Impact
Community business: Making a positive difference to people and places.
Since 2015 Power to Change has made significant investments in research, evaluation, and data analysis to better understand how community businesses improve places, and how Power to Change and the wider sector can support them to do so.
Our research shows that community businesses provide high quality employment opportunities for local people, improve wellbeing, address the climate crisis, advance equality, and put communities in charge of their local areas. The robust evidence base we have developed shows why community business is vital to enabling communities across England to thrive, and the support community businesses need.
FEATURE REPORT
COMMUNITY IN ACTION
The impact of community businesses
11,000
There are over 11,000 community businesses in England, with a total income of just under £1bn
48%
of community businesses operate in the most deprived areas
86%
of employees in community businesses live locally. These provide opportunities for local people totaling almost 42,000 paid staff across England
16,500
people who were previously unemployed have gained employment through community businesses
126,000
people across England volunteer with community businesses, with 92% living locally
56%
of community businesses own or manage a fixed physical asset in their local community, trading to bring local people together
£220m
Community owned
spaces contribute £220m to
the economy
56p/£
For every £1 spent in a local community business asset, 56p stays in the local community
POWER TO CHANGE
Our impact on community business
£105m in grants
We have awarded over £105m in grants and funded over 5,000 days of support
+17% revenue
Following disbursement of our flagship Community Business Fund, community business’s income rose by an average of 17%
97% positive impact
97% of our grantees say that our funding has a positive impact on their development
63%
In 2022, 63% of our funding went to the most economically deprived areas (IMD1-3) of the country
The community business market in 2022
Our latest Community Business Market Report reveals how a resilient community business sector is contributing to the economic, social, and environmental wellbeing of communities.
