'What investment do you need?' asks major survey

Social venture leaders are being asked to spell our their financing needs in a major survey launched today.

A significant number of organisations are looking for more than £1m in funding, a pilot phase of the survey has revealed.

The Social Investment Business Group is seeking the views of the sector as part of the final stages of planning for the development of new funds.

The survey, launched today on the social investment intermediary’s website, asks sector leaders whether there are specific projects which would grow their social impact that they could deliver or grow if they had more access to finance.

It goes on to ask what kind of financial products they would consider taking, including loans, charity bonds and equity, and what terms they would find acceptable.

Jonathan Jenkins, CEO of the SIB Group, said: ‘From managing more than 1,000 relationships with our investees over the last ten years we know a good deal about their financing needs, but to make sure our new funds have the maximum impact we need to hear from more sector organisations about what they need finance for and what sort of deals look attractive to them.’

Jenkins said a pilot phase of the survey had highlighted some interesting trends: ‘It looks like almost one in five organisations are looking for more than £1m in funding, with the majority looking to scale an existing programme,’ he said. ‘The appetite for equity-like products also looks strong and we are keen to understand this further.’

The survey is available at http://www.thesocialinvestmentbusiness.org/help-us-build-new-funds/ and will be shared through the networks of national infrastructure organisations including Locality, SEUK and ACEVO.

The Social Investment Business Group (SIB Group) is one of the largest social investors in the UK, and exists to help social enterprises, charities and community organisations support people and communities most in need.

The SIB Group includes The Social Investment Business and its parent charity, Adventure Capital Fund. It manages the Futurebuilders Fund and the Social Action Fund on behalf of The Office for Civil Society, the Social Enterprise Investment Fund for the Department of Health and the Communitybuilders Fund which was endowed to parent charity the Adventure Capital Fund by the Department for Communities and Local Government. 

The group has more than 1,300 active investments which range in size and scope from, for example,  £3,600 to help a small organisation bid successfully for a public sector contract, to £6.7m to help a large national charity establish and develop innovative new services for children and young people.