Triodos Bank
UK has become an Access Point for the Reach Fund, which provides grant
support to charities and social enterprises who are progressing towards taking
on social investment.
To apply to the fund, an organisation must have
a credible business proposition and be referred by a social investor registered
with the Fund, known as an ‘Access Point’. The Reach Fund
programme is managed by Social Investment Business.
As an Access
point, the Corporate Finance team at Triodos will use its considerable experience
to help organisations submit their grant applications to help them become
investment ready. The team is available to help and advise organisations on
governance, business planning, financial structuring and impact measurement before
taking on repayable finance.
The social
investment could be raised directly through the Triodos Crowdfunding platform www.triodoscrowdfunding.co.uk,
or through a loan from Triodos Bank or another social lender or social
investment fund.
Dan Hird, head of Corporate Finance at
Triodos Bank, said:
“This is our core
business and we actively encourage approaches from charities and social
enterprises looking for financial and investment readiness advice, or for
funding through our crowdfunding platform.
“By becoming an Access Point we can help
more organisations by boosting their investment readiness and assessing the
right funding path for them. We have been promoting and providing social
investment for over 15 years and know it can positively impact people and the
world we live in. We are proud to be an Access Point and to find another way of
supporting charities and social enterprises in England to deliver meaningful
services to our communities.”
Deborah
Smart, head of Grants at Social Investment Business, said:
“We’re delighted to have added Triodos to our list of social investors
that can refer applicants to the Reach Fund. Triodos is a committed and
longstanding social bank, with a focus on financing innovative organisations
that benefit people, the environment or culture. The aim of the Reach Fund is
to help charities and social enterprises to raise investment and build
resilience: by adding Triodos to our list of approved Access Points, we will be
better able to help organisations to maximise their impact.”