Need over £500,000 investment?Check out our Patient Debt offer

Patient Debt

We’re looking for Established Organisations that have significant trading history (3+ years of trading, generating a cash surplus) and need financial support from a social investor like the Growth Impact Fund.

Key Terms

  • Loan Size: £500,000 - £1,500,000
  • Interest Rate: 8% - 12% (risk dependent)
  • Security: Unsecured Loan Term: 3 - 7 years
  • Legal Structure: Any

Apply for Patient Debt

Believe Patient Debt might be the right investment type for you? Begin your application now, and we'll work closely to make sure it is the best fit for your organisations growth.

Why?

We want to help you grow your social enterprise and recognise that traditional finance options might not suit your needs. We are flexible, straightforward, and always prioritise social impact.

Who are you looking to support?

We want to invest into organisations that tackle inequality, and have a commitment to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our target investees have:

  • Impact in the UK, (additional impact outside the UK is fine)
  • Incorporated status - you might be a Charity, Company Limited by Guarantee, or Company Limited by Shares
  • A track record of trading. This could include supplementing your grant income, or a business line you’re looking to pivot from.
  • An appetite for growth. You want to take on debt because you can see how it will help your organisation in the future.

What Can We Offer to You?

  • £500,000-£1,500,000 of unrestricted funding to spend on hiring new staff, purchasing stock, purchasing an asset, whatever you know is important for your growth.
  • Dedicated Investment and Portfolio Managers throughout the life of your loan, to offer a personal face and support throughout your loan.
  • Flexible terms and an understanding of how socially impactful businesses work. Measuring social impact is our bread and butter, so we know the challenges and can offer guidance in this area.
  • Support and guidance to improve Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, no matter where you are in your DEI journey.

Example Investment Cases

Genius Within

Genius Withinis a specialist employment and training provider that supports neurodivergent people into employment. The company has a number of service offerings and applied to the Fund to support the development of their Genius Finder™ product. Genius Finder is a proprietary strengths-based assessment platform, which has been designed to support neurodivergent individuals. Through GIF we provided £500,000 in patient debt for the social purpose organisation (SPO).

Smile Together

Smile Together is an employee-owned dental practice based in Cornwall. They are the only dentist in Cornwall who are contracted with the NHS to deliver emergency appointments and treatments for disabled patients. In 2018, they contacted Big Issue Invest looking for a £1m loan over 8 years to convert a property into a best-in-class dental centre to deliver NHS dental treatment specifically adapted for people with sensory needs or multiple complex needs. Big Issue Invest gave Smile Together a £1m unsecured loan which allowed them to invest and expand their services, growing their net assets from £1.2m in 2018 to almost £4m in 2022.