Coventry & Warwickshire CDA

What Coventry & Warwickshire CDA does

Coventry & Warwickshire CDA (legal name: Coventry & Warwickshire Co-operative Development Agency, abbreviated CWCDA) is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1982, registered in England as company number 1676622, headquartered at G4 Enterprise House, Foleshill Enterprise Park, Courtaulds Way, Coventry CV6 5NX. It provides three integrated service lines to the Coventry & Warwickshire region: Community Business Support (incorporation assistance, business planning templates, social impact measurement training, investment readiness, and access to grants and blended finance for Community Interest Companies, charities, and co-operatives); Employment Support (advisory services helping unemployed and economically inactive residents overcome barriers to work); and Community Services (including the National Lottery-funded Branching Out budgeting/renting workshops for Warwickshire residents aged 16+, the Money Money Maths programme in partnership with Skills For Life Multiply, and credit union information). It also runs the recurring Get Social networking event series across six regional towns and a Meet the Expert workshop programme.

The operating model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Revenue derives primarily from multi-funder grant programmes (National Lottery Community Fund, European Regional Development Fund, Warwickshire County Council, Coventry City Council, Warwick District Council, Access – The Foundation for Social Investment, and West Midlands Combined Authority) with negligible ticket revenue (£10–£15 per attendee for events, discounted for social enterprises). Core delivery is free to eligible beneficiaries. Go-to-market is event-driven and partnership-led: a recurring event series co-hosted with Socially Shared Business Network, an Access Programme delivered in partnership with Coventry & Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust extending reach across the wider West Midlands, and webinars with Big Issue Invest on social investment. The technology stack is administrative rather than proprietary — standard website (cwcda.co.uk), Mailchimp newsletters, Eventbrite ticketing, Zoom webinars, and a members-only portal providing business planning templates (PEST, SWOT, risk registers, skills audits). The organisation does not develop technology products; its competitive position rests on regional ecosystem relationships accumulated since 1982.

Name

Coventry & Warwickshire CDA

Legal name

Coventry & Warwickshire Co-operative Development Agency

Website

https://cwcda.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Coventry & Warwickshire CDA is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1982 that delivers free community business support, employment advisory, and community services to social enterprises, charities, co-operatives, and residents across Coventry and Warwickshire, funded primarily by UK government and lottery grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Enterprise and Community Development Support Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Social enterprise support
• Community business services
• Employment advisory services
• VCSE sector support
• Cooperative development agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Coventry

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government and Grant Funding: CWCDA operates primarily through grant funding from government bodies and foundations including European Regional Development Fund, National Lottery Community Fund, Warwickshire County Council, and Coventry City Council. The organization also receives funding through the Building Better Opportunities Programme and Access – The Foundation for Social Investment.
2. Event Ticket Sales: Some events and workshops are priced at £10-£15 per ticket, particularly for Get Social networking events and training workshops. Social enterprises, charities and community organisations in Coventry & Warwickshire receive discounted rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Coventry & Warwickshire CDA is a not-for-profit organisation that delivers free business support, employment advisory services and community programmes to social enterprises, charities, Community Interest Companies, co-operatives, unemployed individuals and residents across the Coventry and Warwickshire region. Core offerings include Community Business Support (business planning, incorporation help, funding guidance, online learning resources), Employment Support (adviser services, Accelerate-style employability programmes), and Community Services (Branching Out budgeting workshops, credit union information, Money Money Maths).

