Funding and support for organisations tackling the causes and consequences of homelessness

Atif Choudhury, co-founder of award winning social enterprise Zaytoun and CEO of Calling All Minds has been awarded an honorary doctrate from SOAS for his substantial contribution to social enterprise and development. Zaytoun, which took home the Consumer Facing Social Enterprise of the Year Award in 2025, has been supporting the resilience of Palestinian communities through fair trade for over 21 years with all profits being reinvested to supporting those producers living under occupation in the West Bank. Calling All Minds is a newer social enterprise which provides neurodiversity and disability inclusion support through specialist human expertise and purpose-built accessibility technology.  Commenting on his honorary doctrate, Atif said: “For me social enterprise was never meant to make capitalism look kinder. At its best, it asks a much harder question: who is the economy actually working for? That question has run through much of my own work, from creating fairer routes to market with Palestinian farmers through Zaytoun CiC to removing barriers to participation for disabled and neurodivergent people through Calling All Minds. Inequality and exclusion are not inevitable. They are shaped by choices, systems and structures,C which means we can make different choices and build different systems. Social enterprise challenges us to build an economy rooted in community, where value is measured not only by what we extract, but by what we co-produce and what we enable people and communities to become.” “The future belongs to leaders who understand that inclusion is not about inviting people into old systems. It is about changing the systems themselves.” Find out more here

Has the government got it right on social value? Fill in our short survey to tell policy makers what you think. The government has recently announced changes to the way it spends money on goods and services to create social value. We really do welcome Andy Burnham’s emphasis and dedication to social value, but alongside good policy changes such as doubling the social value weighting to 20% on contracts of £5 million or more, there are also some concerning aspects. There’s a new £1 million threshold below which social value requirements no longer apply, and the definition of social value itself has also been restricted to only look at jobs and skills. Social enterprises are set up to deliver social value; it’s in their DNA.  This narrowing of its definition and limitation of its scope could have a detrimental impact on those organisations who are best placed to deliver the PM’s promise of ‘growth in every postcode’. Let's show government why we must stand up for social value! Government has said it will publish technical guidance in autumn 2026 ahead of implementation in January 2027, and has left the door open for further evidence, which is why we need to hear what you think. We now have a narrow window of time to come together as a movement of businesses with social value at their heart to share our concerns and campaign for change. We’ve put together a short 5-10 min survey and will use responses to form a set of recommendations for the UK government while the guidance is still being finalised. Please complete the survey before 5pm on Monday 21 September. We'll publish the recommendations once all responses have been collated and considered. TAKE THE SURVEY AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES Please note this survey is now closed Your responses will also form the basis of an letter to the PM, which we will open for signatures later this month. Let’s stand up for social value so that it lives up to its potential!

We’re proud to reveal the shortlist for the UK Social Enterprise Awards 2026! The Awards are a celebration of the pioneering social enterprise businesses which are transforming lives and empowering communities across the country. This year, we’re delighted to be co-producing the Awards with Co-operatives UK, recognising the vital role co-operatives have in shaping a fairer, more inclusive economy Across 15 different categories, the shortlist shows the strength, diversity, resilience and innovation of the social enterprise and co-operative movement across the economy. Whether it’s through delivering innovative public services, creating jobs and opportunities, embedding environmental sustainability into their work, breaking down barriers for marginalised groups, or selling outstanding products to the public - every one of the shortlist shows that another way of doing business is possible. We’ve also introduced a new category for 2026, The Co-op of the Year Award – shining a spotlight on the nation’s leading co-operative businesses. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS YEAR’S SHORTLIST Commenting on the announcement, Peter Holbrook our Chief Executive said: “Businesses usually only make headlines when they’ve been behaving badly or profiting at everyone else’s expense, so every year it’s a joy to celebrate those that are quietly getting on with the job of building a better Britain and providing a practical path to an economy that puts people and planet first. The UK Social Enterprise Awards celebrate the organisations focused on making communities healthier, happier and more environmentally friendly. They’re an inspiration to anyone looking for examples of ways to do business better.” ‌Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK, added: "It's brilliant to see so many outstanding co‑operatives on this year's shortlist, proof of the huge contribution member‑owned businesses make to communities right across the country. With our new Co‑op of the Year Award, we're able to shine a spotlight on that impact like never before. And as we prepare to bring the Awards to Manchester's co‑operative quarter, the birthplace of the co‑operative movement, it feels only right that we're celebrating the businesses carrying that legacy forward today." Taking the Awards to Manchester The winners will be announced at a ceremony on 12 November at New Century Hall, in the centre of Manchester’s co-operative quarter. This will be the first time the Awards have taken place outside of London, and will mark the social enterprise movement's future in a city steeped in its history. In 1844, just up the road in Rochdale, workers in the cotton mills pooled their resources to set up the first-ever consumer co-operative to combat the low pay and exploitative conditions of Victorian Britain. Now, in the spirit of these Rochdale Pioneers, we’ll be celebrating how far this movement of business for good has come. The theme of the Awards is ‘All Together Now ’, capturing the spirit of unity and co-operation that sits at the heart of the social enterprise community. Tickets are currently on sale, with members of Social Enterprise UK and Co-operatives UK being able to save nearly 50% in comparison to the full price tickets. Click here to get your tickets