Tim Davies-Pugh
Chief Executive Officer
Today I’m excited to be revealing our new brand. At Power to Change, we pride ourselves on our capacity to innovate and change. Today is no different. In the past few months, we have evolved the way we work. So, we also wanted to evolve our brand to reflect this.
We are the think-do tank that backs community business. We turn bold ideas into action so communities have the power to change what matters to them. This is the core of what we do today, and an evolution of work we’ve already been doing.
In recent years, we’ve increasingly used the insight from our funding to shape the external environment. Examples of this approach include piloting the Community Improvement District Model, pushing for the introduction of the £150m Community Ownership Fund, working with partners to establish Kindred, and helping establish the We’re Right Here campaign. Testing and learning, shaping and designing, advocating and campaigning.
So, what’s changed and what does it all mean?
At Power to Change, we are fast approaching our 10th anniversary. We were established in 2015, and since then have worked alongside community business – but in the early years of our life, primarily as a grant funder.
Today, we know community business works to build stronger communities and better places to live. We’ve seen how people create resilient and prosperous local economies when power is in community hands. We also know the barriers that stand in the way of their success. So, we’re using our experience to bring partners together to do, test and learn what works. We then use this learning to advocate for change.
So, what have we changed, visually? In short, it’s an evolution. New strapline: backing community business. New logo, but with a similar colour palette to before, and the new brand flows from the idea of ‘the building blocks of community’. Community businesses are all about building together. And we back them from the ground up.
We’ve also given our website a makeover – so it better reflects what we do now. I’d urge everyone to take a look at the sections on our three thematic areas of focus. Taking back the high street, building community power and financing the future economy. In these important areas we are combining ’thinking’ and ’doing’, all with the goal of strengthening the hand of community business. On the re-vamped site you can see excellent work and ideas from individuals across our expert team.
What next?
Look out for exciting new research, commentary and demonstrator projects launching in the coming months. We have an excellent paper coming soon on how to deliver a Community Right to Buy from Josh Westerling. Kate McKenzie is leading work to launch a new demonstrator project looking at the barriers to community involvement in high street renewal and its implications for wider high streets policy. Natalie White will be bringing together lessons and recommendations from work with combined authorities to grow and develop their social economies as part of their local growth plans. This and much more will all become available on the site so, do look out for it.
Finally, this is a call for collaboration. Like what you hear or see on the new site? Partnership is in our DNA and that doesn’t change with a refreshed brand. So, do get in touch.
