Charities and social enterprises across Norfolk and Suffolk now have the option of additional support and potential new funding streams thanks to the creation of the New Anglia Social Investment Partnership (NASIP).
NASIP has been created by Community Action Suffolk (CAS) and Voluntary Norfolk in partnership with Orbit, Suffolk County Council and Norfolk County Council with the common goal of supporting social enterprises to grow and thrive by accessing appropriate business support and finance to increase their impact in the community.
The partnership, which officially launched on 2 February 2021, will deliver direct support, workshops, mentoring and upskilling resources through its collective assets, skills, and multiple sector working, as well as identifying social investment opportunities.
Chris Abraham, CEO of CAS, said: “Now more than ever, the work of the VCSE sector is vital with many organisations and enterprises needing access to appropriate social finance, to increase their impact for people across Norfolk and Suffolk. It’s fantastic that, following the success of CAS’s ‘Supporting Social Investment in Suffolk’, NASIP can help these crucial organisations to grow and thrive.”
Support is available to community interest companies, charities or social enterprises within Norfolk and Suffolk as NASIP’s Partnership Co-ordinator, Sarah Lomasney, explained: “This is very exciting news for social enterprises and community groups in the area who are keen to get support to help them get to the next level of their business. This could include mentoring or identifying potential social investment opportunities which they might not have thought about before. Our aim is to offered specific, tailored support for them all in one place.”
Orbit is one of the UK’s leading housing groups creating thriving communities throughout the Midlands, East and South of England. Every year it invests around £5million into community support across operating area and Fiona Butcher, Orbit’s Placemaking and Partnerships Manager in the East, added: “Orbit leads in building thriving communities and as part of that, we reinvest our profits back into areas which support our customers and their neighbourhoods. We are delighted to be part of NASIP, as I know it will benefit a lot of social enterprises, charities and community interest companies across Norfolk and Suffolk.
“Social enterprises supply products and services in the same way that ordinary businesses do but with the added benefit of bringing extra social value to a locality. They are an increasingly vital piece of the jigsaw of the local economy but often don’t have the opportunity to access the same level of support that other businesses do, and this is where NSAIP comes in. NASIP will build social enterprise resources and promote social investment.”
Any social enterprise, charity or community interest company who would like to find out more about NASIP can contact Sarah Lomasney, NASIP Co-ordinator, sarah.lomasney@communityactionsuffolk.org.uk.