Pathway is a social investment wholesaler. It funds intermediary organisations rather than frontline delivery organisations directly. 

Frontline organisations deliver services directly to beneficiaries and communities. 

Intermediaries support multiple frontline organisations through funding, capacity building, investment readiness support, or investment structures. 

No. Pathway does not fund frontline organisations directly. Funding is deployed through intermediary organisations that then provide grants, loans, blended finance, or enterprise support to eligible organisations. 

Yes. Frontline organisations may: 

• Apply to intermediary-led programmes once they have launched them 

• Participate within partnership proposals 

• Be included within an intermediary’s pipeline of supported organisations 

Pathway supports the following financial products that can be delivered/ deployed by an intermediary: 

• Grants 

• Loans / repayable finance 

• Blended finance approaches 

• Enterprise development funding 

Yes. Applicants are encouraged to propose delivery and finance models that reflect the needs of the organisations and communities they support. 

No. Funding supported through this programme is restricted to England because the dormant assets allocation is England-specific. 

Yes. National organisations working across England are eligible where funded activity is focused on England. 

No. Programmes can be local, regional, place-based, or national. 

Yes. Funding may support multiple place-based or thematic programmes within the same region. 

No. National funding can support localised or place-based delivery anywhere in England. 

Applicants should clearly describe their delivery geography within the application. The funder will determinethe most appropriate funding pot for assessment. 

Applicants do not need to submit separate applications. Geographic focus should be described within one application. 

No. However, applicants must demonstrate: 

• Diverse leadership 

• Strong lived experience representation 

• Meaningful racial equity practice 

• Community accountability 

Lived experience is considered critical. It should be embedded within: 

• Leadership 

• Governance

• Programme design 

• Assessment processes 

• Delivery partnerships 

Not necessarily. However, applicants should demonstrate: 

• Operational capacity 

• Financial governance 

• Delivery capability 

• Appropriate partnership structures where gaps exist 

Yes, intermediaries without an asset lock may apply, but they may be subject to additional scrutiny.  

Yes, where they operate as intermediaries supporting eligible organisations. 

Generally, organisations focused primarily on direct delivery to individuals are considered frontline enterprises rather than intermediaries. 

Generally. Hybrid organisational models are recognised. However, applicants should clearly demonstratethe distinction between their operations. 

Funding must ultimately support asset-locked organisations such as charities or CICs that are working toward: 

• Financial sustainability 

• Enterprise development 

• Trading income generation 

• Investment readiness 

• This funding may also be used by intermediaries to seed funds that provide social investment to asset-locked frontline organisations.  

The expectation is generally yes. The programme seeks to support organisations led by Black and ethnically minoritised communities and those with lived experience representation. 

There is contextual flexibility. Applicants should clearly explain how leadership and governance meaningfully reflect the communities served. 

End beneficiaries are expected to be asset locked. 

No. Pathway does not fund: 

• Individuals 

• Idea-stage initiatives 

• Enterprise formation 

• Very early-stage startup support 

The programme focuses on organisations that: 

• Are already operating 

• Have some track record 

• Are developing trading models 

• Are progressing toward financial sustainability and investment readiness 

Generally, no. The programme focuses on organisational sustainability and enterprise development rather than ideation-stage support. 

Applicants may apply through: 

• An initial proposal (expression of interest route) 

• A detailed proposal route 

No. Applicants can choose the route most appropriate to their readiness. 

Applicants should provide: 

• A clear programme concept 

• Strategic alignment 

• Proposed delivery model 

• Initial pipeline overview 

• Partnership approach (if applicable) 

Applications may: 

• Progress to full proposal stage 

• Receive requests for clarification 

• Be conditionally approved 

• Be declined with feedback 

Yes. Ongoing clarification and engagement are encouraged. 

Yes, you can view them via our website 

Regional programmes may have fixed deadlines. 

National funding may operate on a rolling basis while funding remains available. 

Yes. Demand is expected to be high and funding availability may reduce over time. 

Strong applications generally demonstrate: 

• Clear alignment with Pathway’s objectives 

• A strong racial equity lens 

• Meaningful lived experience leadership 

• A credible pipeline of organisations 

• Delivery capability 

• Enterprise and investment readiness pathways 

• Strong governance and partnerships 

• Credible co-funding plans 

Applications are assessed both individually and as part of Pathway’s overall portfolio. 

Assessment may consider: 

• Geography 

• Thematic balance 

• Diversity of models 

• Community reach 

• Programme readiness 

• Strategic fit 

Yes. Pilot and emerging models are welcomed where there is a clear rationale and delivery approach. 

Yes. Applications may be: 

• Scaled 

• Revised 

• Approved conditionally 

• Refined through discussion 

Potentially yes. Funding may be released in stages linked to milestones or programme readiness with such decisions being made on a case-by-case basis. For more on how funding is deployed by Pathway, please see the section ‘Co-funding and Leverage’ below.

Yes. Collaboration is encouraged where it strengthens: 

• Delivery capability 

• Governance 

• Lived experience representation 

• Operational infrastructure 

• Enterprise support expertise 

An organisation may only lead one application but can participate as a partner in multiple applications. 

Potentially yes. Applicants should avoid duplicating or competing against themselves. 

Not directly during the application stage. However, the committee may suggest collaboration opportunities after review. 

