Charity Bank

Watford Mencap was operating out of various sites, one of which was very run down. In order to bring all the services together in one place, the charity needed to buy a larger property – not easy in a small borough within commuting distance of London.

Community-led housing projects can find it hard to raise funds. Charity Bank provided a loan totalling £130,000 to the Askrigg Foundation to convert a rundown building into a community shop and three new affordable homes.

Housing charity Chrysalis is working to reduce its reliance on leased properties by increasing its property ownership. A £666,000 loan has enabled Chrysalis to refinance one property and purchase another.

Second Floor Studios & Arts (SFSA) has been offering affordable creative studios in London for more than 20 years. The social enterprise rented several buildings, but knew it needed to move to ownership to secure its long-term future.

Imagine if you could boost your funding, raise your profile and improve your social impact without emptying your pockets? Here's a list of free tools to get you off to a great start.

YMCA Thames Gateway has taken a different approach to affordable housing. The charity’s 39 new flats were built off-site, saving time, money and disruption. The scheme attracted a grant, which together with Charity Bank’s loan enabled the project to go ahead.

Size matters, or does it? Do loans work for all charities? Time to bust the biggest myths around borrowing when you're a charitable organisation.

Imagine if you could create an influx of support for your organisation without paying a single penny? We’ve collected our top five free tools to get you started.

Twitter can help you get your voice heard by more people, potential donors, funders, volunteers and service-users. Are you getting the most out of it? Here are a few top tips.