Are you leading an early stage social business? The Big Issue Invest Corporate Social Venturing (CSV) programme could help you grow. Through the corporate social responsibility tools of employee volunteering and grant funding, this programme will develop your business with investment, business support and cross-sector partnerships.
Here's how it works: corporate partners offer expert mentoring and early stage finance, which enables you to deliver profitable business solutions to address social problems. In turn, corporate staff benefit from using their skills to add value to your organisation. Your success then provides partners with a return on their investment, enabling them to reinvest funds in a new generation of high-growth social ventures. Ultimately, the CSV programme aims to facilitate long-term, value-driven partnerships by creating relationships and network opportunities across business sectors.
The programme has invested more than £1 million into 42 social businesses to date, and more than 120 corporate mentors have been engaged. Currently, the programme is looking for social businesses that are working to support health and well-being, financial inclusion, education, employment, and job training. Email the CSV team if you’d like know more about the programme and apply here.
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Originally published October 11, 2017
