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Supporting Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Charity registered in Scotland SC003558. Registered office Caledonian Exchange, 19A Canning Street, Edinburgh EH3 8EG.

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Esmee Fairbairn Foundation - Social Investment

Details

The Foundation is one of the largest independent grant-makers in the UK. They also offer social investment.

As well as making direct investments into organisations seeking to create impact towards their aims, the Foundation also invests into impact funds, which are managed by other social investors. They offer loans (secured and unsecured), equity, fund investments and everything else.

There are several investment priorities:

  • Investing in Our Natural World: social investment to organisations working on nature-based solutions towards: preserved species health and habitats, sustainable and ethical food, and clean and healthy freshwater.
  • Creative, Confident Communities: Partner in Place: for organisations working to ensure local economies work better for the people who live there.
  • Investing in A Fairer Future: for organisations who are working to address systemic injustice and inequity.

Across their funding, they commit to investing into organisations led by communities experiencing racial inequity, as well as building community wealth.

Premium information is available exclusively to SCVO members and supporters

Geographical areas funded: UK

Fund type

Type of funding:
Loan
Type of cost:
Revenue, Core costs

Fund award sizes

Notes on award amounts:
Premium information

Who can apply

To be eligible for social investment, you must:

  • Deliver or plan to deliver measurable outcomes that align closely to the priorities under their aims.
  • Be a charity or social enterprise or have a structure that includes a Mission Lock or be willing to add one.
  • Demonstrate a suitable repayment or exit plan for the investment you are seeking.
  • Be operating in the UK.

They are particularly interested in supporting:

  • Organisations led by, and for, people with lived experience of the issues they are working on.
  • Ideas with the potential to influence wider positive change, help attract mainstream finance into impact or disrupt broken markets.
  • Ideas, structures and interventions that meaningfully involve their communities.
  • Impact that intersects across one or more of their Aims.
  • Partnerships and collaborations.

When to apply

Expressions of Interest can be submitted at any time.

How to apply

Apply online by submitting an Expression of Interest.

Contact information

Exclusions

Premium information

Activites funded: Advocacy Arts and culture Campaigning Citizenship and community involvement Community development and regeneration Environment Organisational development and capacity building Justice, equality and law Climate action

Beneficiaries funded: Black and Ethnic Minorities Children Care experienced people Socially isolated people LGBTQI people People in poverty Rural communities Men Mental health conditions Offenders and ex-offenders Disabilities Learning disabilities Physical disabilities Sensory impairments Refugees and asylum seekers Voluntary sector organisations Women and girls Young people

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Last reviewed about 22 hours ago

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Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

More information about Esmée Fairbairn Foundation