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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Recent lending
Radical bookshop buys former bank
A 40-year old radical bookshop co-operative named after the Russian Revolution is now the legal owner of a former bank building which it plans to turn into a community hub. On 6 August October Books in Southampton completed the purchase of 189 Portswood Road which for many years had been a branch of NatWest Bank. […]
Knocking again
The residents of Caverswall, near Stoke on Trent, flocked to the Auctioneers Arms on 19 May 2018 to celebrate the reopening of their local pub, affectionately named The Knocks. The glorious day started with a speech from the town crier of Leek, Bill Lomas, before the bar was officially opened. This marked the end of […]
Circus can still surprise after 250 years
The world’s first circus performance is thought to have taken place in London in 1768. Today, in this 250th anniversary year, one of the champions of the transformative power of circus is an extraordinary social enterprise based in a former mining village in south Wales. Operating from the old church hall in Gwaun Cae Gurwen, […]
News & Views
New chair appointed
Jon Nott has been appointed to be chair of the ICOF Group and ICOF Community Capital. Jon takes over from Jo White who stepped down at the AGMs held on 26 June after seven years as chair. Jon was elected to the board in 2017 which makes him a relative newcomer but he has a […]
Farewell Jo, Welcome Dan
Long standing director and trustee Jo White stood down at the Annual General Meetings held on 26 June 2018. Jo had been on the board of the various companies and societies involved in the ICOF family of businesses for 15 years and she had been chair since 2011. She had combined this exacting voluntary position […]
Satisfied customers
‘Thank you for being there, we couldn’t have done this without you” is how one co-op described their experience of borrowing from us. An impressive 85% of our borrowers say Co-operative & Community Finance would be their first choice for another loan, if they needed one. This was one of the most striking results of […]