What Fredericks Foundation does

Fredericks Foundation is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 1086562) founded in 2001 by Paul Barry-Walsh, originally providing microloans to financially excluded individuals. Since a strategic pivot in 2021, the organization has focused on providing flexible revenue share financing of £20,000–£50,000 to UK social enterprises, charities, and B-corporations. Repayments are structured as a percentage of investee revenue with an upfront cap, and no equity, personal guarantees, or collateral are required. The organization is volunteer-run, governed by a board of trustees with backgrounds in commercial banking, international corporate finance, and international development.

The foundation's core product is its Revenue Share Funding model, supplemented by Team Fredericks Membership, which provides investees with ongoing mentorship, board-level guidance from experienced trustees, and access to repeat capital injections. The organization operates primarily in England, Wales, and Scotland, and has funded 2,000+ organizations since inception, creating 4,000+ jobs and deploying £8M of capital cumulatively. Fredericks has developed an ecosystem of complementary partnerships: it acts as a delivery partner for the Community Builders Fund (loans of £100,000–£1.5M backed by the UK Government's Growth Guarantee Scheme), co-invests through the Thrive Together Fund's blended finance structure, and refers early-stage clients to The Reach Fund for pre-investment readiness support.

Commercially, Fredericks recycles repayments from investees into new deals rather than seeking traditional VC/PE funding. Its go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct outreach to social enterprises, website-based enquiry, and referrals from its 20+ year network of business advisors and ecosystem partners including Social Enterprise UK, Good Finance, and Big Issue Invest. The organization does not operate proprietary technology, and its investment process is relationship-driven rather than platform-mediated.

Name

Fredericks Foundation

Legal name

Fredericks Foundation

Website

https://fredericksfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fredericks Foundation is a UK-registered charity that provides revenue share financing (£20,000–£50,000) and mentorship to social enterprises, charities, and B-corporations, having funded 2,000+ organizations and deployed £8M since 2001.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Investment / Microfinance

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Sales Financing (52222)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Social enterprise funding
• Revenue share financing
• Microfinance charity
• Social impact investment
• Charitable lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Surrey

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Revenue Share Financing: Fredericks Foundation provides flexible revenue share funding to social enterprises. Repayments are based on a percentage of revenue, reducing when revenue falls. They agree to a repayment cap upfront. No equity is taken, no shareholders required, and no personal guarantees. Funding range is £20,000-£50,000. The organization reinvests returns from investments into new enterprises, creating ongoing impact.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fredericks Foundation provides revenue share financing of £20,000–£50,000 to UK social enterprises, charities, and B-corporations. Repayments are linked to a percentage of the investee's revenue, with a maximum cap agreed upfront; no equity, shareholders, or personal guarantees are required. Funded organisations additionally receive Team Fredericks membership with mentorship, trustee guidance, and access to repeat capital.

