A cab ride around Glasgow with the head of Social Enterprise Scotland includes a song about jam sandwiches, a crowd of children – and an insight into deprivation and regeneration.
Resilient Scotland revealed more support for its investees at a symposium in Glasgow. And a Scottish cabinet minister revealed which types of investment the government is most keen on.
Is enough of the right kind of social investment available to social ventures at the smaller end of the market? We meet Resilient Scotland, a social investment finance intermediary, which is doing its bit to plug the gap.
The Big Issue co-founder and crossbench peer wants to see social enterprise reach the parts of society that big business cannot reach. But he says the government must do more – like publishing a social enterprise strategy.
“This is the moment for social enterprise in Scotland to cement its place as a world leader," says Scottish communities minister at CEIS Glasgow conference.
Every quarter in Pioneers Post Quarterly magazine, we take a look at one of the organisations in the NatWest SE100 Social Business Club. DNDP is currently top dog in terms of growth amongst Scottish social ventures on the SE100 Index.
The mighty Gates Foundation commits $80m to close the gender data gap, Scottish social entrepreneurs are given a start-up boost and the role of Islamic Social Finance in dealing with critical social issues is highlighted in Istanbul.
"Social enterprises in Scotland contribute £6.9bn to the economy, more lucrative than the entire third sector." CEO of Social Investment Scotland Alastair Davis weighs up what support there is for them in terms of social finance.