About the fund
In development since 2020, the Growth Impact Fund was created by Big Issue Invest, UnLtd, and Shift in partnership to address the structural barriers that have historically shut diverse founders and social purpose organisations out of social investment — responding directly to findings from the Reclaiming the Future commission on inclusion and equity in social investment. The fund is designed to invest in 50–60 ventures, focusing on diverse-led social enterprises tackling inequality in the UK, and is built around four commitments: combining investment with grant-funded wraparound support across the investment process; partnering with embedded networks that have trusted relationships with diverse entrepreneurs; offering genuinely flexible products including equity, debt, and revenue participation within the same evergreen fund structure; and actively ensuring the team, management, and governance of the fund are representative of the founders it supports — including an all-female investment committee. Big Issue Invest, UnLtd, and Shift partnered to create the £25 million fund, which has invested in 50–60 ventures focusing on diverse-led social enterprises tackling inequality in the UK. The fund offers equity of £50,000–£1.5 million alongside debt and revenue participation instruments, with the evergreen structure enabling patient, long-term capital deployment.
