Community Business Fund evaluation - Interim Report

Power to Change commissioned Renaisi in October 2016 to evaluate the Community Business Fund. This is the first interim evaluation of the programme. The Community Business Fund is aimed at community businesses who need funding for a business development project that will make them more sustainable, making grant awards of between £50,000 and £300,000. The main aims of the evaluation were to identify and describe the types of community businesses supported by Power to Change, their impact and how the model of community business drives that impact. Renaisi were also tasked with providing a comparison point for the Fund. The evaluation was developmental, designed to respond to the evolving needs and interests of both the Community Business Fund and Power to Change more generally, and to provide timely insight to inform the ongoing development of the Fund.