In June 2021, Frontier Economics reported an estimate that “a £1 million investment in community-led social infrastructure in a left-behind area could generate approximately £1.2 million of fiscal benefits and £2 million of social and economic benefits over a ten-year period.” Grassroots impact in the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector is real and has power to bring change. Funders are attracted to the kind of impact that investment in community-led social infrastructure can offer, but they struggle to reach it.
That struggle is rooted in entrenched, unfair funding systems that dominate the VCSE sector. The NCVO Almanac states that nationwide, 80% of voluntary organisations are small or micro in size. However, these organisations only get 4-5% of available funding. Only 805 organisations have a turnover of above £1 million, but they receive over 80% of the sector’s income and spending.
Read the whole blog here: Collaborating for grassroots impact | Funders Collaborative Hub
