Better Society Capital's £11.2 Billion Market — the Infrastructure CICs Need Still Isn't There
The social investment market has hit another record. The gap at the bottom hasn't closed.
Better-Society-Capital social-investment market access
News & Articles
News & Articles
Policy updates, sector analysis, case studies and stories from across the CIC community.
The Government Is Thinking About Merging the CIC Regulator Into Companies House — Be Careful What You Wish For
Proposals to fold CIC regulation into Companies House raise uncomfortable questions about the model's future
regulation Companies-House merger future
200x Growth: The CIC Revolution in Numbers
New CIC formations have grown nearly 200-fold since 2005. How does that compare to the rest of the UK economy? And what does it tell us about the future of social business?
data growth CIC research sector-analysis
Twenty Years of Community Interest Companies: A Personal Reflection
John Mulkerrin, co-founder of the CIC Association, reflects on two decades since the CIC legislation came into force — the achievements, the challenges, and the road ahead for social investment.
opinion anniversary policy social-investment CIC
Hiyed CIC Won an Award — and That's More Important Than Any Policy Change
A CIC in Bishop Auckland won National Small Business Awards Business Hero. The real story is in how they did it.
Hiyed-CIC award exemplar success-story
37,000 CICs and Zero Formal Investigations — the Regulator Is Too Soft and I'm Worried
The CIC movement has grown beyond the capacity of its regulatory framework. Light-touch regulation has become a liability.
regulation investigations enforcement governance
7,230 New CICs, 153 Conversions From Limited Companies — the Numbers Keep Getting Bigger
The 2024 registration data confirms that the CIC model is on an unstoppable trajectory
CIC-growth record conversions milestone
My 2024 Case for Performance-Based Investment in CICs — What's Changed in a Decade?
I published a paper this year making the case again. The arguments are the same. The urgency is greater.
performance-based-investment paper CIC-investment social-investment
Big Society Capital Is Now Better Society Capital — a Rebrand Won't Solve the Access Problem
The social investment wholesaler has a new name. The fundamentals are what matter.
Better-Society-Capital Big-Society-Capital rebrand social-investment
6,056 New CICs — and Most of Them Started in a Food Bank Queue
The cost-of-living crisis is reshaping the CIC register in ways we're only beginning to understand
cost-of-living CIC-growth food-banks community-response
The State of Social Enterprise Survey Finally Confirms What We've Known for Years
SEUK's 2023 survey is a treasure trove of data — and a reminder of how far we still have to go
SEUK State-of-Social-Enterprise survey data
CICs Are Officially the Most Popular Legal Form for Social Enterprise — Told You So
The SEUK State of Social Enterprise survey confirms what the registration numbers have been saying for years
SEUK State-of-Social-Enterprise legal-form recognition
The Pandemic CICs Are Winding Down — That's Not Failure, That's Mission Accomplished
Rising dissolutions aren't a sign of weakness. They're a sign the model is working as designed.
dissolutions pandemic CIC-lifecycle mission
The Adebowale Commission Report Is Out — Now Watch the Government Ignore It
The final report of the Reclaiming the Future Commission landed. I'd love to be proved wrong about what happens next.
Adebowale-Commission Reclaiming-the-Future government social-investment
26,000 CICs — and the Cost-of-Living Crisis Is About to Test All of Us
A new crisis arrives just as we're recovering from the last one. CICs are going to earn their reputation over the next two years.
cost-of-living crisis CIC-growth resilience
6,838 New CICs — a Record, in a Pandemic, While the Economy Was in the Toilet
The 2021 registration numbers are absurdly good. They're also a warning.
CIC-growth record pandemic economy
Big Society Capital's £7.9 Billion Market — Impressive Until You Try to Borrow From It
The social investment market has grown 10x since 2011. For most CICs, it might as well not exist.
Big-Society-Capital social-investment market access-to-capital
Dissolutions Hit Their Lowest Rate Ever — It Turns Out Government Support Works
The 2021 dissolution figures tell a story about what happens when the state actually helps
dissolutions government-support COVID-19 resilience
The Adebowale Commission Wants £794 Million for Social Investment — I've Got a Simpler Request
The 'Reclaiming the Future' report is ambitious, important, and almost certainly too expensive for the Treasury
Adebowale-Commission social-investment Reclaiming-the-Future policy
5,106 New CICs in a Pandemic Year — Yes, I'm Surprised Too
COVID was supposed to kill community enterprise. Instead, it triggered the biggest surge in CIC registrations we've ever seen.
