Attracting investment

The National Wealth Fund (formerly UK Infrastructure Bank) is the new, government-owned, operationally independent entity, which is providing £27.8bn of infrastructure finance, and partnering with the private sector and local government to tackle climate change and drive growth across the country.

The National Wealth Fund offers financing to local and mayoral authorities across the UK for high-value and complex economic infrastructure projects. The National Wealth Fund’s dedicated local authority team provides impartial commercial and financial advisory services, and the lowest cost finance for local authority infrastructure projects.

Abundance helps local authorities and other public sector organisations to finance infrastructure projects through citizen and stakeholder investment. Abundance has been exploring new ways to achieve this through crowdfunding. To this end, it has now launched a fund to help local authorities set up pilot Community Municipal Bonds.

The Bonds are used to raise finance for green and low carbon infrastructure projects. They are designed to provide an efficient, scalable and cost-effective alternative to conventional funding sources. The Bonds are also intended to bring the benefits of real engagement from citizens and more sustainable and thriving local economies.

Allia C&C helps charities and social enterprises raise loan finance, by connecting with investors through listed and unlisted bonds. The company supports a range of organisations whose core purpose is to transform lives, communities and the environment. With extensive expertise across different sectors, particularly housing, care and education, Allia C&C helps to ensure the optimal funding solution is achieved to deliver more impact.

Allia C&C has strong connections with ethical investors from across the market, including high street banks, retail investors, pension funds and institutional investors, offering them access to, and expertise in, socially responsible investments. This means that Allia C&C is able to align high social impact businesses with investors who seek both a financial return and to see their money do good in society.

Pure Leapfrog assists local authorities and community projects in financing their local energy transition plans. It helps project developers arrange debt finance, can assist with green and sustainable bond frameworks, and community share raises. It contributes to the Financing a Just Transition Alliance and the Place-based Impact Investing Forum.

SDCL works with the healthcare sector with a focus on energy efficiency, on-site generation and clean energy projects that reduce costs and risks for the end user, to deliver cleaner, smarter and more resilient energy solutions. Its solutions require no up-front capital outlay for the end user and result in lower operating costs. It arranges and finances turnkey solutions with assured outcomes.

Our Hub colleagues in the South West region held a webinar to demonstrate how climate bonds can finance local energy projects. The webinar showcases Cotswold District Council’s successful £500k Community Municipal Investment scheme, which invited its local community to invest in local projects to tackle the climate emergency. The online event was supported by the Green Finance Institute, Abundance Investment and Cotswold District Council.