Empowering Black and Global Majority communities

Big Business Rounds 1-3 with Pathway Fund.

Are you a Black-led or Global Majority-led charity or social enterprise ready to amplify your impact? Our blended finance programme, brings together grant funding and social investment to empower organisations addressing critical challenges in Black and Global Majority communities. Together, we’ll build pathways to resilience, growth, and equity.

 

Why Big Business?

At Do it Now Now, we understand the unique challenges faced by Black and Global Majority communities in securing funding for essential services. That’s why we’ve developed Big Business — to help you overcome barriers, access sustainable funding, and achieve long-term success. Through this programme, you’ll receive the financial backing and expert guidance required to strengthen operations, enhance investment readiness, and unlock your organisation’s full potential. Together, we’ll build a future where your organisation thrives, creating systemic change and empowering the communities you serve.

About the programme

Big Business Round 1-3 with Pathway Fund is a cutting-edge blended finance programme that combines grants and loans to provide robust financial support. Developed specifically for Black-led and Global Majority-led charities and social enterprises in England, this initiative aims to address pressing issues such as poverty alleviation and racial equity.

What we offer:

  • Grant Funding: Secure between £25,000 and £40,000 to enhance your organisation’s financial resilience and scale your operations.

  • Social Investment: Access loans matched with grants

  • Comprehensive Support: Receive tailored guidance, capacity-building resources, and ongoing mentorship to ensure your success.

Who is it for?

This programme is designed for Black-led and Global Majority-led charities and social enterprises that:

  • Operate in England.

  • Generate an annual income between £30k and £1m.

  • Focus on delivering innovative solutions in poverty alleviation or racial equity.

Which Round is right?

  • Round 1: If your organisation is not currently engaged in a due diligence process with a social investor.

  • Round 2:  If your organisation is currently in the due diligence process with a social investor. 

  • Round 3: If your organisation has already secured a loan with a social investor and has not yet drawn down all your loan finance.

How it works

Blending grant funding with social investment, this programme reduces financial risk for organisations while providing the capital needed for growth. Through our collaboration with Pathway Fund, Lendoe, NatWest Social & Community Capital, a number of CDFIs, and other notable social investment firms, we ensure that you receive both funding and expert support to achieve sustainable impact.

See the FAQs in the Guidance Document linked below for further details.

Before you apply

What We Will Fund

  • Projects focused on poverty alleviation and racial equity.

  • Fixed asset purchases, renovations, or new facility construction.

  • Technology upgrades, marketing campaigns, and staff development.

  • Initiatives aimed at scaling impact and creating sustainable revenue streams.

  • Organisations that are be registered with the Charity Commission or Companies House and have an asset lock, mission lock, and profit/dividend cap in place.

What We Will Not Fund

  • Projects without income-generating activities or those solely maintaining the status quo.

  • Activities promoting religious or political agendas unless services are open to all.

  • Organisations with an annual turnover outside the £30k-£1m range.

  • Proposals reliant on unconfirmed external funding sources.

Our Collaborators

Your journey through Big Business Round 1 is supported by our exceptional partners:

  • Pathway Fund: Their deep understanding of underserved communities and financial ecosystems enables them to design innovative solutions tailored to Black and Global Majority-led organisations. Since the grants provided through Pathway Fund originate from the government’s dormant asset scheme, applicants must comply with relevant subsidy control regulations to ensure proper usage of public funds. Learn more.

  • Lendoe: With their extensive network of over 100 financing providers, Lendoe ensures that businesses connect with the right funding options to meet their unique needs. Learn more.

  • NatWest Social & Community Capital (S&CC): Beyond flexible funding solutions, they provides access to a robust network of non-financial support, helping organisations achieve sustainable impact. Learn more.

These collaborators are instrumental in helping you secure loans, matched grants, and guidance every step of the way.

Eligibility Criteria

Legal Incorporation

  • Organisations must be a legally incorporated organisation with the Charity Commission or Companies House. For non-charities and non-CICs, you must also have an Asset Lock, Mission Lock and Profit Lock/Dividend Cap in place. Please read through the linked blog to understand more. 

