Our approach to blended finance

Combining capital for maximum impact

We are keen to make social investment accessible and useful – both to a broad range of front-line organisations and investors alike. Blended finance, bringing together different kinds of capital from various partners, is one tool we can use to achieve this goal. Since we began ten years ago, we have been working to build blended capital structures and support the provision of blended finance products - including supporting the creation of Access (The Foundation for Social Investment) in 2014. To date, we have committed over £148 million in 33 blended finance funds, making over £270 million available to social purpose organisations.

Wellington Orbit
  • £148m+ committed to blended finance funds
  • 33 number of blended finance funds we have invested in
  • £270m made available to social purpose organisations using blended finance

Join the community

We want to make blended finance a more accessible tool in investment, so more capital can be used for social and environmental benefit. The Community of Practice is a UK-based network, working across different sectors, within developed and emerging global markets. Set up by Big Society Capital, Access the Foundation for Social Investment and Save the Children, it aims to facilitate learning and foster connections between practitioners. Since inception last year, the community has grown to over 150 practitioners, with an official knowledge hub launching later this year.

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What is blended finance?

There are different types of capital, resources and support that can contribute to solutions for some of society’s biggest challenges through a range of frontline enterprises. These resources come from multiple stakeholders with different requirements on their capital but with common impact objectives. Blended finance is an approach to finding the right mix of these resources to enable the greatest level of social impact.

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Timeline of blended finance at Big Society Capital

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