We provide finance to high performing social organisations to help build their resilience and their impact potential
Portfolio review
We back organisations working across the UK that deliver demonstrable social impact, and have purposeful leadership and steady finances.
Our investments focus on three areas:
HOUSING WITH SUPPORT
Our loans help charities buy properties to house the people they support
We work with social sector organisations that provide support services to their beneficiaries. Our borrowers testify that they can have more impact if their clients are living in decent and appropriate housing. Our funding makes it possible for borrowers to buy housing without taking on the financial risk that this normally involves.
* Housing due to be purchased with loans that have been approved, as well as housing that is expected to be purchased with money invested into SASH but not yet committed to charities.
Social and Sustainable Housing, our flagship fund, works with charities that provide Transitional Supported Housing. In a 2020 report that SASC supported, IPPR North observed that it was lack of access to suitable finance that stopped these organisations doing more work in this sector. The full report can be read here.
*Indicative figures based on SASC analysis of data from MHCLG, Blood Review (2016), JLL, Savills
TRANSITIONAL SUPPORTED HOUSING
£14bn
TOTAL SUPPORTED HOUSING
£48bn
TOTAL SOCIAL HOUSING
£300bn
TOTAL RENTED HOUSING
(INDICATIVE CAPITAL VALUE)*
£1645bn
COMMUNITY RENEWABLES
Our loans help communities build or acquire renewable energy sources
We provide finance for community renewable energy projects that deliver both an environmental impact and social benefit to a local community. In 2020 SASC acquired Leapfrog Bridge Finance (now renamed SASC Bridge Finance) from Pure Leapfrog. SASC Bridge Finance increases our commitment to this sector and allows us to expand our lending.
* Includes all investments made by Leapfrog Bridge Finance (LBF) prior to the acquisition by SASC. ** Estimate based on MW capacity.
The UK is a global leader in renewable energy. The community renewables sector makes up a small percentage of the overall UK renewables market, but it continues to grow year on year.*
To date, SASC has provided financing for projects that make up 20%** of all community renewables projects in the UK, as reported by Community Energy England.
* https://communityenergyengland.org/pages/state-of-the-sector
** As at December 2020
SIZE OF SASC'S COMMUNITY RENEWABLES PORTFOLIO IN ENGLAND
48MW
SIZE OF ENGLAND'S COMMUNITY RENEWABLES MARKET ***
265MW
SIZE OF UK RENEWABLES MARKET **
48500MW
OTHER SUPPORT
Other support for marginalised communities
SASC’s generalist funds (CIF and TSIF) support social sector organisations looking to build their services to meet local need. We look to understand the impact that each project will have on the communities, families and individuals who are served.
