Impact of the Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Programme
Phase 2 || 2017 to 2022
Overview of this report
The Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Programme, delivered by the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) and jointly funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, was SSE’s flagship programme between 2012 and late 2022.
The programme was delivered over a decade, in two phases. This impact report focuses on the last five years of the programme (phase 2).
Phase 1: 2012 - 2017
Phase 2: 2017 - 2022
2017
1,250 social entrepreneurs supported
2012
1,217 social entrepreneurs supported
2022
This impact report by independent evaluators, AKOU, combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to assess the programme effectiveness.
“This report lays out the impact social enterprises, learning support and Match Trading can have on supporting marginalised communities and regenerating local economies. On a larger scale, that has the potential to have the sort of transformational effect that social entrepreneurship was created for in the first place - a new way of doing business that brings purpose and profit together”
Claire Dove CBE, (VCSE) Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Crown Representative
The programme
The programme was designed to support social entrepreneurs to develop the skills, confidence, and networks they need to start and grow their enterprises, in order to make a positive difference and tackle social problems. The programme was provided free to social entrepreneurs. Competition for places was strong, with 800-1,000 applicants per year, from which around 260 leaders were selected to take part.
Over a 12-month period, the programme offered social entrepreneurs intensive and practice-orientated learning including via expert and peer-led sessions, Action Learning Sets and project visits. Participants also benefitted from support from a Lloyds Banking Group mentor and a grant.
Programme objectives :
Improve business skills for social enterprises
Develop financially sustainable organisations
Increase impact on communities
Stages
Start Up
Learning programmes and grants geared towards the needs of social entrepreneurs who were in the planning or pilot stages. Participants needed to have a enterprise that was less than two years old and a turnover of less than £15,000.
Supported by a traditional grant of £1,000 to £3,000.
Trade Up
Learning programmes and grants were introduced in phase 2 of the programme to offer support to mid-level enterprises with a turnover of between £15,000 and £75,000.
Supported by a Match Trading grant of up to £4,000 - £7,000.
Scale Up
Learning programmes and grants supported those looking to scale their organisation from a solid foundation and significantly increase their impact. Enterprises needed to have a turnover of greater than £75,000.
Supported by a Match Trading grant of up to £7,000 - £10,000.
329 participants
789 participants
99 participants
Key findings
Enterprise
development
41% trading increase from those social enterprises benefiting from Match Trading
Survivability
SSE-backed social enterprises showed a higher 2 year survival rate of 81% when compared to the UK SME average of 73%
Skills & Networks
99% of participants reported an increase in skill level. Improving networks and increasing trading income generation being the top 2 skills gained
Social impact
Programme fellows collectively supported up to 1.8 million beneficiaries every year. This means that 1 in every 37 people in the UK received help from the programme!
Participants
1,217 Social Entrepreneurs were supported between 2017 - 2022
‘A blueprint for sustainable impact’
Capacity
building combined with a Match Trading grant is proven to..
incentivise them to increase their income from trading leading to more financially sustainable
enterprises..
improve social entrepreneurs’ skills
and networks..
which have a better chance of surviving..
and create
even more impact.
"What this report reveals is that despite Covid-19 and the Cost of Living crisis, social enterprises have become the bedrock of our communities. Often more relevant and resilient than private or public sector services, they are the new glue for many communities.
Excitingly, we now have a proven blueprint, delivered at scale, that demonstrates how capacity building support, coupled with Match Trading grants, helps to grow social organisations sustainably, thus helping them achieve impact in perpetuity”
Alastair Wilson, CEO, SSE
Skills & networks
SSE develop the skills, strengths and networks of social entrepreneurs. This enables them to build stronger organisations that create social or environmental impact. Over the course of the programme SSE measured 21 key skills. From measuring social impact to resilience and business planning. This report found that on average skill scores increased in each and everyone of these 21 areas.
Improvement in core skill areas
5.3
6.4
4.4
6.1
4.3
5.8
4.3
5.4
4.5
5.9
SSE have been supporting social entrepreneurs for over 26 years.
They bring people together in groups to learn from other entrepreneurs’ experiences, and encourage people to try things out, then reflect on what’s working. This approach is practical, rooted in reality and experiential ensuring social entrepreneurs from all backgrounds can learn with SSE.
From tackling inequality to combatting climate change, each participant is working on a live project that creates real action in society.
99%
of participants reported an increase in skill level
86%
of participants developed or maintained connections with other social entrepreneurs
Top skills gained: trading income generation & networks
“Before I joined the programme, Act for Autism was a disparate, ad-hoc set of activities. By the end of the course, it was a registered business, with a structure, a plan and a business model – plus a £40,000 training contract with Warwickshire County Council.”
Tessa Morton, Act for Autism
Sustainable enterprises
In phase two of the programme, Match Trading grants were incorporated, complemented by additional learning programme support aimed at boosting trading income for participants.
