About the CIC Association

The CIC Association is Founded

The Association is founded with the support of Stephen Lloyd, following a gathering of early CIC founders at a social enterprise meeting led by Social Enterprise Coalition CEO Jonathan Bland on May 6th in Vauxhall, London. Bland had been a leader in the UK social enterprise movement since 1998, first as Executive Director of Social Enterprise London and then as CEO of the Social Enterprise Coalition (now Social Enterprise UK).

Incorporation as a CIC

With the help of Stephen Lloyd of Bates Wells Braithwaite (credited with conceiving the "Community Interest Company" idea and leading much of the work on establishing the legal form in the UK) we incorporated the CIC Association CIC on 26th August 2009.

Initial CIC Dividend Caps Review

That same year, we helped the Regulator undertake a review of the CIC Caps on investment, canvassing over 3,000 CICs and key professional and representative bodies, leading to minor changes effective from 2010 and a commitment to return to the subject in 3 years time.

Memorandum of Understanding with the CIC Regulator

Conducted the first national survey of CICs. Held a series of networking events to celebrate the 5 yr anniversary of CICs. Agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with CIC Regulator Sara Burgess, formalising our role as the intermediary between CIC practitioners, the wider community and the Regulator.

Our agreed objectives were to:

• Work with the Regulator of Community Interest Companies on matters relating to community interest companies and the effect of CIC legislation.
• Provide information and feedback to the Regulator of Community Interest Companies on other relevant issues relating to community interest companies.
• Seek views and opinions from members and other stakeholders and share relevant information with the Regulator of Community Interest Companies.
• Be proactive in working with others including the Regulator of Community Interest Companies in addressing issues faced by community interest companies.
• Support the Regulator of Community Interest Companies in promoting better understanding of the business model.
• Work with the Regulator of Community Interest Companies and Government to develop the legislation.
• Provide information, resources, products and services to existing and potential community interest companies, and their stakeholders.
• Develop networking, collaboration and sharing of best practice amongst community interest companies.
• Act as the intermediary between CIC practitioners and the wider community to raise awareness of the community interest company brand.
• Interact with existing social enterprise support structures to improve community interest companies integration into the wider policy programme.
• Encourage innovation within the community interest company community and informing the Regulator of Community Interest Companies as appropriate.

Sector Survey Drives Policy Change

In November 2012, the CIC Association in partnership with the CIC Office ran a sector-wide survey across the whole of the UK, with the CIC Regulator team issuing 7,085 letters inviting CICs to complete a detailed CIC Association online questionnaire. The CIC Association prepared a report on its findings, which directly shaped subsequent regulatory reform.

Landmark Legislative Victory: Dividend Cap Removed

Following the Association's advocacy, from 1 October 2014, CICs were no longer subject to the maximum dividend per share cap which had restricted dividend payments to 20% of the paid up value of a share — a cap seen as complex and restrictive that prevented shareholders from sharing in the success of the CIC and discouraged investors. John Mulkerrin, co-founder of the CIC Association, described the change as removing unnecessary technical barriers to potential.

Hansard and Dept for Business and Skills

This change was also formally debated in the House of Lords, with the Association's role in developing the changes specifically acknowledged in Hansard, a notable mark of parliamentary recognition. We received written thanks from Baroness Neville-Rolfe from Dept for Business and Skills in July 2014.

National 10 Year Survey of CICs

By 2015, the CIC Association had grown into an online network with more than 3,500 members and delivered a detailed survey of nearly 800 CICs nationally. There were more than 10,000 active CICs on the Register.

National Conference in Birmingham

The CIC Association hosted a belated 10 year anniversary event in Birmingham attended by over 100 CIC practitioners, featuring expert panels, masterclasses on topics including Social Value and Community Asset Transfer, and contributions from the Deputy CIC Regulator, Charity Bank and Heidi Harris. Sponsored by Unity Trust Bank.

Partner in GET SITR Campaign

The CIC Association was named as an official partner in Big Society Capital's GET SITR campaign, alongside the CIC Regulator, Power to Change, the Community Shares Company, and the Community Shares Unit, helping to raise awareness of Social Investment Tax Relief among CICs.

Dissolution of CIC

After 10 years we reviewed our achievements. Aside from an initial £8k grant from the CIC Regulator to develop a website, the CIC Association received no financial support from central Govt or Govt funded Social Enterprise infrastructure. We were caught between a rock and a hard place. The Govt had said they had given the money to social enterprise infrastructure, and they said that they were funded to promote social enterprise more generally and not CIC specifically. General grant providers said the work was statutory and should be centrally funded. We tried, but CICs were born into a social economy of entrenched ideologies and established vested interests. Everyone wanted to be the father of CIC, but no one wanted to be its parent.

We relied heavily on pro-bono and voluntary contributions from members to keep going. Most notably Mike Veitch, Geof Cox and Heidi Harris to name but a few. We had become the largest social business network in the country with over 5,000 members but simply couldn't maintain the output we were achieving. So sadly a decision was made to close the CIC.

Onward

Original co-founder John Mulkerrin, who had incorporated one of the first 100 CICs, decided to keep the support going. He shifted focus to providing direct one to one support to the steady stream of requests coming through the network, helping thousands of CICs and their stakeholders navigate everything from incorporation and grant funding through to governance and compliance.

15 Year Survey and the Covid Surge in CICs

By 2020, the CIC Association had grown into an online network with more than 5,500 members and delivered a detailed 100 question survey of over 400 CICs nationally, noting the surge in CIC growth during the pandemic and the reasons for it.

20 Year Survey of CICs and Strategic Review

In 2025 the CIC Association ran the same national survey as in 2020. These surveys have really allowed us to build a unique and rich database of the CIC landscape, of the amazing outcomes being achieved and the common challenges faced.

We also conducted a review of what we have achieved and routes forward were examined. The Association had passively grown to over 6,000 members and feedback from members suggested now should be the time to look again at what could be achieved. Yes, it's wonderful that we are on hand when needed, but really, we should be a lot more. This website is the first phase in that route forward.

2026 and Beyond

After 10 years only dealing with inward enquiries, we are going to look outward again and will be communicating our strategy to members over the coming months. Our first re-launch initiative is a free grant bid writing service for members. Initial capacity is five bids per month — a pilot to establish quality and demand. We will scale according to member uptake and available resources. We hope it indicates the direction of travel we are heading in.

In July 2025 there were over 37,000 registered active CICs, representing a 3.5x growth rate in 10 years! No longer will the reasoning that CIC is too small a constituency to worry about or bother with hold. New Philanthropy Capital's recent report Impact UK: The Size and Story of our impact economy 2026, estimates a Gross Added Value for Community Interest Companies of over £5 billion annually.

In 2009, co-founder John Mulkerrin described the CIC as a "classic ugly duckling". With 37,000+ CICs and over £5bn in annual contribution to UK GDP, CIC legislation has proven to be a very fine Swan indeed!