The Future of Dormant Assets
The existing Dormant Assets Scheme enables banks and building societies to channel funds from dormant bank and building society accounts towards good causes.
The Scheme is led by industry and backed by the government with the aim of reuniting people with their financial assets. Where this is not possible, this money goes towards social and environmental initiatives across the UK.
The scheme is set to be expanded later this year - including assets from the insurance and pensions, investment and wealth management, and securities sectors for the first time.
A consultation on the future use of dormant assets in England was launched last summer. The expanded scheme could release more than £880m in additional funds for charities and social enterprises.
The Community Enterprise Growth Plan
The Community Enterprise Growth Plan would see Dormant Assets used for a range of tried and tested interventions to support enterprise and trading activities by VCSEs including:
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Helping charities and social enterprises to access suitable and affordable finance through blending grants and loans, providing support to smaller charities and social enterprises and making finance more accessible especially in the places and communities most in need of investment.
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Start-up funding for a £50m Black-led social investment fund as recommended by the recent Adebowale Commission on Social Investment to tackle the current inequality of social investment in Black-led social enterprises.
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Supporting a vibrant network of non-profit lenders (Community Development Financial Institutions or CDFIs) that can offer affordable finance to community businesses and small enterprises in disadvantaged areas that are unable to access mainstream lending.
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Providing tailored business support including advice to start-ups and innovative incentives like match trading to encourage small enterprises to grow in more challenging areas.