Today, UnLtd and 10 other organisations in our sector are writing to the Chancellor proposing a four-point plan to sustain social ventures through Covid-19. Here’s why.

The letter is a direct response to what we’ve seen and heard since this crisis began. Even though we’ve repurposed our services to make as many of our resources available at this time to the social entrepreneurs we’ve supported, you’ve told us – quite justifiably - that you need more.

The UK Government’s bigger resources are saving many businesses, but so far the safety net they’ve set up has also contained gaping holes that too many social ventures have been falling through.

We’ve heard this in our conversations with you and we’ve heard this via our Covid-19 survey too. 88% of you have said you’re being negatively affected by Covid-19 and the two types of help you’ve told us you want the most are: (1) connections to funders, and (2) lobbying with third parties to get support for social entrepreneurs.

So, we’re working actively behind-the-scenes to ensure that as many social ventures as possible – not just registered charities – qualify for some of the £750 million grant funding announced by the Chancellor earlier this month.

Today’s joint letter asks the Chancellor to take four further steps:

1. Extending existing business grants to include social enterprises;
2. Changing the delivery of loan finance to work for social enterprises;
3. Opening up emergency financing for public services to social enterprises delivering services on behalf of the state;
4. Providing business support so that social enterprises can use any funds they do receive effectively to transition their business.

The organisations taking part in this joint campaign are – Community Leisure UK, Co-operatives UK, Locality, Social Enterprise UK, School for Social Entrepreneurs, The Social Enterprise Mark and UnLtd.

By coming together, UnLtd and the other signatories are using our voices to push for policies and financial support that will ensure social entrepreneurs will survive this crisis. And we can lay the foundations for a strong and just recovery.

We need you to show the government how beneficial these four interventions could be for the UK’s social ventures.

Please support this call for action and help fellow social entrepreneurs through the shock of Covid-19: Add your name to the letter today

You can read the letter here, and you'll find the full sustainability plan here.