Big Issue Invest is a specialised provider of finance to social enterprises. Part of The Big Issue group of companies founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick, it is led by social entrepreneurs and staffed by experienced financiers. Big Issue Invest is a social enterprise, with an asset lock and any dividends paid to The Big Issue.

Social Entrepreneurs say that they like dealing with a unique financial organisation that has had first hand experience of building and running social businesses.

Big Issue Invest's Board is made up of a unique combination of social entrepreneurs, practitioners and financiers. Our Board and partners bring together a wealth of experience, innovation and success.

Big Issue Invest can creatively analyse social enterprises, and is prepared to think beyond the traditional measures of company accounts and asset valuations, to design financial solutions suitable to the enterprise.

We provide loan finance, either cash flow or asset backed senior debt, as well as a cocktail of financial structures that include royalties, loan conversion and guarantees. The average size of Big Issue Invest's loans is around £200,000. The minimum loan size is £50,000.

For social enterprises bidding on public sector contracts, we have a Contract Finance Fund which provides off balance sheet contract finance up to £8,000,000.

We will soon be launching a Social Enterprise Venture Fund to provide risk capital to scaleable social enterprises.

We are also developing an Alternative Credit Scoring Index to help increase access to mainstream credit for up to 2,000,000 low-income consumers.

If you are a Social Enterprise looking to finance or re-finance your business, please don't hesitate to contact us or send us Part 1 of our Loan Application Form.