COVID-19 pandemic CIC-growth community-response
107% Cost Recovery — A Quiet Milestone With Loud Implications
The CIC Regulator achieved full cost recovery for the first time. That's good news — but it changes the relationship.
Regulator cost-recovery funding governance
At 15, CICs Are Old Enough to Drive — But Can They Steer?
A birthday reflection on adolescence, growing pains, and the road ahead
fifteen-year-anniversary reflection growth future
The CIC Pivot: When Lockdown Hit, Community Businesses Didn't Miss a Beat
The pandemic proved what CICs are really made of — and it wasn't grants
COVID-19 pivot community-response resilience
3,000 New CICs in a Year — First Time, and a Sign of What's Coming
The 2019 numbers confirm that CIC growth is accelerating — and the support gap is widening
CIC-growth milestone infrastructure support
The Social Investment Market Hit £5.1 Billion — So Where's the CIC Share?
Big Society Capital's market sizing shows extraordinary growth. The distribution tells a different story.
Big-Society-Capital social-investment market-size access
Online Incorporation Went Live — And the CIC Just Got Real
The move to digital registration is the most significant operational change in CIC history. It matters more than any policy tweak.
online-incorporation digital regulation accessibility
The Charity Sector Finally Noticed CICs Exist — But Probably Not in the Way We'd Hoped
The new CIO conversion regulations create a pathway from CIC to charitable status — and raise questions about where the value is
CIO conversion charity regulation governance
14,000 CICs — and Still No One in Government Knows What We Do
The CIC register smashed through 14,000 in January. The policy response was, as ever, silence.
government policy recognition CIC-growth
The Regulator Predicts 30,000 CICs by 2025 — Let's Think About What That Means
If the projection is right, we're about to see a decade of explosive CIC growth — and the support system isn't ready
CIC-growth prediction infrastructure regulation
£420 Million Flowing Through CICs — And Most of You Still Can't Get a Loan
The social investment numbers look impressive. The reality for most CICs looks very different.
social-investment access-to-finance Big-Society-Capital inequality
Social Investment Tax Relief: When HMRC Accidentally Does Something Right
SITR expansion is a rare example of tax policy working for social enterprises — so let's not mess it up
SITR tax-relief investment policy HMRC
The Regulator Called Us an 'Untold Success Story' — I'd Prefer a Told One
The CIC Regulator's annual report captures the growth. What it can't capture is the frustration.
Regulator CIC-growth social-investment recognition
When a Charity Collapses and Nobody Asks About CICs
The Kids Company post-mortem should have been a moment for the CIC model. It wasn't.
Kids-Company governance charity social-sector
The End of an Era (And Why That's a Good Thing)
After a decade of public advocacy, it's time for the next generation to take the lead
CIC-Association reflection leadership Birmingham-event
Ten Years In, 10,000 CICs, and We're Still Answering the Same Questions
The CIC model turns ten with a decade of proven impact — but the same old battles to fight
ten-year-anniversary CIC-growth regulation reflection
85 Renewable Energy CICs in One Quarter — And They Say We Can't Move Fast
The dash for Feed-in Tariffs showed exactly what CICs can do when the incentive structure is right
renewable-energy Feed-in-Tariff CIC-growth policy
When Peers Have to Explain Your Business Model to the Treasury
The House of Lords debate on CIC dividend caps showed exactly how far we still have to go
House-of-Lords dividend-cap debate Treasury regulation Lord-Stevenson
Co-ops Got the Exemption — Why Not CICs?
The IPS community shares market raised £16 million using a simple regulatory exemption. CICs need the same deal.
community-shares IPS exemption regulation Finance-Bill investment
Why Your CIC Can't Raise £50,000 Without Spending £50,000 First
The regulatory barrier that's strangling micro community share issues — and how to fix it
FSMA regulation community-shares investment Finance-Bill Lord-Stevenson
The Performance Loan We Set at 9% When We Should Have Set at 20%
One of the most important recommendations in 'A Fair Share' — and the one most likely to be ignored
performance-loan quasi-equity investment A-Fair-Share dividend-cap
The Dividend Cap Is Broken — Here's How We Fix It
The CIC Association's 'A Fair Share' report lays out the case for fundamental reform of the dividend cap regulations
dividend-cap A-Fair-Share regulation investment CIC-Association
7,500 CICs and Still No Working Share Structure
The share CIC was meant to unlock investment — but the numbers tell a different story
share-CIC investment dividend-cap regulation A-Fair-Share
We Asked 277 CICs What They Need — The Answer Was Depressingly Predictable
The CIC Association's annual survey confirms what every founder already knows: finance is the number one obstacle
survey finance funding investment CIC-Association A-Fair-Share
The £1.4 Billion Blind Spot
CICs now have a collective economic footprint in the billions — so why does nobody in power seem to notice?
