What we do

Our projects

Our goal is to shape the conditions for community business to thrive. To do this, we need to know what works.

As a think-do tank, we work alongside community businesses and partners to test new approaches to some of our biggest societal challenges. We use what we learn to influence policy, shift mindsets and behaviours, unlock finance and collaborate across sectors.

Current projects

A woman in a red checkered cape and hat hugs another women in a clothing area at Sparks

Community-led High Street Innovators

We’re collaborating with a small number of community businesses to test and learn how community-led high street regeneration projects can be a model for communities everywhere.

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Community Covenant Test and Learn Partnerships

We’re testing a bold approach to local democracy and decision-making alongside our community business partners, learning how communities can work directly with local agencies to share power.

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Developing the Regional Social Economy

We work in partnership with regional and combined authorities to understand the unique needs of their local social economy and community businesses. We’ve worked with community businesses to shape the development of social investment funds and growth strategies in places like Liverpool City Region, North East and the West Midlands. 

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Trading for Good

Trading for Good will support you to develop your community business through a specialist programme of support. This includes a Match Trading™ Grant and a learning programme that will support you to develop trading income streams and build a resilient community business.

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Featured reports and case studies

Learn more about our previous projects and pilots.  

A group of people learn to cycle with Cycle for Life.

Community Improvement Districts

Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) provide a new approach for community stakeholders to have more say on strategic direction of the high streets alongside local authorities, businesses and other local stakeholders. Power to Change piloted this model in seven places across England.

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A group of people learn to cycle with Cycle for Life.

Empowering Places

A five-year programme designed by Power to Change to explore ways in which ‘locally rooted’ anchor organisations, operating in areas of high deprivation, could ‘catalyse’ new community businesses. This support helped to create a thriving environment for the local social sector to grow.
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A group of people learn to cycle with Cycle for Life.

Kindred

In 2019, we teamed up with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and local social economy leaders to form Kindred, an independent CIC providing repayable, interest-free money to community business and other socially trading organisations.
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Participants discuss at a community entrepreneurs training.

Leading the Way

Leading the Way offered a tailored learning programme to support the development and the impact of community enterprises in the North East of England or Yorkshire and the Humber.
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Two women look at a phone at Upper Norwood Library cafe.

Powering Up

Powering Up offered capacity strengthening support over a 12-month period. The programme supported community businesses in England that needed resources and help investing in their future.
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Resilient Communities Fund

Created in response to the cost-of-living crisis, the Resilient Communities Fund was a £1.3m grant funding and capacity support programme. It provided emergency support to community businesses, helping them implement energy resilience projects to become more resilient to both climate change and the economic shocks.

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What is community business?

Community business stories

Latest research and reports