Power Up London – building confidence before investment

Power Up London is an accelerator and grant programme supporting early-stage social and environmental impact organisations in Greater London. We help organisations grow their income and strengthen their long-term sustainability, with a focus on inclusion, equity, and lived experience.

Since 2023, the programme has supported over 50 enterprises across 3 cohorts with a combination of capacity-building, business development, and tailored grant support.

Many early-stage social purpose organisations and charities need guidance to grow their income and impact and strengthen their organisation, and don’t yet feel ready to explore loans or social investment. Questions around income, governance, impact or long-term sustainability can make it difficult to know what the right next step should be.

Power Up London exists for organisations at that early-stage. It offers capacity-building, business development, mentoring, and tailored grant support to build confidence and understanding, without pressure to pursue funding or investment before it feels appropriate.

The programme focuses on helping organisations understand what it takes to grow a social enterprise or charity so that future decisions can be made with clarity rather than urgency.

Hear from Woodshop of Recycled Delights, one of our 2023 participants:

What is Power Up London?

Power Up London is an accelerator and grant programme delivered by Big Issue Invest and funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA). It supports early-stage, London-based social enterprises and charities that are developing their income and impact, and want to build confidence around their next steps.

The programme is designed to help organisations better understand their strategy, capabilities, finances and governance. It also aims to help explore future finance or social investment approaches for the future.

Rather than directing organisations towards a specific outcome, Power Up London focuses on learning, reflection and informed decision-making.

What is the application criteria for Power Up London?

Power Up London is for early-stage social enterprises, organisations, social initiatives and charities based in London that want to grow their traded income and can clearly communicate why the programme will help them become financially sustainable and grow their impact.

Full criteria for organisations that take part:

• Informal teams or organisations with an impact-first structure – individuals and unincorporated organisations are eligible to participate, but need to register as a company or charity to access the grant funding at the end of the programme.
• Have a social purpose, a profit cap, and an asset lock
• Based in and creating impact in Greater London
• Registered for less than 5 years by 30 June 2025
• Have a maximum annual income of £500,000
• Looking to generate new or grow existing trading income activities

We will prioritise initiatives that:

• Are led by, or working with people from marginalised communities in Greater London, that fall into one or more of the below categories:
  • People from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic
  • People with disabilities
  • Women
  • LGBTQIA+ communities
  • People with lived experience of a social challenge
  • People experiencing socio-economic disadvantages

• Are led by people with direct experience of the issues they are seeking to support
• Exist for the primary purpose of increasing environmental sustainability, or are looking to improve their work on environmental issues
• Have an existing social impact track record or social impact potential
• Have a plan for growing and developing new products and services
• Are in the early stages of development and would benefit from help to build structures to grow
• Intend to hire new staff members within the next 6 months

There is no expectation that organisations are “investment ready”. Feeling unsure is a common and valid part of the journey.

How to apply for Power Up London

Applications for Power Up London are currently closed. Please sign up for the Big Issue Invest newsletter here to be the first to hear about programme openings.

How Power Up London fits within our wider work

Power Up London sits alongside Big Issue Invest’s wider work in supporting organisations tackling poverty and inequality through repayable finance and social investment.

Taking part in the programme does not guarantee access to funding or investment and it is not a requirement for future support. Instead, it offers a constructive step for organisations that want to learn how to grow their income and impact and explore their options at their own pace.

For some organisations, the programme helps confirm that repayable finance is not the right route at this time. For others, it supports preparation for future conversations. Both outcomes are equally valid.

What to expect if you apply

Applying to Power Up London is intended to be clear and straightforward. Every application made will receive a response from one of our investment team members to confirm why you have or haven’t been accepted onto the programme.

We are interested in understanding your organisation, the work you do and why this type of support could help you grow your income and impact. Please provide as much information in your application as possible. 

The programme itself lasts around 4-5 months with regular interactive learning sessions with field experts. You will be connected with a mentor to guide and support you throughout the journey, and there will be an end-of-cohort celebration and networking event with your peers and others.  

The programme is about exploration and learning, not progression or performance.

Additional Support

For organisations that meet our eligibility criteria but are not yet ready to take on investment, we can also act as an access point to external pre-investment readiness support. This includes programmes such as the Reach Fund, which supports organisations to strengthen areas including financial planning, business models, and impact reporting.

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FAQs

Is Power Up London an investment or funding programme?
No. Power Up London is an accelerator and tailored grant support programme focused on building confidence and understanding. It does not provide financing and does not guarantee access to future funding.

Who funds Power Up London?
Power Up London is funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and delivered by Big Issue Invest.

Do organisations need to be investment ready to apply?
No. The programme is designed for early-stage organisations that want to learn more about how to grow their income and impact.

Is grant funding the main purpose of the programme?
No. Grant funding supports participation and development but the focus is on learning, reflection and growth rather than funding outcomes.

What happens after the programme ends?
Organisations leave with greater clarity about how to achieve sustainable growth for their organisation.. Any future funding or investment decisions are made independently and in their own time.

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