Social Investment
Hubbub UK
We take an impact-first approach to social investment, shaping investment to support our aims.
We start with the social or environmental need and tailor the investment, offering complete flexibility. Co-design and learning are integral to our process. As well as making direct investments into organisations seeking to create impact towards our aims, we also invest into impact funds, which are managed by other social investors.
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Investing in Our Natural World
We offer social investment to organisations working on nature-based solutions towards: preserved species health and habitats, sustainable and ethical food, and clean and healthy freshwater.
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Partner in Place
We developed Partner in Place to offer social investment that is place-led and takes a partnership approach. It is aimed at organisations working to ensure local economies work better for the people who live there.
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Investing in A Fairer Future
To secure A Fairer Future, we offer social investment to organisations who are working to address systemic injustice and inequity.
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Explore our social investments
Since making our first social investment in 1997, we have approved over £80m in 200 plus social investments.
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Apply for social investment
Learn more about what we do and don't support, along with information about the application process.
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For free tools and resources to help you navigate the world of social investment, visit Good Finance.
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Building an impact-first social investment strategy
We share what being impact-first means in practice and what we've learned.
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Our approach to Social Investment
Social investment is one of the tools we use, alongside grants and our own actions, to achieve our impact goals.
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Portfolio breakdown
See a breakdown of our social investment portfolio by aim and product type.
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Insights and Learning
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Understanding impact in social investments
Understanding the impact of our social investments is critical for our learning and ensuring that we are an effective investor. In a new report, we outline how we assess the difference each social investment is intended to make, how we track its progress over time, and how that shapes our learning as an investor.
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How our impact-first approach led us to our first Perpetual Bond
We share our learning from our social investment into Fair for You and our first Perpetual Bond along with how it could open up finance options for social purpose organisations looking for equity-like investment.
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Impact-linked finance: what do we know about it so far?
A new report by Investing for Good, and commissioned by Esmée, provides a global review of impact-linked finance and explores the potential for adaptability for the UK social and impact investment market.
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Insights in Brief: Social Investment and COVID-19
A new report sharing what we've learned from our social investments in light of Coronavirus, and how we could use this to inform the stages of rescue, recovery and revival.
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Emerging funding opportunities for the natural environment
We are pleased to share a new report: Emerging funding opportunities for the natural environment, which we commissioned to review the current landscape for innovative funding of environmental enhancement across the UK.
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Evolution not revolution, 10 years of social investment
To mark the 10th anniversary of our Social Investment Fund, we’ve written a report reflecting on the achievements, insights and lessons learned to date.
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You might be interested in
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24 June 2025Environmental Finance and Learning Fund: increasing the supply of nature-first investment
Jenny Sansom from Environmental Funders Network and Tom Colborne from Esmée share their reflections on the Environmental Finance and Learning Fund, a three-year initiative to build confidence and skills in environmental investing, and increase the amount of funding for impactful environmental projects.
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Financing the future of UK sustainable agriculture: from policy to investment
After the Spending Review confirmed £2.7 billion a year for farming, food security and nature recovery, we asked Thomas Slattery and Hayley Mole, authors of our first investment deep dive into sustainable food and agriculture, how the policy landscape can enable the significant investment needed to transform the UK food system.
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Invitation to Tender: Expanded Land Purchase Facility options
Invitation to Tender: We're looking to work with a consultant to scope and design options for an expanded and collaborative Land Purchase Facility.
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Playing to our strengths: social and impact investing
Jonny Page, Esmée's Director of Social and Impact Investment, writes about how we're working towards aligning our investments with our mission to drive social and environmental impact across key areas like social justice, conservation, and community development.
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A thematic approach to impact investing
With the launch of Esmée Fairbairn Foundation’s first deep dive into thematic impact investing, our Head of Social and Impact Investment, Jonny Page outlines our thematic approach to impact investing.
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Sustainable food and agriculture: Investment deep dive
We're excited to share our first deep dive into thematic impact investing, which focuses on sustainable food and agriculture.
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Using social investment to secure a fairer future
Tom Colborne, Esmée’s Social Investment Portfolio Manager, writes about our social investment plans to support in a fairer future. This is part of a series of blogs on how our social investment strategy will contribute to Esmée’s mission.
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