Supportive loan finance to help people take control of their economic lives and create social benefit.
We exclusively serve the co-operative and social enterprise sector.
Over the last 40 years we’ve supported hundreds of businesses, from small community-led enterprises to large award-winning organisations. All of our funds are democratically owned and controlled by our members. We lend to those that practice the principles of co-operation, social ownership and sustainable development. Our rates are competitive and we don’t require personal guarantees.
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Sutcliffe Play | Employee-owned
Recent lending
Uniform IT for employee-owned business
The UK’s leading supplier of personalised school uniform, which is employee-owned, is investing in new IT and preparing for growth with the help of loans from Co-operative & Community Finance and the Co-operative Loan Fund. Sheffield-based School Trends supplies 6,000 schools and well over 1 million school children throughout the UK with personalised school uniforms. […]
We are the Small Axe
A loan from Co-operative & Community Finance is helping an innovative international creative agency to expand and strengthen its co-operative structure. Small Axe, with offices in London and Colombo (in Sri Lanka), provides creative communications for courageous causes. The name comes from a Jamaican proverb made famous by Bob Marley: “if you are the big […]
First loans via Just Growth
We have released our first two loans via Just Growth, the funding programme for community food and farming projects launched in July 2015. The recipients are the Ecological Land Co-operative and Veg Box People. Just Growth is a Real Farming Trust project. Eligible ventures that raise finance from community investment or crowd funding can have it […]
News & Views
Community Ownership Awards
We are proud to be sponsoring the 2016 Community Ownership Awards. If you have a community-run business in your region that you feel goes above and beyond to support the community then please nominate them here: communityownershipawards.com. Nominations close on Friday 14 October at 5pm. The winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony in London on […]
Free tour of co-operative pubs in Northern England
Plunkett Foundation, our lead partner in the £3.62m programme for community pubs announced in March, is inviting community groups in Nothern England to a free, two-day tour of local pubs that have been saved successfully as co-operatives. Plunkett Foundation is offering places to groups at the early stages of considering community ownership as an option for saving […]
Message to advisers to co-ops and community businesses
I am writing to introduce myself as the New Business Development Manager at Co-operative & Community Finance. You may be aware that there have been a couple of changes to the team this year and I have been recruited to take over Ian Rothwell’s role as he moves into the Investment Manager position. This follows Ian […]