Product overview

Coventry & Warwickshire CDA is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1982 that provides a portfolio of support services to strengthen local communities. The organisation offers three core service areas: Community Business Support (including business planning tools, funding guidance, and online learning resources through membership), Employment Support (advisory services for job seekers), and Community Services (including the Branching Out budgeting programme and Credit Union information). Additional offerings include Get Social Networking events, Meet the Expert workshops, the Access Programme (grants and blended finance for social enterprises), and Investment Readiness support. The organisation operates a membership area providing business tools such as planning templates, risk registers, and strategic analysis frameworks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Business Support Comprehensive support for groups seeking to establish new not-for-profit organisations and those already trading, including business planning templates, project outlines, risk management tools and funding guidance, targeted at social enterprises, charities, CICs and co-operatives in Coventry and Warwickshire.
• Employment Support Advisory services assisting people from various backgrounds to improve their employment prospects and access training opportunities, including job search assistance, CV writing, interview skills and confidence building.
• Branching Out Workshops Free workshops for Warwickshire residents aged 16 and over offering budgeting skills, private renting understanding, energy saving, cooking on a budget and household bill management, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
• Credit Unions Information Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 individuals supported into overcoming employment barriers through the Accelerate project (2016-2023)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Socially Shared Business NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOngoing collaboration with Socially Shared Business Network (founded by Karen Heap in 2015) to deliver the Get Social Networking event series. Joint events bring together social enterprises, charities, community organisations and purpose-led businesses from across Coventry, Warwickshire and beyond. Karen Heap, Founder of Socially Shared, co-hosts these events with Mandy Bygrave, CEO of CWCDA.
• Coventry & Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust (CWRT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver the Access Programme, funded by Access – The Foundation for Social Investment. CWRT and CWCDA work together to provide grants and blended finance (grants combined with low-interest loans) to charities and social enterprises in Coventry, Warwickshire, Birmingham, Solihull, Sandwell, Dudley, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Worcestershire and Staffordshire.
• Warwickshire Community and Voluntary Action (WCAVA)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCWCDA partners with WCAVA for Get Social networking events. WCAVA representatives Pippa Reeve and Karen Thomson delivered a session on 'Volunteers: Making The Most Of The Support Available' at the Get Social Stratford event.
• Big Issue InvestsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to deliver webinars on social investment topics. Big Issue Invest Investment Manager Tom Bostock leads webinars explaining benefits, challenges and opportunities of social investment. Big Issue Invest deployed £9.4 million to 50 social purpose organisations in 2024/25.
• West Midlands Combined AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWCDA participates in West Midlands Combined Authority initiatives including Social Economy Drive West Midlands, a week-long celebration of the social economy across seven WMCA areas. The WMCA funds programmes including Social Economy Business Skills Programme and grants for social enterprises.
• Plunkett FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of a coalition promoting benefits of community businesses co-locating with places of worship. Plunkett Foundation provides free bespoke advice and grants of up to £5,000 for early feasibility work, with funding from Benefact Trust.
• The Bear Pub (Rugby)minorOthersLocal venue hosting Get Social networking events in Rugby. Provides warm welcome and refreshments for attendees.
• Hampton by Hilton NuneatonminorOthersHotel venue hosting Get Social networking events in Nuneaton.
• Belgrade Theatre (Coventry)supportingOthersCoventry theatre venue hosting Social Economy Drive events and Get Social celebrations. A charity itself that serves as venue sponsor for social economy events.
• The Fox at Loxley (Warwick)minorOthersCommunity owned pub in Warwick hosting Get Social networking events.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Locality: National VCSE infrastructure body supporting community organizations and social enterprises. Directly comparable to CWCDA as both deliver business support, training, and policy advocacy to community organizations, though Locality operates at national scale while CWCDA is regional.
• Social Enterprise UK: National membership body for social enterprises providing policy advocacy, networking, and business support. Operates the same mission of supporting social enterprises but at national scale rather than CWCDA's regional geographic focus.
• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): National membership body for the voluntary sector providing infrastructure support, research, and advocacy. Shares CWCDA's community services and charity support mission but operates at national scale with policy influence.
• Power to Change: Independent trust supporting community businesses in England through grant funding and research. Listed as CWCDA partner and shares the mission of strengthening community-owned enterprises, though operating at national scale with larger grant programmes.

Direct peers

• Warwickshire Community and Voluntary Action (WCAVA): Regional VCSE infrastructure body for Warwickshire, providing training, networking, and governance support to voluntary organizations. Direct partner of CWCDA on Get Social events and serves overlapping beneficiaries in the same region.
• School for Social Entrepreneurs: UK charity providing training, mentoring, and peer support to social entrepreneurs through programmes like Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme. Offers overlapping services to CWCDA's business support and peer mentoring programmes.
• Plunkett Foundation: UK-wide charity supporting community businesses including community-owned pubs, shops, and co-operatives. Listed as a CWCDA partner and addresses the same fundamental mission of community-owned enterprise development, providing free advice and grants.
• UnLtd: Foundation supporting social entrepreneurs through grants, awards, and development programmes. Comparable to CWCDA's business support and investment readiness services, though UnLtd focuses on individual social entrepreneurs rather than community businesses.
• Big Issue Invest: Social investment arm of Big Issue providing loans and grants to social enterprises and charities. Listed as CWCDA partner (delivering webinars on social investment) and serves overlapping beneficiaries, with £9.4 million deployed to 50 social purpose organisations in 2024/25.

Regional players

• Unity Trust Bank: UK social purpose bank serving charities, social enterprises, and credit unions. Aligned with CWCDA's community finance mission and the credit unions referenced in CWCDA's services, though operating as a regulated bank rather than community development agency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coventry-&-warwickshire-cda

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Coventry & Warwickshire CDA