We work closely with a range of supporters, who have a wealth of experience and expertise in the field of responsible finance:
Banc Cambria
Banc Cambria is a new project to create a co-operative community bank for Wales committed to ethical and sustainable banking, supported by the Welsh Government.
It will be a member led, co-operatively owned autonomous and independent bank that enables every community in Wales to have access to the banking services it needs in order to prosper. It will be:
- ethical
- affordable and fair
- a decent work employer
- prudent in its lending
- environmentally sustainable
- operating in both Welsh and English
- invest its profits in Wales
- support businesses that care for their people and contribute to the sustainability of Wales
- engage with its Members to sustain its values.
Catherine Moss
Catherine Moss is married mother of 2 living in the Peak District. Currently a Board/Finance Director for a northwest insurance broker, she has worked in the regulated finance services sector for more than 10 years. Outside of work, Catherine runs run a local sustainable not for profit group that promotes sustainable living within her community and works with politicians, local councils, schools and business to bring about systemic sustainable change. She has also been involved in other campaign groups, including digital campaigns, and links to local media outlets and the Northern Power House/ Greater Manchester APPG.
Cooperative and Community Finance
Co-operative and Community Finance is an award-winning lender who has supported hundreds of businesses from small community-led enterprises to large, award-winning organisations. It exclusively serves the co-operative and social enterprise sector. Its rates are competitive and it doesn’t require personal guarantees.
Council of Development Finance Agencies
The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) is the American national association dedicated to the advancement of development finance concerns and interests. CDFA is comprised of America’s leading and most knowledgeable members of the development finance community representing hundreds of public, private and non-profit development entities.
Members are state, county and municipal development finance agencies and authorities that provide or otherwise support economic development financing programs, including tax-exempt and taxable bonds, credit enhancement programs, and direct debt and equity investments as well as a variety of non-governmental and private organizations ranging from regional and large investment banks to commercial finance companies to bond counsel, bond insurers, trustees, venture capital companies, rating agencies, and other organizations interested in development finance.
Firstport
Firstport supports individuals with great business ideas that benefit people, communities and the environment. Firstport has responded to the needs of social enterprises in Scotland who have reported a funding gap for enterprises whose age, stage or delivery model is not suited to current social investment products available. It is innovating in this space to bring new social investment products to market that will support more social enterprises to grow and thrive and create positive changes in their communities.
Future Leap Finance
Over the years, Future Leap has become one of the largest green business networks in the UK, with collaboration and innovation at the heart of everything we do, using these as tools in tackling the climate crisis together.
Future Leap Finance part of the Future Leap Network, based in the beautiful, carbon neutral, Future Leap Clifton Hub. Our mission is to send as many companies as possible on their journey to Net Zero:
- Providing ethical lending options to facilitate affordability.
- Implementing effective sales models to enable Green-Tech suppliers to support more customers via monthly payment options.
- Measuring the carbon impact of investments over the lifecycle.
- Driving real change in the business lending community surrounding ESG.
Our pledge is to only work with a panel of lenders that have both progressive sustainability strategies for their own organisation and value ESG highly in their lending criteria.
Each of our partners works with us to provide impact assessments on all assets financed ensuring accurate carbon reporting on each investment for the customer, lender & supplier.
Plend
Plend is an open banking-led personal lending platform on a mission to create a financially inclusive world where everybody can achieve their goals. By personalising credit to make smarter lending decisions, Plend is creating a fairer future where people are not held back by their credit score.
Shawbrook
Over the last decade Shawbrook have built a new type of bank that is designed to accommodate individuality, diversity and the dynamics of the modern world.
With over 300,000 active and engaged customers, Shawbrook provides highly personalised, practical lending and savings products to individuals, businesses and real estate investors.
To serve the evolving needs of our customers, and to meet the scale of our potential, we continue to deliver on our purpose: to power up ingenuity to create opportunity, every single day.
