Dear Friend

It was a great privilege to have the opportunity in January to visit Lebanon.  I’ve spent the past fifteen years working as a professional in and alongside organisations in the ‘homeless sector’, grappling with the huge challenges of housing supply and support for individuals and families facing tough transitions.  However, nothing quite prepares you for being hosted for tea in a refugee camp! If you are interested, watch out for a future blog on rural homelessness with a twist.

Back here in the UK, our investment model backing the growth of social enterprise Real Lettings saw another injection of £15m – this time from the Greater London Authority.  As our property funds approach £200m under management, we have also relaunched our first ever impact investment, Mustard Seed Property, one of the early inspirations for our large scale property funds.  Mustard Seed Property is our community-led equivalent, acquiring properties in Cornwall, which are leased to charities supporting vulnerable adults in communities around the county.  It just goes to prove, one size doesn’t fit all!

The Resonance West Midlands Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) Fund launched in February and is already half way to its first close target of £1.5 million.  The Investment Committee met for the first time this month to review the emerging pipeline, which is full of exciting and diverse social enterprises, drawn from one of the highest concentrations of social enterprises in the UK.  Our video shares more of our aspiration and how it builds on the success of the Resonance Bristol SITR Fund, which remains open for further investment. 

On a personal note, I am delighted to have Karen Shackleton now chairing the Resonance board and welcome Michael Perreau as a new Non-Executive Director.  Michael was himself a former refugee escaping race riots in Malaysia, before a distinguished career as a leader of transformation in global businesses, social enterprises and NGOs. 

I hope you enjoy the latest edition of our newsletter.  If you would like more information about Resonance, please feel free to get in touch with me or one of the team.

Best regards

Daniel

follow us @resonanceltd and @d_j_brewer or find us on LinkedIn

Two Chefs, One Aim - Eradicate Food Poverty in Cornwall

Resonance has made another investment from its Health & Wellbeing Challenge Fund (South West) (H&WCF) for £130K to Keep Cornwall Fed (KCF).  With an innovative financial model generating revenue using skills learned over many years cooking in commercial kitchens, the organisation helps feed people struggling ...

New Fund Aims to Dismantle Poverty in the West Midlands

The Resonance West Midlands SITR Fund is dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage across the West Midlands, through investment in successful, high impact social enterprises. The Fund gives investors the opportunity to generate a financial return and tax relief benefits, whilst investing in a diversified portfolio of businesses that are committed to bringing about positive ...

Resonance Homelessness Property Fund Receives £15m Investment from the GLA

Social impact investment company Resonance has received £15m investment from City Hall, London to purchase affordable housing for the homeless in the capital, helping them move on from temporary emergency accommodation and ...

Five Years of Learning in Community Assets Published

We are delighted to announce that our fifth annual social impact report for the Community Land & Finance CIC has now been published.  The report covers the two community asset funds: Community Share Underwriting Fund (CSUF) and Affordable Homes Rental Fund (AHRF), and highlights the impact achieved by our investees ...

Calling all Community Land Trusts: you can still apply for development finance.

Community-led Housing Solution Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable People

Daniel Brewer reflects on Resonance's First Ever Impact Investment in Mustard Seed Property (MSP) ten years ago, and how it helped shape our successful large-scale property funds.

Looking in the Rear-View Mirror

Karen Shackleton, independent financial adviser and recently appointed Chair of the Resonance Board, looks back at impact investment and pension funds in 2017, and has a prediction for the year to come.  To say that impact investment was possibly one of the most talked about investment topics ...