economic-impact CIC-growth policy government A-Fair-Share
CIC Is the New Nylon: Versatile, Tough and Ready for Hard Times
Nearly 6,000 CICs with a collective turnover exceeding £500 million — the CIC legislation is proving as versatile and tough as the synthetic material that changed the world.
growth milestone analogy social-economy versatility
60% of CICs Serve the Poorest Wards — That's by Design
CICs are not following the money — they're following the need. Research shows 60% of CICs operate in the poorest 20% of wards.
data research inequality community-benefit social-impact
Action Learning, Not Paper: A CIC Founder's Approach to Building Skills
A piece of paper will tell people you sat through a course. A skill will tell them you can deliver. Why CICs are the perfect environment for action learning.
skills training action-learning employment young-people
GP Commissioning and the CIC Opportunity: Why Healthcare Reform Needs Social Business
The NHS is being restructured and CICs are proving to be the vehicle of choice for GP commissioning groups, spin-outs and social care providers.
healthcare NHS GP-commissioning social-care policy
The Money Question: From the Missing Middle to the Finance Bill 2012
96% of social enterprise investment is £5,000 or less. The Finance Bill 2012 could finally bridge the gap between small grants and serious capital.
investment finance-bill missing-middle social-investment policy
The Sleeping Giant Awakens: 5,000 CICs, 1,000 Members and the Microboom Changing Everything
CIC is a sleeping giant. With 5,000 on the register and the Association hitting 1,000 members, the question is whether the microboom can create a macro-effect.
growth membership milestone sector-development
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Are Missing the CIC Boom
CIC creation per head of population is significantly lower in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The data reveals a clear north-south divide.
data regional Scotland Wales Northern-Ireland growth
Growing Up and Getting Tough: Why the CIC Association Is Going Direct to Government
The CIC Association has grown up. After years of being rolled over by the established infrastructure, it's taking the fight directly to government.
CIC-Association policy government Social-Enterprise-Coalition
From 80 to 788: The First Year of the CIC Association
An unlikely group of CIC founders gathered in Vauxhall with £8,000 and a conviction. One year later, the Association has 788 members.
CIC-Association membership growth history
Adventure Capital Fund Proves Social Investment Works
Patient capital delivered a 400% increase in capital assets for community enterprises — the proof we need for CIC investment infrastructure.
social-investment patient-capital adventure-capital-fund research
Business Rate Relief: The Thousands of Pounds CICs Leave on the Table
Most local authorities don't have a clear policy on CIC business rate relief — and CICs are paying the price.
business-rates local-authority funding relief
The Accountant Horror Stories: Why CICs Are Being Overcharged
From £1,000 incorporation fees to double accounts and phantom VAT liabilities — CICs are paying the price for professional ignorance.
accountants professional-advice costs awareness
Charities Could Save Millions Through the CIC Structure
The Charity Finance Directors' Group wants permission to widen charitable trading — but the CIC structure already solves their problem.
charities structure trading VAT
CIC at 5 Years: 95% of All CICs Are Still Standing
Five years after the legislation came into force, 95% of CICs remain active — a survival rate that most business forms would envy.
data survival research five-year-anniversary
CIC Bonds: The Billion-Pound Market That's Waiting for a Structure
With corporate social responsibility budgets and a new wave of impact-conscious investors, the conditions are ripe for CIC-specific investment products. But someone needs to build them.
investment social-finance bonds CIC capital-markets
The Professional Awareness Gap: Why Advisers Still Don't Get CICs
Accountants, tax advisers and business consultants are giving wrong information about CICs. Here's why that has to change.
awareness advisers accountants CIC professional-development
Why Hard Times Create the Best Social Businesses
As the public sector braces for cuts, the CIC model offers something the third sector has never had before — a structure built for tough times.
opinion recession social-business CIC policy