Better Society Capital
Better Society Capital is the UK's leading social investment wholesaler, deploying capital through fund managers and intermediaries to grow the £11.2bn UK social impact investment market across housing, economic opportunity, climate and energy, and health.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Better Society Capital does
Better Society Capital is the UK's leading social investment wholesaler, established in 2012 (rebranded from Big Society Capital in April 2024) and headquartered in London. It operates exclusively as a wholesale investor and market builder, deploying capital through 66+ fund managers, social banks, and intermediaries rather than directly into enterprises, across four priority verticals: Housing, Economic Opportunity, Climate and Energy, and Health. Since inception BSC has committed £1bn of its own capital, mobilising a further £4.5bn alongside institutional co-investors, and has reached 3,750+ social enterprises, charities, and housing providers, with 70% of investees located in the UK's most deprived areas.
The organisation is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and operates under a unique governance structure in which The Oversight Trust – Assets for the Common Good holds the majority of shares to lock in mission alignment, while four major UK banks (Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group) collectively hold £200m of equity. Revenue comes from returns on its investment portfolio and from a separate advisory practice (BSC Advisory) that supports institutional investors in navigating UK private social impact markets; specific pricing and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. BSC also partners with UK government at ministerial, civil-service, and local-authority levels — most notably on the £50m MHCLG Social Investment Pilot — and is a founding member of the Impact Economy Collective and an advisor to the Prime Minister's Office for the Impact Economy.
Technically, BSC does not operate a proprietary technology platform; its closest infrastructure assets are ecosystem entities it helped create (Good Finance, ImpactVC, Future Impact Finance). Its competitive differentiation rests on regulatory authorisation, mission-locked ownership, a 13-year dataset of market sizing that underpins its position as the authoritative source on UK social impact investment (a market it has helped grow 13x from £830m in 2011 to £11.2bn in 2024), and a recognised impact-management practice (2026 BlueMark Practice Leader, top quartile of 164+ impact investors assessed).
Better Society Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Better Society Capital
- Legal name
- Better Society Capital Limited
- Website
- https://bettersocietycapital.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Better Society Capital is the UK's leading social investment wholesaler, deploying capital through fund managers and intermediaries to grow the £11.2bn UK social impact investment market across housing, economic opportunity, climate and energy, and health.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Better Society Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Impact Investment (Wholesale Impact Investing)
- NAICS
- Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), Miscellaneous Intermediation (52391)
- SIC
- Investors, Nec (6799), Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Community Development & Affordable Housing Funds (FSANAJAK), Sustainable Infrastructure & Resilient Cities Funds (FSANAJAC), Capacity Building & Nonprofit Infrastructure Funders (BPAGAKAO)
Keywords
Where Better Society Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Better Society Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Investment Returns: BSC generates returns through its investment portfolio by deploying capital into fund managers, social banks and intermediaries that invest in social enterprises and charities. As a wholesale investor, they earn returns on their invested capital which supports their operations and allows them to continue market-building activities.
- BSC Advisory Services: BSC offers tailored advisory services to help investors navigate the market, identify investment opportunities and design novel solutions in impact. Drawing on over a decade of hands-on experience, they provide professional support for private market opportunities in the UK.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Better Society Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Better Society Capital is a social investment wholesaler that deploys capital into UK fund managers, social banks and intermediaries across four priority areas: Housing, Economic Opportunity, Climate and Energy, and Health. It commits cornerstone investments into funds such as the National Homelessness Property Fund II, Bridges Social Outcomes Funds, Meridian Health Ventures I, Ascension Fund III, the Community Energy Catalyst Facility and the Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust plc. It also delivers BSC Advisory, a paid advisory service guiding institutional investors on UK impact-investment opportunities.
Product overview
Better Society Capital operates as a social investment wholesaler and market builder, not a traditional product company. It deploys capital through fund managers, social banks, and intermediaries to drive impact across four priority areas: Housing, Economic Opportunity, Climate and Energy, and Health. Its product portfolio consists of investments in various fund managers across multiple asset classes including venture capital, social lending, property, renewables, social outcomes contracts, and other impact-focused investment vehicles. Key fund investments include the National Homelessness Property Fund II, Community Energy Catalyst Facility, Bridges Social Outcomes Funds, Meridian Health Ventures I, Ascension Fund III, Community Investment Enterprise Fund, Social and Sustainable Housing LP, Energy Resilience Fund, and the Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust plc. The organization also provides advisory services through BSC Advisory and supports policy initiatives including the Better Futures Fund.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- National Homelessness Property Fund II Property fund acquiring and leasing properties to housing providers for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Managed by Resonance.
- Community Energy Catalyst Facility Strategic joint venture to mobilise community-owned wind and solar projects across the UK, managed by Thrive Renewables.
- Bridges Social Outcomes Funds Pioneering funds dedicated to supporting Government-commissioned outcomes contracts, managed by Bridges Fund Management.
- Meridian Health Ventures I The first NHS-anchored venture fund investing in UK HealthTech companies and supporting them to scale in the NHS and beyond.
- Ascension Fund III Fund aiming to tackle social inequality through investments in scalable technology ventures.
- Community Investment Enterprise Fund Providing debt finance to Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs), managed by Social Investment Scotland.
- Social and Sustainable Housing LP UK Property fund delivering housing for people with complex needs.
- Energy Resilience Fund Fund aimed at supporting community organisations and social enterprises to improve energy resilience and stabilise energy costs, managed by Social Investment Business.
- Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust plc Investment trust listed on the London Stock Exchange that provides exposure to social impact investments across housing, economic opportunity, climate and energy, and health.
- BSC Advisory Tailored advisory services that help institutional investors navigate the UK social impact investment market, identify opportunities and design novel solutions in impact.
