£17 million fund to support social enterprise

Schemes to create jobs and protect the environment are set to benefit from a new fund to help social enterprises which will be backed by £17 million of investment. 

The money from the Scottish Social Growth Fund will enable social enterprises, charities and voluntary groups to deliver community projects while contributing to the wider economy.

Organisations will be able to access affordable and flexible loans of between £100,000 and £1.7 million from the new fund.

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell announced the funding while visiting Leith social enterprise Out of the Blue, which celebrated it’s 25^th anniversary yesterday.

Ms Campbell said: “Social enterprises play an important role in our economy and have a positive impact in our communities. They contribute £2 billion to the economy every year and employ more than 80,000 people and that’s why we are taking action to grow this sector.

“I am delighted to launch this new £17 million fund to stimulate further growth and support in this area to enable organisations to access the funds they need to expand and thrive. The Scottish Social Growth Fund is a key part of delivering our ten-year Social Enterprise Strategy, promoting an entrepreneurial mindset across Scotland’s third sector to tackle some of the toughest challenges faced by our communities.”

The Scottish Government has invested £8 million into the fund, with an additional £1 million from the University of Edinburgh and a commitment of £8 million, pending finalisation of the necessary legal arrangements, from Big Society Capital, a UK-wide social investment company.

Thomas Gillan, Deputy Chief Executive at Social Investment Scotland, said: “Since 2008, the Scottish Government’s partnership with Social Investment Scotland has helped to unlock around £30 million of investment, providing 90 third sector organisations with the investment needed to scale and grow.

“We’re delighted to add the University of Edinburgh as an new investor. By increasing the amount of social investment capital available to Scotland’s booming social enterprise sector, we can connect more capital with communities and contribute to inclusive growth for Scotland.”