Who we work with

Regional and local authorities

We work with regional and local authorities to grow our social economy.

Power to Change has supported the growth and development of community business since 2015. We value the role that local and regional government plays in growing the sector regionally. 

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, Bristol, the North of Tyne and the West Midlands. And we bring in the wider social sector to identify regional priorities for investment and support. 

Looking to grow the social economy in your combined authority? Get in touch with our Portfolio Manager, Natalie White.

Email Natalie

Current partnerships

North East Combined Authority

Our partnership in the North East began in 2022 the North of Tyne Combined, which was absorbed into North East Combined Authority in May 2024. We are continuing to work with the Combined Authority to understand the needs of their social economy and develop a strategy or fund to invest and grow the sector.

As part of this partnership, we have launched a flexible Social Finance fund, managed by Big Issue Invest, to provide community businesses and other socially trading organisations across the region access to the flexible and tailored finance and support they need to thrive.

About the fund

West Midlands Combined Authority

We’re working with West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to support their goal to double the size of the social economy in 10 years, through implementing their social economy strategy.

We co-fund the role of Social Economy Strategic Lead, as well as match-funding WMCA to involve grassroots community businesses and minoritised communities in making it happen.

Our work in the West Midlands

Our impact so far

adult hugging a child

Investing in Liverpool City Region

Kindred is a community interest company (CIC), owned locally and collectively, reinvesting money, space and learning into Liverpool City Region’s socially-trading economy. The social investment vehicle was created out of our partnership with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

Learn more
a group dances outside the Trinity Building in Bristol, as part of Born to Protest - a hip-hop dance theatre show by choreographer Joseph Toonga

Investing in Bristol

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 Bristol. Now established, Bristol City Funds is a place-based, locally led £10m fund which aims to catalyse sustainable and transformational change in the city.

Learn more

Investing in local networks

We designed Empowering Places to explore how locally rooted anchor organisations, operating in areas of high deprivation, could be the catalysts for new community business. 

Over five years, we gathered learnings and evidence to model how local authorities, networks and community businesses can work together to grow the social economy, building prosperous places and opportunities for local people. 

About Empowering Places
More stories of community business

News and views

How to make places even stickier

How to make places even stickier

Our thinking
With the launch of two reports calling on government to put communities in the lead and invest in social infrastructure in order to achieve levelling up, Ailbhe McNabola reflects on the findings and what needs to happen next.
Why now is the time for a High Street Buyout Fund

Why now is the time for a High Street Buyout Fund

Our thinking
Power to Change’s Nick Plumb outlines why community ownership on the high street is essential to their survival.
Understanding community life at a hyperlocal level

Understanding community life at a hyperlocal level

Our thinking
Power to Change commissioned Kantar to conduct a ‘hyperlocal’ version of the Community Life Survey, focused on six places in England participating in the Empowering Places programme. This blog outlines some initial findings on the relative impact of our work in each area.
No results found.
View all latest news