Since then, the average increase in skills related to trading income has been on an upward trajectory. This suggests that the introduction of Match Trading grants alongside accompanying capacity building has had a beneficial impact. The data underscores the programme’s effectiveness in elevating skills in trading income generation. Alongside a positive impact on income generation from trading, participants on average increased their overall income by 31%.
Trade Up
£35,482
+40%
£25,306
Start of programme
End of programme
Average increase in traded income: £10,176
Scale Up
£279,701
+42%
£162,860
Start of programme
End of programme
Average increase in traded income: £116,841
41%
trading increase from those
social enterprises benefiting from Match Trading®
this % increase was consistent across both Trade Up (40%) and Scale Up (42%) levels.
“Match Trading helps organisations to grow their trading income, but it is more than that - it is also about nudging behaviour change and changing the culture of social purpose organisations. It helps boards and senior staff with feeling confident about taking risks. It encourages leaders to actively engage with their finances. It helps social entrepreneurs to become confident about sales.
Louise Garner, Head of Grants, SSE
Match Trading® is innovative grant-funding that matches pound-for-pound an increase in trading income. By incentivising sales growth Match Trading® builds financial sustainability, not grant reliance.
SSE provided Ali Horton, co-founder of Gateway Collective, with Trade Up capacity building plus a £4k Match Trading grant
Gateway
Collective increased their income from trading by
71%
and used that money to help local people and communities in Bootle thrive via a much-loved community hub and garden.
“The Match Trading grant is incredibly motivating. It pushes you to make sure you do what you say you’re going to do, to increase your trading. It’s an incentive to actually follow through with what your aims are, because you want to get the funding.”
Madeline Alterman, Artbox London
Survival rates
Despite significant economic challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic and the Cost-of-Living crisis, the survival rates of programme participants were higher than their private sector counterparts.
Given participants have a dual focus on economic growth and delivering social impact, this demonstrates the financial and business resilience of these organisations.
% of enterprises operational two years later
Programme participants
81%
SMEs
73%
“If the organisation were to stop operating, a number of children would lose a valuable communal spot.
This would affect parents who make use of the clubs to keep their children occupied and safe while they have work.”
Beneficiary of The Play Glasgow Center
“This statistic shows the amazing resilience of social enterprises during the toughest economic time ever, especially when you compare it to SME data.
It proves that the programme design enhanced the skills of our participants which lead to better leadership and more
resilient ventures.”
Anna Ling, Director of Delivery, SSE
Correlation between skills and survival rates
Survival rates increase as the end of programme skill score increases. This trend supports the programme’s rationale: improving the skills of social entrepreneurs enhances the resilience of their ventures.
Survival rates in conjunction with end of programme skill score (mean average)
Survival rate
60%
83%
91%
87%
90%
100%
Skill level
"This data proves what we at SSE have always known - leaders with more developed skillsets, and who are more connected to their peers, are better placed to lead social sector organisations. It is fantastic to have this evidenced by this evaluation”
Robin Chu, Director of Strategic Projects, SSE
Social impact
1,217
social
entrepreneurs
1.8 million
beneficiaries every year
33%
increase in beneficiaries supported by social entrepreneurs
The social entrepreneurs on the programme are working across a wide range of sectors, places and social impact areas. By supporting participants to develop their skills, run more financially sustainable organisations, the programme enabled participants to, on average, increase the number of people they support by 33% - which is almost half a million additional people in total.
SSE provided Adekemi Giwa, co-founder of The Play Center Glasgow CIC, with a Start Up programme and £1,000 grant
over the course of the programme the Play Centre Glasgow CIC increased their impact by
86%
meaning 60 more community members were able to access support to help reduce feelings of social isolation, make new friendships and develop new skills.
Top 8 beneficiaries supported by programme participants:
Young
people
Local
community
People experiencing mental health problems
People with
disabilities or a long term
illness
Families
Women and
girls
Black & minority ethnic communities
People facing poverty/
financially excluded
Meet the social entrepreneurs
Nicole Robinson-Edwards, Her Path to Purpose
Start Up programme, SSE Midlands (2019)
By providing free and easily accessible services in mental health support and professional development, Her Path to Purpose helps marginalised young women thrive.
Reducing financial and social barriers to services resulted in beneficiaries feeling a shift in self-worth and confidence. Those with mental health issues were taught how to manage and advocate for their needs. The professional development support led to more employment opportunities by guiding the young women in their career progression and inspiring ambition to achieve their goals.
“Black women often struggle to find good quality and affordable counselling. Her Path to Purpose enables black women to gain access to therapy that has the potential to be life-changing”
Beneficiary of Her Path to Purpose
“The internal community of presenters is made up of people with different disabilities and health issues, such as autism, anxiety, depression, learning disabilities or difficulty, physical disabilities, and many more. Being involved in WFM is their mental health lifeline, a place they fit in, and can make a difference to others.”
Beneficiary of Wythenshawe Community Radio
Chris Paul founder, Wythenshawe Community Radio
Trade Up programme, SSE North West (2021)
Wythenshawe Community Radio aims to promote local services and community groups; raise awareness of issues which affect local communities; give local people access to qualifications in radio presentation and/or production leading to better chances of employment.
