MARKET REPORTS

Our approach to research

Communities across England face a mix of unique and shared challenges. Understanding what works is key to addressing these. That’s why Power to Change has invested millions in research and evaluation, and makes this insight and data freely available for others to use.

To build this evidence base we have worked with communities, leading researchers and policymakers to provide objective and rigorous insights about community businesses and their impact.

We combine traditional social research methods with data science and novel data sources, pioneering the use of private and public sector for community benefit. Our ambition is to make the world-leading research and insight freely available to help communities address the challenges they face.

Unlike many other funders and research organisations, we also put our data to work to support community businesses. From our range of success guides that provide practical tips for running a community businesses based on our latest analysis to Twine, our suite of free apps that help communities spend more time doing good, and less time on paperwork, we have shown there are many ways to use data for good.

You can find and download all of our research, including case studies and datasets, in the Institute for Community Studies repository.