Sharing local wealth

Not so very long ago, sources of finance for our sector were pretty limited. Traditional fundraising and 100% grants had been the staple diet until the idea of commercial loans secured against community assets began to take root. And over time, a range of new hybrids and mechanisms borrowed from the real financial market have been tested. Very few have taken off but one in particular has – community shares.  It’s still early days but the potential looks could be huge. £3.25m raised already.