Product overview

Fredericks Foundation operates as a social investment organization offering a unified Revenue Share Funding product (ranging from £20,000–£50,000) to social enterprises, charities, and B-corporations. The core Revenue Share model links repayments to financial performance without requiring equity or personal guarantees. Funded organizations gain access to Team Fredericks Membership, which provides tailored mentorship, board-level guidance from experienced trustees, and potential for repeat capital. Fredericks also serves as a delivery partner for the Community Builders Fund (offering larger loans of £100k–£1.5m backed by the Growth Guarantee Scheme) and partners with The Reach Fund to provide pre-investment support for organizations not yet investment-ready.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Revenue Share Funding Flexible £20,000–£50,000 funding for UK social enterprises, charities, and B-corporations, structured as a revenue participation agreement where repayments are tied to a percentage of the investee's monthly revenue (reducing when revenue falls) and capped to a maximum amount agreed upfront. No equity is taken, no shareholders are required, and no personal guarantees are sought. Aimed at organisations with social or environmental missions that mainstream lenders exclude.
• Team Fredericks Membership Exclusive post-investment membership provided to organisations funded by Fredericks Foundation, offering industry-leading expertise, tailored mentorship, dedicated trustees with board experience, and access to follow-on capital injections. Designed to help social enterprises scale their impact after receiving initial revenue share funding.
• Community Builders Fund (Delivery Partnership) Delivery partnership for the Community Builders Fund, offering larger loan sizes of £100,000–£1,500,000 to UK charities and social enterprises, supported by the UK Government's Growth Guarantee Scheme. Fredericks Foundation acts as a delivery partner, providing access to growth-stage capital that sits above its core £20k–£50k revenue share range.
• The Reach Fund Pre-Investment Support Partnership Pre-investment grant and support partnership with The Reach Fund, helping charities and social enterprises become investment-ready before applying for Fredericks Foundation funding. Provides pre-application capacity building, including business plan refinement, financial modelling support, and impact measurement preparation, delivered through The Reach Fund with referrals originating from Fredericks.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2000+ organisations funded since 2001
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Blue SourceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting Fredericks Foundation's work with social enterprises. Blue Source is a sustainability-focused organization.
• ClaranetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner providing support to Fredericks Foundation and its network of social enterprises.
• ReskubeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting Fredericks Foundation.
• HiyaCarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner in the social enterprise ecosystem.
• BoldspaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting social impact initiatives.
• Good FinanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization helping navigate social investment landscape.
• Social Investment ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry body for social investment in the UK.
• Social Enterprise UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrade body for social enterprises in the UK.
• The Reach FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant programme that helps charities and social enterprises become investment ready. Fredericks refers prospective clients to The Reach Fund for pre-investment support before applying for Fredericks funding.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Charity Bank: UK ethical bank providing loans to charities and social enterprises using depositor funds. Directly comparable to Fredericks in serving UK social-purpose organisations with debt-style funding, although at larger ticket sizes and longer tenors.
• Big Issue Invest: UK social-investment arm of The Big Issue providing loans and investments to social enterprises and charities. Directly comparable to Fredericks in mission, customer base (UK social enterprises), and ticket-size range — and is itself a co-investor alongside Fredericks in portfolio companies such as WYK.
• Key Fund: Not-for-profit social-investment fund providing loans and grants to charities and social enterprises across the UK Midlands and North. Comparable in mission, customer base, and blended-finance approach, often serving similar excluded communities.
• Resonance: UK impact-investment fund manager offering social-investment products to charities, social enterprises and disadvantaged communities. Comparable to Fredericks in social-finance focus, customer segment, and use of patient-capital structures.
• Unity Trust Bank: UK commercial bank with a social-purpose mandate serving charities, social enterprises and co-operatives. Comparable in targeting impact-driven organisations, though Unity offers deposit-taking banking services beyond Fredericks' investment remit.
• Social Investment Business (SIB Group): UK social-investment manager operating the Community Builders Fund and Thrive Together Fund — both core Fredericks partners. Directly comparable as a social-finance intermediary with overlapping customer base and blended-finance products.

Emerging players

• Ethex: UK positive-investment platform offering securities and bonds from social enterprises, charities and impact-driven businesses. Comparable in channelling capital to social-purpose issuers, though via public-investor marketplaces rather than direct lending.
• Crowdfunder: UK crowdfunding platform for social enterprises, charities and community projects, often partnered with grant and blended-finance programmes. Comparable in serving UK social-enterprise fundraising needs, though typically at smaller ticket sizes and via community capital rather than revenue share.

Broad incumbents

• Big Society Capital: The UK's largest social-investment wholesaler, channelling capital into social enterprises via intermediary funds. Operates at much larger scale than Fredericks but addresses the same investee base and shapes the same social-investment ecosystem Fredericks participates in.
• Triodos Bank UK: European sustainable bank active in the UK providing loans to charities, social enterprises and ethical businesses. Comparable in impact-mission lending, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope than Fredericks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fredsfreddies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fredericks-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fredericks Foundation