Quasi-equity

An investment that reflects some of the characteristics of shares but without your organisation offering up equity. Rather than paying back a set amount each month, your repayments are typically based on the performance of the organisation – such as profits or income. For example, you receive an investment of £50,000 and agree to pay the investor 2% of your annual income for 5 years.

Blended – part grant, part loan

A package of funding that is a mixture of investment, that needs to be repaid and a grant that doesn’t need to be repaid. For example, a grant of £20,000 alongside a loan of £50,000 that needs to be repaid over 5 years with 10% interest.

Social property funds

Funds managed by a specialist firm, who raise money from investors, and then use the funds to buy property that can be used by a charity to deliver its services. The charity leases the property from the social property fund. 

Secured loan

An investment that works like a mortgage on a house. An investor provides your organisation with a loan against an asset (often a building or equipment) as ‘collateral’. Alternatively, an organisation's parent company may offer its shares in the organisation as the collateral. You repay the loan on an agreed basis (e.g. regular monthly payments) usually with interest on top.

Unsecured loan (incl. overdrafts)

An investment that is not secured against an asset (a building or equipment). An investor provides your organisation with a loan and you repay it on an agreed basis, usually with an agreed amount of interest on top.

Crowd-funded investment

An investment that is raised via an online platform and not secured against an asset (a building or equipment). A ‘crowd’ of individual investors put (mostly) small amounts towards a loan to your organisation and you repay it on an agreed basis, usually with interest on top.

Charity bonds

A tradable loan from a group of social investors to a charity or social enterprise over a fixed period of time with a fixed rate of interest. For example, if you issued a £2million bond over 5 years at 2% interest in 2017, you would pay the social investors £40,000 interest each year and repay the £2million in 2022. 

A Changing World - Steam Hubs And Pubs CIC

Podcast
On this episode of our latest podcast series, we explore social investment in a changing world. Throughout this series, you can hear from six brilliant charity and social enterprise leaders on their experiences, hope and fears for the future and how social investment has or might play a role.

A Changing World - Hot House Music

Podcast
In this episode of our latest podcast series, we explore social investment in a changing world. Throughout this series, you can hear from six brilliant charity and social enterprise leaders on their experiences, hope and fears for the future and how social investment has or might play a role.