Evaluation of the Social Enterprise Boost Fund
Process, impact and value for money evaluation of the Social Enterprise Boost Fund, an up to £5.1m fund to accelerate social enterprise activity in disadvantaged areas.
Applies to England
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The Social Enterprise Boost Fund is an up to £5.1 million package of funding to kickstart and accelerate social enterprise activity in four disadvantaged areas of England. This is being delivered through a combination of capacity building and onward grants to support local social entrepreneurs. The Boost Fund started in March 2023 and was originally scheduled to end in March 2025. In March 2025, the Fund was extended for another year into 25/26.
This evaluation, conducted by RSM UK, only covers delivery until March 2025.
The evaluation examined the design, set-up, and delivery of the Boost Fund, as well as the Fund’s outcomes and impacts on social entrepreneurs, and their perceived impact on their local communities. It found that the Fund:
- improved the skills, knowledge, confidence, and resilience of social entrepreneurs;
- supported the creation of new social enterprises and boosted early-stage social enterprises;
- strengthened local networks and partnerships that support social enterprises;
- increased social enterprises’ perceived ability to support communities in their target areas;
- showed what works to support social enterprises;
- demonstrated value for money, with unit costs of the business support at the lower end of the spectrum compared to other government-funded programmes.