45 new investments in the social businesses across the region
In the last eighteen months, Kindred has backed a dementia day care centre, a tool library, a language school and a dance academy – along with STOs working in mental health, domestic abuse support, period poverty – investing in the people who make good growth happen in communities throughout the Liverpool City Region.
The scale is striking, but the range of organisations demonstrates the impact of the money. Behind the 45 organisations supported are 28 socially-trading organisations (STOs) that received a loan or short term investment, alongside another 20 more that received a development award to try out a new project, idea or product. Between them, they received £1.25m, distributed between April 2025 and September 2026 through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Kindred research shows that social economy jobs are good jobs, created where they're needed most – and that social economy organisations are catalytic, pulling in further investment and resource and attracting other businesses, wherever they take root. This support lets Kindred back both at once: individual STOs grew stronger and the wider ecosystem around them grew stronger too, as partners connected and resource moved to where it was needed.
“Receiving this social investment from Kindred has been such a huge moment for MADE to be MUM. What started as an idea to create the kind of space I needed as a mum has grown into something that supports so many families in our community,” says Samantha Clair, founder of Kirkby-based MADE to be MUM. “This investment means we can keep growing, creating opportunities and reaching more parents, without losing the heart behind it all. It feels amazing to have someone believe not only in the business, but in the difference we’re trying to make.”
Saeed Olayiwola is the founder of SO Health, another investee. He says: “Working with Kindred has been a transformative journey of growth and learning. The tailored BlaST programmes guided us through every stage of investment readiness, offering unwavering, hands-on support. Kindred fills a vital gap by championing social impact organisations that mainstream lenders often overlook. Their collaborative approach fosters a deep sense of community and collective strength. Having an investor so genuinely committed to seeing us succeed gives immense hope, enabling us to thrive and expand our impact across the communities we serve.”
The money came through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund via Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which is built around three priorities: community and place, local business and people and skills. STOs often sit across three priorities at once, regenerating high streets, backing local entrepreneurs and helping people get into work or get on in it – often from the same building and with the same small team.
Making that happen took a lot of hands-on support. The Kindred investment team worked alongside investment support specialist Sue Trish, STO founder and investment coordinator Becky Pope, and Mike Rivett-Strong, Livv's Business Support Manager, who was seconded to Kindred to strengthen collaboration between Livv’s social investment team and Kindred. Between them, they supported both existing investees and organisations that were new to social investment.
“One of the things I’ve really valued over the last year is getting to know such a wide range of STOs and understanding what investment means for each of them. For some, it’s about building on what they’ve already achieved and taking the next step in their growth. For others, it’s their first experience of social investment and can feel like a big leap,” says investment coordinator Becky Pope. “What has really stood out is the importance of the relationships around the money. Taking the time to understand an organisation, the challenges they’re facing and what they’re trying to achieve helps us work through the investment process together. Seeing £1.25m going out across such a varied group of organisations feels particularly significant – behind that figure are lots of individual stories, ambitions and people doing really valuable work across the Liverpool City Region.”
Twenty development awards were also supported, giving social enterprise founders an opportunity to test new ideas and products.
Cllr Paula Basnett, Liverpool City Region Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and Regeneration, says: “The diversity of the organisations supported, from arts and culture to health, wellbeing, skills and enterprise, is a clear sign of a social economy that’s not just surviving but thriving – and one where demand for this kind of investment keeps growing. It’s encouraging to see such a strong geographical spread across Liverpool City Region, with social innovation clusters emerging in different places, each shaped by the needs and strengths of its own community. That’s exactly the kind of locally rooted growth this investment is designed to support.”
Eighteen months on, the picture is of a social economy with more money in its hands and more confidence to use it.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has set out a vision of “good growth in every postcode”. Here in Liverpool City Region, social entrepreneurs didn’t wait for an invitation. They have already built a 1,500-strong movement of viable businesses that do good, create value and reinvest all their profits.
We aim to win the PM’s postcode challenge.