in the last financial year.
- Reach Fund: Organisations must also have good governance, and a minimum of 2 independent Directors; the funds cannot support sole traders.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- The Reach Fund prioritises diverse-led organisations and those in IMD 1–3 or rural areas.
Where they fund
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Social Investment Business.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 March 2021 | £9,536,000 | £17,620,000 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2021 |
| year to 31 March 2022 | £9,068,000 | £10,561,000 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2022 |
| year to 31 March 2023 | £22,551,000 | £29,987,000 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2023 |
| year to 31 March 2024 | £69,549,000 | £69,416,000 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2024 |
| year to 31 March 2025 | £188,507,000 | £191,735,000 | £171,648,000 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2025 |
- Grants paid, year to 31 March 2025: grants awarded in the year, as reported in the accounts.
— No grants figure for those years.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- sibgroup.org.uk · read on 31 October 2026
- sibgroup.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do · read on 31 October 2026
- sibgroup.org.uk/fund/community-builders-fund · read on 31 October 2026
- sibgroup.org.uk/fund/energy-resilience-fund · read on 31 October 2026
- sibgroup.org.uk/fund/reach-fund · read on 31 October 2026
- sibgroup.org.uk/fund/flexible-finance · read on 31 October 2026
- sibgroup.org.uk/contact-us · read on 31 October 2026
- sibgroup.org.uk/funding · read on 31 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 March 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 31 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Social Investment Business?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
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Applying to Social Investment Business?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required