We are here for all community organisations
For community businesses and community-minded people looking to take the next step.
All the latest stories, blogs and case studies from community businesses across the country, designed to inspire and inform.
EXPERT OPINIONS
AND COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES IN OUR LATEST BLOGS
Fostering community power through regional social action hubs
We share a collective challenge. A challenge that can only be responded to with a bold ambition and a commitment that will reach deeply into neighbourhoods across the...
Clusters of community business at a hyperlocal level make places more resilient
What does the Hyperlocal data tell us about community businesses' impact on local...
The local Impact of Empowering Places
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Community businesses are more confident, diverse, and optimistic than other third sector organisations
A new report shows that community businesses are more confident, diverse and optimistic than other third sector...
Creating a more diverse and equitable community tech sector
Rosie and Fergus lead our community tech programme team, and are currently recruiting for the new Discovery Fund. Here Rosie shares how they are adapting and iterating the application processes to remove barriers for underrepresented groups and mitigate...
What makes a community thrive? Our visit to Witton Lodge
We know community business works to breathe new life into communities. With this insight, our mission is to help create the right conditions for them to thrive. And so it always inspiring when we spend time with the community businesses we seek to support....
Five lessons for local authorities to grow their social economy
At Power to Change we recognise the importance of local and regional government backing to help grow local social economies. Our five lessons can support councils and combined authorities to intentionally and purposefully grow their social...
How can we build an ecosystem that supports community businesses to be financially savvy?
While there are many good practices we can adopt at programme level, there are sector gaps in the availability and accessibility of support for community businesses to develop their financial capabilities. We explore what it will take to address sector gaps...
What we’ve learnt about strengthening community businesses’ financial capabilities
Power to Change’s Financial Capabilities pilots – one delivered by The Women’s Organisation, and the other by Locality – aimed to strengthen community businesses’ financial management and decision making. Each project took a different approach, and...
Supporting community businesses to better measure their impact
Community businesses are confident in the impact they are having in their local area, but they need further support in order to evidence...
FIND INSPIRATION
FROM OUR LATEST CASE STUDIES
Heeley Trust
Sheffield-based charity, The Heeley Trust, owns and manages multiple community-owned spaces across Heeley and Meersbrook as well as community bike shop, A Different Gear....
Witton Lodge Community Association
Community anchor organisation in Birmingham, providing over 200 affordable homes for local residents. They transformed derelict land into useable green space and turned the old park keepers cottage into an eco community facility, reducing energy costs by...
Fordhall Farm
England's first community-owned, chemical-free farm in Shropshire. Educates on sustainable farming and supports local communities....
Derwent Valley Car Club
Electric car club in County Durham tackling rural isolation and environmental...
Heart of BS13
Anchor community organisation tackling climate change and socio-economic issues in a deprived area of Bristol...
Ambition Community Energy
England's largest community-owned wind turbine powering over 3,000 homes in Lawrence...
The Winch
Once a derelict pub, repurposed by residents into a thriving youth centre, community hub and...
Bristol City Funds
In 2018, Power to Change joined forces with Bristol and Bath Regional Capital, Big Society Capital, and Bristol City Council to create and co-fund a first-of-its-kind blended fund for...
Empowering Places
Empowering Places was a unique five-year programme designed by Power to Change to explore ways in which ‘locally rooted’ anchor organisations, operating in areas of high deprivation, could be supported to ‘catalyse’ new community businesses. The...
Kindred in Liverpool City Region
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...