Singlify
Singlify is a social enterprise based in London. Its aim is to make state of the art in cloud and FinTech technology available to social investors, CDFIs and grant making organisations. Singlify allows organisations to manage all of their processes and data from within one platform (Salesforce) and combines CRM with ‘end to end loan management’ and social impact reporting within one solution. It allows external stakeholders (Clients, Investment Committee Members, Investors) to have access to dedicated online web portals which are fully integrated with the rest of the Singlify platform. Singlify is a registered Salesforce partner.
Triodos Bank
Triodos Bank’s mission is to help create a society that protects and promotes quality of life and human dignity for all. Since 1980, our sustainable financial products have enabled individuals and organisations to use their money in ways that benefit people and the environment.
Triodos Bank lends to charities, social businesses, community projects and environmental initiatives across the UK. Loans are available for organisations creating social, environmental and cultural value. It supports practical initiatives which benefit the community, care for the environment, respect human freedom and develop individual talents and capacities.
Unity Trust Bank
Unity Trust Bank is a commercial bank with a social conscience. We provide day-to-day banking, deposit services and commercial loans and mortgages to businesses and organisations that share our values. We believe in delivering positive social impact, not simply maximising profit. Our purpose is to help organisations to prosper and contribute to economic, community and environmental change. Put simply, we’re here to help create a better society.
Wrigleys Solicitors
For over 25 years, solicitors from Wrigleys Solicitors have been advising business enterprise funds and Responsible Finance providers on investments for social purposes. They have contributed to the development of this important area through their involvement with studies for the European Commission on the regulation of social banks in Europe, the International Labour Organization on financing microenterprise, the publication for the Charities Aid Foundation of the book “Social Investment and other financing techniques for voluntary organisations” and the establishment of Responsible Finance and the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association. They advise both financial institutions and social enterprises, of all shapes and sizes, seeking financing across a variety of sectors. From drafting and reviewing loan, intercreditor and security documentation, to advising on community share and bond offers, their breadth of expertise means that they can provide significant support in this field. They are also authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to give advice on financial promotions.
ZeroPA
ZeroPA offers financial education and tools crucially interest free loans to the financially disadvantaged and vulnerable. ZeroPA offers loans of £50-£1000 over 1 to 52 weeks towards food, utilities, clothing, white goods, furniture, household repairs and basic tech like a tablet to enable digital inclusion.
We charge no interest, fees or charges and require no guarantor. We work through referrals and signposting to target those most in need. We don’t give out cash but pay suppliers and retailers for goods and services directly. Through our sister CIC, we also offer emergency grants of up to £50 towards food, utilities, clothing and furniture.
We are also looking to work with the Charity Shop Gift card so that borrowers can borrow less and our grants stretch further as 2nd hand goods will get a new life and this stops things from going into landfill.
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF)
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is a registered charity, working since 1976 to promote the conservation and sustainable re-use of historic buildings for the benefit of communities across the UK, particularly in economically disadvantaged areas. The AHF exists to help communities find enterprising ways to revitalise the old buildings they love. We help them with advice, grants and loans. For nearly 50 years we have been the leading social investor in creating new futures for historic buildings.
Ethex
Ethex helps everyday people make ethical investments that fund extraordinary organisations. Make your money a powerful tool for change and get a fair return.
Bristol & Bath Regional Capital
BBRC‘s mission is to improve the wellbeing of people, local communities, and the environment in the South West of England. We aim to transform the way that finance delivers impact. We do this by raising capital from investors by offering attractive risk-adjusted returns and impact outcomes, to invest in real estate, infrastructure and businesses in the South West of England.
As our region’s first place based impact investor, BBRC has been established for over a decade with strong civic roots and owned and supported by several significant local anchor institutions including universities, local authorities and other business and civic networks such as Business West. Together with these anchor institutions, we have the shared aim of building better regional communities via our investment products.
Social Investment Business Foundation
At Social Investment Business we believe in the power of the social economy to build a more equal society. We support charities and social enterprises to build stronger and fairer communities. We offer funding and flexible, adaptive support to the organisations that make up the social economy, providing them with the tools they need to make a positive difference to the communities they work within.
Find out more about the benefits of becoming a supporter of Responsible Finance