During the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wythenshawe Community Radio’s was able to adapt and became a vital repository of information for its listeners. The continuation of their programming and service was crucial for their community, as the Radio station became a vital source of public health information for their listeners during this crisis. This was particularly important for those in the community who were not as digitally literate or faced challenges in accessing online sources of information.
“In an area that mostly gets a bad rep and is classed as an area of deprivation, community means everything. WFM provides a platform for Wythenshawe residents… to come together to share all the positive things that happen.”
Beneficiary of Wythenshawe Community Radio
Veronica Gordon, Our Version Media
Start Up programme, SSE Hampshire (2018), Trade Up (2021)
Our Version Media is a community interest company dedicated to amplifying black and marginalised voices by equipping individuals, communities and organisations with
media skills to tell their own, authentic stories.
Through the provision of transferable skills in digital media and social media marketing, Our Version Media allows beneficiaries to access a new skillset. This increases employability and amplifies a set of community voices that are usually ignored. These digital skills are used by beneficiaries to draw wider community attention to struggles local people from marginalised backgrounds are facing.
“I feel more seen and represented, it makes me feel heard that people who look like me are given a platform to have their voices heard.”
Beneficiary of Our Version Media
Participants
Issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion sit at the heart of SSE’s mission with an aim to empower and equip people with entrepreneurial ideas and solutions to grow the social economy. The programme invested in entrepreneurial potential and talent among people from all backgrounds with a particular focus on ventures that are informed by founders direct experience of inequity and injustice.
65% | White |
13% | Black, Black British, Caribbean or African |
4% | Asian or Asian British |
4% | Mixed/multiple ethnic groups |
2% | Prefer not to say |
1% | Other |
16%
of our students are D/deaf and disabled people, including those with learning and non-visible disabilities, and people who are neurodivergent.
95%
of our students have personal lived experience of the issue they seek to address
72%
female (including
trans women)
25%
male (including
trans male)
12
1%
non-binary
2%
prefer not to
say
Programme participants | SME leaders | National population | |
Female leaders | 72% | 16% | 51% |
Leaders from minoritised ethnic communities | 22% | 6% | 18% |
Leaders with a disability | 16% | 25% | 18% |
This suggests that SSE has been successful in ensuring the programme is accessible to female-led enterprises and leaders from minoritised ethnic communities.
There were slightly fewer disabled social entrepreneurs enrolled on the programme than the national average (15% vs national average of 18%), although positive movement was demonstrated compared to Phase 1. There is progress to be made in terms of outreach and ensuring the proportion of applications from those with a disability increase to at least the national levels.
Find out more
Lloyds Banking Group
One of the largest Financial Services investors in UK communities has made commitments to address some of the big issues facing Britain, from improving skills and employability to tackling social disadvantage. This is set out in the Helping Britain Prosper plan.
www.lloydsbankinggroup.com | @AskLloydsBank
The National Lottery Community Fund
It is the largest community funder in the UK – community is at the heart of its purpose, vision and name. It supports activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.
The funder is proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with government to distribute vital grants and funding from key government programmes and initiatives.
As well as responding to what communities tell them is important to them, its funding is focused on four key missions, supporting communities to:
- Come together
- Be environmentally sustainable
- Help children and young people thrive
- Enable people to live healthier lives.
Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, it distributes around £500 million a year through 10,000+ grants and plans to invest over £4 billion of funding into communities by 2030. The funder is privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.
National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £47 billion has been raised and more than 670,000 individual grants have been made across the UK - the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district.
www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk | @TNLComFund
School for Social Entrepreneurs
We can’t fix issues like poverty, climate change and ill-health alone. That’s why the School for Social Entrepreneurs exists. We have helped thousands of people develop the skills, strengths and networks they need to tackle society’s biggest problems. In turn, they help millions of people in need.
We run courses that equip people to start, scale and strengthen organisations that make a positive difference. But we’re not a traditional school. Learning with SSE is inspiring, action-based and accessible. We support people in other ways too, such as funding and mentoring.
Lord Michael Young founded SSE in 1997. Today we work internationally, with teams across the UK and India. Together, we’re changing lives and transforming communities.
www.the-sse.org | @SchSocEnt
This evaluation report was principally authored and developed by AKOU for the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE). AKOU led the research, data analysis, the Research Associate Programme, and the drafting and
design of the full report.
The report is intended for general informational purposes only; no responsibility can be accepted for its contents being used by any third party. The findings are based on the assumptions and data outlined throughout the report. While the sample sizes are sufficient for analysis, it should be noted that the responses do not cover every programme fellow; therefore, the reasonable assumption has been made that the results are representative of the total. The findings should be considered valid for a limited period and reviewed at regular intervals. All
references and sources used in the development of this report are cited in the appendix or footnotes in the full report.
Published: December 2023