Yes, where the partnership aligns with programme aims and governance expectations. 

Partnerships should demonstrate: 

• Shared decision-making 

• Meaningful governance influence 

• Delivery leadership 

• Community accountability 

• Embedded lived experience perspectives 

Generally, this is discouraged as this would create a conflict of interest and would require strong governance controls. 

Applicants should demonstrate clear governance arrangements including: 

• Conflict declaration processes 

• Independent decision-making 

• Transparency 

• Appropriate separation of responsibilities 

Yes. Applicants should demonstrate a strong and credible pipeline of eligible organisations. 

Applicants should show: 

• Organisational stage of development 

• Enterprise readiness 

• Leadership and governance progression 

• Financial sustainability trajectory 

• Potential progression toward social investment 

• Applicants are not required to showcase specific cases; however they are encouraged to describe the type of organisations they aim to support, the estimated number of such organisations in their pipeline and the number of organisations they aim to support via the programme/ fund.  

Investment readiness may include: 

• Financial capability building 

• Governance strengthening 

• Trading model development 

• Investment preparation 

• Sustainability planning 

• Enterprise growth 

Examples include: 

• Training 

• Technical assistance 

• Governance support 

• Investment readiness support 

• Financial capability support 

• Leadership development 

• Mentoring 

Yes. Blended approaches are encouraged. 

Yes. Combining capital and non-financial support is considered best practice. 

Holistic approaches are generally viewed positively where they respond to organisational need. 

Yes. Helping organisations understand whether repayable finance is appropriate is still considered a valuable outcome. The programme should still be designed to support investment readiness journey for frontline organisations. 

Indicative grant sizes are guidelines rather than fixed limits. 

They help signal: 

• Appropriate organisation stage 

• Typical scale of intervention 

• Enterprise development focus 

Very small grants may indicate ideation-stage activity, which is outside the programme’s main focus. 

Funding may support: 

• Enterprise grants 

• Repayable finance 

• Intermediary operational costs 

• Delivery costs 

• Capacity building 

• Investment readiness support 

• Programme administration 

• Blended finance structures 

Not primarily. The programme focuses on long-term organisational sustainability rather than short-term delivery activity alone. 

Yes. Delivery infrastructure, sourcing, due diligence, accompaniment, and support activity may be funded where proportionate. 

Applicants should present realistic delivery costs. The majority of funding should still reach enterprises and communities. 

Yes, where they are directly linked to programme delivery. 

Yes. Flexible funding structures are possible. 

No. Funding structures can vary across programme components. 

Yes. The programme generally expects a minimum of 1:1 leverage across the overall programme. 

No. Applicants should instead demonstrate: 

• Credible plans 

• Progress toward securing co-funding 

• Potential funding sources 

• Fundraising strategy 

Potentially yes. Conditional commitments may help applicants secure additional funding. 

Funding may be: 

• Approved conditionally 

• Released in stages 

• Linked to milestones or deployment readiness 

• Funding to cover delivery costs, capacity building costs etc. are generally released on a periodic basis, following the start of the programme. 

• Funding for deployment into frontline organisations are generally released at the point of need.  

Yes. The programme recognises that co-funders may support different parts of programme delivery. 

The programme aims to support: 

• Financial sustainability 

• Investment readiness 

• Community wealth building 

• Enterprise growth 

• Racial equity outcomes 

• Long-term organisational resilience 

• Youth outcomes (where applicable)  

Examples include: 

• Reduced dependency on grants 

• Development of trading income models 

• Diversification of income sources 

• Greater financial resilience 

• Improved investment readiness 

• Sustainable organisational models 

Applicants should demonstrate: 

• Clear progression pathways 

• Measurable outcomes 

• Long-term viability 

• Organisational development 

• Enterprise progression 

Yes. Supporting organisations toward sustainable trading models is a core objective. 

Yes. Shared learning, organisational development, and ecosystem improvement are recognised as valuable.

Selected intermediaries shall be required to provide periodic (quarterly) monitoring, which includes:

·       Capital deployment

·       Geographic reach

·       Organisation demographics

·       Outcome tracking

·       Enterprise progression

·       Learning and evaluation

• The focus of programme evaluations (annual, end of programme etc.) may be broader and cover learning objectives, case studies etc.

Yes, provided evaluation aligns with programme goals.

No. Qualitative learning and racial equity outcomes are also important.

Yes. Shared tools and aligned learning approaches are encouraged where they improve programme delivery and sector practice.

Yes. Community asset and long-term sustainability proposals may be eligible where applicants demonstrate:

·       A realistic funding approach

·       Long-term viability

·       Appropriate support structures

Sustainable impact

Yes. Pilot models testing innovative approaches to community ownership or resilience may be considered positively.

Description teThe programme is generally not intended for:

·       Funding individuals directly

·       Idea-stage enterprise formation

·       Very early-stage startup incubation

·       Standard project delivery without sustainability pathways

·       Tokenistic partnerships

·       Programmes without enterprise development or resilience focusxt goes here

Strong applications typically demonstrate:

·       Clear racial equity focus

·       Strong lived experience leadership

·       Enterprise and investment readiness pathways

·       Credible partnerships

·       Sustainable organisational outcomes

·       Strong governance

·       Clear co-funding strategies

·       Integrated capital and capacity-building approaches