Quantifiable outcome
- UK social impact investment market grew to £11.2bn in 2024, a 12x increase from £830m in 2011
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Better Society Capital
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Better Society Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Better Society Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- United ResponsecoreHousing provider partnering with Resonance and Better Society Capital on the supported living apartments project for people with learning disabilities and autism.
- AccesscoreAccess provides grants and blended finance to charities and social enterprises, helping them become more financially sustainable. BSC works with Access to support the flow of finance to charities and social enterprises across the UK.
- Pathway FundcoreAn impact investment wholesaler dedicated to catalysing opportunities for Black and Ethnically Minorised communities. BSC works with Pathway to support the flow of finance to underrepresented communities.
- Good FinancecoreA resource platform designed to help charities and social enterprises navigate the world of social investment. BSC helped design Good Finance and works with them as a sister organisation to improve access to information for social sector organisations.
- ImpactVCcoreCommunity focused on impact for venture capital investors, providing tools, resources and community to help accelerate impact. Incubated at BSC, ImpactVC provides resources to help accelerate impact in venture.
- Impact Investing InstitutecoreProvides research, guidance, and resources to help accelerate the growth and effectiveness of the impact investing market. BSC partners with the Institute on market development initiatives.
- Blended Finance CollectivecoreA community to learn, connect and collaborate on blended finance. Brings together practitioners from across sectors and geographies to share knowledge and advance blended finance practice.
- Office for the Impact EconomyflagshipLaunched by the Prime Minister in 2025, this Office serves as a hub for impact investors, philanthropists and purpose-driven organisations. BSC is a member of the Social Impact Investment Advisory Group that helped inform its creation.
- Impact Economy CollectiveflagshipBSC is a founding member of this collective working with organisations across philanthropy, impact investment and purpose-driven business to catalyse the Impact Economy and help shape government policy and programmes for inclusive growth.
- Social Enterprise UKcoreBSC supports the Social, Cooperative and Community Economy All-Party Parliamentary Group, contributing to its work alongside the Secretariat and other organisations.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Better Society Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Power to Change: UK trust and endowment funding community businesses with grants and investment. Comparable as a UK mission-driven institution catalysing social economy through blended capital and partnerships.
- Bridges Fund Management: UK impact-focused private markets investor managing sustainable and social impact funds (including Bridges Social Outcomes Funds). BSC is an LP/partner in Bridges funds, making it a key operating peer in social impact deployment.
- Resonance: UK social investment fund manager that creates and manages impact funds (e.g., National Homelessness Property Fund, Supported Homes Fund) where BSC is a cornerstone investor. Direct overlap in fund-of-funds deployment into UK housing and social outcomes.
- Big Issue Invest: Social investment arm of The Big Issue providing loans and investment to social enterprises and charities in the UK. Comparable as a wholesale-style social impact capital provider targeting the same underserved UK social sector.
- Impact Investing Institute: UK independent organisation providing research, guidance, and resources to accelerate the impact investing market. BSC is an explicit partner on market development, making them close peers in ecosystem-building rather than direct capital deployment.
- Charity Bank: UK social-purpose bank that lends to charities and social enterprises using deposits from ethical savers. Like BSC, it is mission-locked, FCA-regulated, and channels capital into the social sector through intermediaries rather than directly.
- Access - The Foundation for Social Investment: UK foundation providing grants and blended finance to charities and social enterprises. BSC explicitly partners with Access to support flow of finance to the social sector, making it a close mission-aligned capital provider.
Broad incumbents
- British International Investment (BII): UK's development finance institution investing in private-sector growth across Africa and Asia with measurable development impact. Comparable as a government-backed impact wholesale investor operating at scale with measurable social outcomes.
- Triodos Bank UK: UK arm of ethical and sustainable bank lending to organisations delivering positive social, environmental, and cultural impact. Overlapping as a values-aligned financial institution serving the UK social economy.
Regional players
- Social Investment Scotland (SIS): Scottish social investor managing funds (including Community Investment Enterprise Fund where BSC is a co-funder) for charities and social enterprises. Operates the same intermediary capital model but focused on Scotland.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Better Society Capital social profiles
Digital presenceBetter Society Capital compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Better Society Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Better Society Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles28 records
Better Society Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Better Society Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Better Society Capital
What does Better Society Capital do?
Better Society Capital is a social investment wholesaler that deploys capital into UK fund managers, social banks and intermediaries across four priority areas: Housing, Economic Opportunity, Climate and Energy, and Health. It commits cornerstone investments into funds such as the National Homelessness Property Fund II, Bridges Social Outcomes Funds, Meridian Health Ventures I, Ascension Fund III, the Community Energy Catalyst Facility and the Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust plc. It also delivers BSC Advisory, a paid advisory service guiding institutional investors on UK impact-investment opportunities.
Is Better Society Capital a public or private company?
Better Society Capital is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Better Society Capital founded?
Better Society Capital was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Better Society Capital based?
Better Society Capital is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Better Society Capital make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Investment Returns are the primary driver. The others are BSC Advisory Services.
Who are Better Society Capital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Power to Change, Bridges Fund Management, Resonance, Big Issue Invest, Impact Investing Institute, Charity Bank and Access - The Foundation for Social Investment. Broad incumbents are British International Investment (BII) and Triodos Bank UK. Social Investment Scotland (SIS) is listed as a regional player.
Does Better Society Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Better Society Capital.
What industry is Better Society Capital in?
Better Society Capital's product category is Social Impact Investment (Wholesale Impact Investing). Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAALAG, Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure), with a secondary code of FSANAJAK, Community Development & Affordable Housing Funds. Its NAICS code is 525 and its SIC code is 6799.