We invest in charities and social enterprises that have ambitious growth plans, and that will benefit from the Impetus venture philanthropy approach. This involves a high level of engagement so it is essential that the organisation both wants and needs Impetus support. We only invest in a limited number of new charities and social enterprises each year and we undertake thorough due diligence on all potential investments.
How we work
We do not, under any circumstances, offer funding alone. We only support charities and social enterprises through our venture philanthropy package of management support, strategic funding and specialist expertise. Read more about our venture philanthropy model and our package of support.
We have also set up funds - the Impetus for Reducing Reoffending Initiative and the Impetus-Sutton Early Years Initiative - to increase our impact even further. Generally, charities and social enterprises we support will have outcomes that fall within the scope of one of these initiatives.
What we fund
Please look carefully at our selection criteria, which applies to all applicants:
- Coverage: Impetus backs charities and social enterprises that are working with significant numbers of economically disadvantaged people.
- Ambition: We support charities and social enterprises that have the ambition to effect far-reaching change for the economically disadvantaged.
- Outcome focus: We seek charities and social enterprises that deliver outcomes addressing challenging issues such as long-term unemployment or reoffending. We focus on outcomes relating to increased educational attainment, skills and employment. Organisations we back have a commitment to monitoring and evaluating their outcomes.
- Talented chief executive: We seek chief executives with the vision, energy, enterprise and determination to motivate their teams to deliver ambitious plans that aim to help more people move out of poverty. Quality of leadership is an important factor in our decision making.
- Distinctive and good prospects for sustainability: We target our support at charities and social enterprises that are distinctive and have strong prospects for success and sustainability in their sector.
- Supporting the whole organisation: We provide funding and expertise to support the development of a whole organisation and not just a particular project or activity.
Structural criteria
- A registered charity or social enterprise
- Turnover £250k+
- Operational and with audited accounts for at least three years
- HQ and significant portion of management in England.
Exclusions
Organisations in the following categories:
- focusing on animals, culture and heritage rather than people
- umbrella organisations/networks
- organisations operating outside of the UK
- services are conditional upon the acceptance, profession or observance of a particular religious position
- substantially/exclusively working in the areas of research or advocacy
- seeking funding for a particular project/building.
How to Apply:
If you think you satisfy the selection criteria above, here is how to apply. We will contact you if we want to pursue your application further.
Read more about our current portfolio of charities and social enterprises.
You can apply at anytime, and we aim to respond within six weeks of your application.
In philanthropy as well as business, money alone can only do so much; it is money combined with skills and experience that achieve real impact. Impetus Trust is leading the way in creating lasting change through this strategic combination.
Sir Ronald Cohen
Impetus supporter
