Social Investment Programme

At Postcode Innovation Trust, we believe that bold ideas and impactful organisations can drive lasting change. That’s why our social investment supports mission-driven ventures aligned with four key funding themes. These themes reflect the areas where we see the greatest opportunity for innovation, equity, and long-term impact.

Thriving Together 
  • We invest in organisations that help people live healthier, safer, and more connected lives. 
Bright Futures 
  • We invest in organisations creating brighter futures for children, young people, and people with disabilities or additional needs. 
Sustainable Planet 
  • We invest in organisations working to protect and restore our natural world — and to build a greener, more sustainable future. 
Resilient Communities 
  • We invest in organisations building fairer, more inclusive communities — where everyone has the opportunity to participate, contribute and thrive.

Read more detail about our thematic areas here.

 

Investment Terms 

The general investment terms are as follows: 

  • Investment packages from £50,000 to £300,000; 

  • All packages consist of 50% loan and 50% grant; 

  • Loan terms from 1 to 7 years; 

  • Interest rate of 3% 

  • No arrangement fees; 

A floating security charge is taken against each loan. 

Investees will be expected to provide regular financial and impact reports. 

We will cover our own legal costs of the social investment contract documentation up to a maximum of £5,000. Any amount over this will be added to the repayable loan balance of the investee organisation. 

We would expect awardees to be in a position to drawdown their funding within 3 months of a successful decision on their application.

 

Investment Process

We’re committed to making our investment process transparent, supportive and proportionate — designed to help ambitious organisations access the funding they need to scale their impact, whilst providing the information we need to ensure we are investing responsibly.

Step 1: Expression of Interest (EOI) 

Start by submitting a short EOI form via our website — it shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to complete. We’ll ask for some basic details, such as: 

  • What you’re seeking investment for 

  • How much you need 

  • Your annual turnover 

We aim to respond within two weeks of receiving your EOI.

Step 2: Initial Conversation

If your EOI is aligned with our funding themes and criteria, we’ll arrange a follow-up conversation to learn more about your organisation and explore whether we’re a good fit for each other. 

If there’s a strong match, we’ll allocate you a place in one of our investment rounds and invite you to submit a full application. 

We hold four investment rounds each year, and bring forward a maximum of four full applications per round — so we’re looking for the most impactful, innovative social enterprises that are looking to enter their next phase of growth and development.

Step 3: Full Application 

You’ll be asked to provide: 

  • A completed application form (covering your organisation, governance, investment ask, impact, and business model) 

  • A business plan for the specific project or activity 

  • Historic financial accounts 

  • Financial forecasts for the loan period (for both your organisation and project, if relevant) 

  • Information on your board and senior management team 

We welcome draft submissions ahead of the deadline and are happy to provide feedback to help you strengthen your application.

Step 4: Review & Investment Panel 

Once we receive your full application, our team conducts a detailed review and prepares an internal investment proposal. 

You’ll then be invited to pitch in person at our Edinburgh office to our investment panel. 

The investment panel then makes a recommendation, which goes to our trustees for final approval two weeks later.

Step 5: Legal Agreements & Payment 

If approved, we’ll draft your legal agreements. This usually takes 2-3 weeks.   

Once contracts are signed, we’ll ask for a recent bank statement. Payments are made within 21 days of receiving this.

Step 6: Ongoing Reporting 

We ask for twice-yearly reports covering: 

  • Progress against your business plan 

  • Updated financial information 

  • Information about the impact you are having 

Ready to get started?

Submit an Expression of Interest and let’s explore how we can support your mission.