This report compares the activities of local community businesses with those of other types of third sector organisations (TSOs) in England and Wales. To do so, it draws upon findings from the Third Sector Trends study, which received 6,070 responses in 2022. It is the third in a series of reports from Third Sector Trends on community businesses for Power to Change.
The report compares community businesses with other TSOs across four key areas: structure and resources, purpose and impact, resilience and development, and relationships and policy engagement. The findings show that compared to other TSOs, community businesses are more likely to support minoritised ethnic communities, invest in staff and volunteer training and development, and engage with local social and public policy development.
Third Sector Trends is published by St Chad’s College at Durham University in collaboration with Power to Change, Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, Barrow Cadbury Trust and Millfield House Foundation. It has been running since 2010 in the North of England. In 2022, the study became national and explored regional variations in structure, energy and impact, people in the sector, finance and assets and sector relationships.
