We are the national membership body for responsible finance providers.
Our vision is to create a fair financial system in the UK by scaling up the community development finance sector. This will enable investment to flow into communities to create positive economic, social and environmental impact.
No viable business left unsupported; no person forced into unacceptable hardship; no social enterprise not able to realise its goal to make the world a better place.
Our members are united by their commitment to increasing access to fair and responsible finance, particularly for those excluded from mainstream services. Case studies of how our members help people and businesses.
We work with our members to champion responsible finance and develop the market. Our services support members to build relationships, knowledge and to innovate.
We currently have over 50 members and supporters in our network.
Find out more about our members.
Responsible Finance’s primary activities for members include:
- Support the members in having access to funding to ensure the growth and sustainability of the sector: We work with funders and investors to advocate for funding into the sector. We also champion Community Investment Tax Relief to increase its use for raising investment.
- Build a positive profile of the sector: We attended over 130 meetings with stakeholders, journalists and funders in 2020, promoting the responsible finance sector’s achievements. We also released 30 articles, opinion pieces, open letters and case studies.
- Advocate for a positive regulatory and policy environment: In 2020 we attended over 25 meetings with MPs, Civil Servants and the British Business Bank, and submitted several consultation responses advocating for policy change. We also sat on the Money and Pensions Service’s Credit Counts challenge group, and joined the Finance Innovation Lab’s Transforming Finance Network.
- Provide high quality services such as professional development and networking to support the members to build their capacity and effectiveness: In 2020 we started two new member working groups to progress the sector’s fundraising and climate action activities. We met with them, the enterprise lender’s network, personal lender’s network and Social Investment Forum 25 times. We also granted £42,000 of transformative cash awards to 10 outstanding businesses in the Citi Microentrepreneurship awards in place of our usual annual conference and awards event. We are grateful to the Citi Foundation for working with us to adapt the event. In an unprecedented time, the Awards made a tangible difference, protecting businesses, jobs and livelihoods.