A wide range of investors have backed a Cabinet Office proposal to set up a risk capital investment fund for the 55,000 social enterprise businesses in the UK. The proposal describes an equity-like investment scheme where Government funding will be matched by private investment.
Although there are various schemes for start-up businesses, there is a funding gap when social enterprises move to a growth stage. 

Alliance & Leicester has introduced a prepaid card payments solution for local councils in the wake of the government’s scheme to transfer payment of housing benefit to claimants, rather than their landlords.
A prepaid card scheme will allow councils to save up to 75 per cent of their processing costs for the payment of housing benefits, as well as remove the average 10 per cent charge to the recipients when converting cheques to cash. 

The Department of Health has published details of the Investment Programme for third sector organisations working in areas which are the responsibility of the Health Service and local councils.
The document helps third sector organisation decide if this funding stream is applicable to both their organisation and the proposed activity for which they are seeking funding.