Aims/priorities: The Fund is delivered by a partnership made up of Social Investment Business, Big Issue Invest, Charity Bank, Co-operative and Community Finance, Groundwork UK, Key Fund, Resonance Ltd, The Architectural Heritage Fund, and The Ubele Initiative.
The Fund is the successor to the pilot Energy Resilience Fund managed by Key Fund. Also delivered in partnership with many of the above organisations.
The Energy Resilience Fund provides eligible charities and social enterprises in England with a blended funding package of loan (60%) and grant (40%) to improve their energy resilience. They may need this support for many different reasons, for example reduced carbon emissions, energy cost savings, upgrading energy efficiency ratings to meet future regulations, increased use or comfort of buildings, replacing older vehicles and equipment with modern energy efficient versions.
Who can apply: Applications are accepted from charities and social enterprises that are looking to install energy-saving measures or generation technology to buildings/land (including new builds), and/or to purchase energy efficient or environmentally friendly vehicles or equipment.
Eligible organisations must:
- Be an incorporated voluntary, community or social enterprise organisation.
- Be based in England and serving communities primarily within England.
- Be constituted for social benefit and improving people's lives or the environments they live in.
- Have a minimum of two years' operating activity.
- Have a minimum turnover of £100,000 in their last set of end of year accounts.
- Have fewer than 250 employees, an annual turnover not exceeding £40 million and no more than £35 million assets.
- Be unable to access mainstream bank lending for this purpose.
- Not be subject to any insolvency proceedings.
- Have a viable borrowing proposal.
- Have freehold ownership or a suitable written lease agreement with a minimum of 2 years remaining on it over the length of the loan term if applying to install energy saving/ generating measures to buildings/land.
- Have the support of their senior decision makers for taking on loan finance.
If an organisation is registered as any other legal entity than a charity, community interest company or community benefit society, it must have a social object, asset lock and restriction on profit distribution (must distribute less than 50% of post-tax profits) written into its governing documents.
Grant amount: Funding of £25,000 to £250,000 is available via a blend of grants (40%) and loans (60%).
The loan repayment term is two to ten years. Loans have a 2.5% arrangement fee and an interest rate of 8.5% fixed per annum.
Loans will generally be provided unsecured.
Application process: You can apply online: https://www.sibgroup.org.uk/fund/energy-resilience-fund/
Deadline: No set date
Contact: grants@sibgroup.org.uk
Website: https://www.sibgroup.org.uk/fund/energy-resilience-fund/