  • Organisations must have a clearly stated mission to support issues; racial equity and poverty alleviation (indicated in your organisation’s governing/constitutional documents). 

  • Organisations must reinvest surpluses into pursuing their social mission and have a constitutional or contractual lock on their social mission, dividend, and surplus distribution policy (also known as an asset lock).

  • Please note that there may be additional criteria that you will have to meet to access a loan from one of our collaborators.

  • Please note that we will be prioritising organisations with a 51% or more Asset Lock, over 30% of their income comes from trading activities and a Dividend Cap of 51% or more. Please read through the linked blog to understand more.

Geography

  • Organisations must be based in and operating in England.

  • Please note that we will be prioritising organisations active in IMDs 1-3.

Leadership

  • At least one DiNN Member within the Directorship/Trustee Board - to become a member of the Do it Now Now community please fill in this form bit.ly/dinncode 

  • Black-Led or Global Majority-Led organisation

  • At least three Directors or Trustees. 

  • 75% or more of the organisation’s Directors, Trustees or equivalent Governing Body members must have lived experience of the social issues your service users face and is the focus of the organisation. (The percentage is in line with the DEI Data Standard, if this percentage is not met because the Board is too small or other reasons, you may still be eligible, as long as the decision-making is led by people from Black and Global Majority communities).

  • 51% or more of leadership/senior management must represent Black and Global Majority Communities.

  • There must be a clear commitment from senior management and the Board to income diversification, with a healthy risk appetite and interest to diversify from grant dependency through increased trading income and social investment. 

Finance

  • Organisations must be generating an annual income between £30k and £1m as evidenced by their submitted accounts to Companies House/Charity Commission.

  • Organisations must be able to produce management accounts that include a Profit and Loss statement and Balance Sheet.

How we’ll work

  • Submit an EOI form to help the programme team understand your organisation's alignment with the funding criteria. This initial submission gathers essential details about your organisation’s mission, financials, and leadership. It is not a full proposal but sets the foundation for further engagement if shortlisted.

    The expression of interest form will give us a good idea of how closely you meet the eligibility criteria.

    For more information and a question by question breakdown, be sure to read through our guidance document.

    Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

  • Following the EOI submission and assessment of your eligibility, you will be expected to submit a Due Diligence form which will require you to deep dive into your policies, procedures and practices.

    For more information about this please read the guidance document.

  • After confirming appropriateness through the due diligence process, we’ll connect you with our collaborators. 

    • Round 1: you will be matched to Lendoe to explore tailored social investment opportunities, including opportunities from NatWest Social & Community Capital and other loan providers or CDFI institutions. Together, you’ll map out loan financing options, timelines, and readiness steps.

    • Round 2: you will continue engaging with the loan provider that referred you into the programme. Once the loan is secured, you’ll move on to the next stage to finalise a grant agreement with Do it Now Now and solidify your path toward growth and sustainability.

    • Round 3: you have already secured a loan, so we will move you directly to the next stage. 

    For more information about this please read the guidance document.

  • Those who are moving on to the next stage will receive support to help you create a proposal for the Do it Now Now funding committee. You will be asked to submit a document that addresses a set of questions/prompts. This should take no more than an hour of your time.

    For more information please review the guidance document.

  • The drawdown of your loan will be based on the agreement you make directly with the loan provider. For example, you could choose to receive all the money in one payment or you could choose to receive it in multiple payments. The grant drawdown will be mapped to the payment rhythm you choose with your loan provider. 


    • Round 1 and Round 2: If you choose to receive the loan in one payment, the grant drawdown will also occur in one payment. If you choose payments of 50%, 30% and 20%, the grant drawdown will also follow that rhythm. The drawdown is sent to you upon drawdown of the loan. Note that we may place stipulations on how much of the loan you need to draw down since we intend to disburse the full grant to you before September 2025. 

    • Round 3: we will directly provide you with a grant to support your organisation’s future sustainability. 

  • We provide ongoing mentorship and guidance to ensure your organisation thrives. Through collaborative connections, we foster peer learning and equip you with the tools and strategies to enhance long-term sustainability. Our capacity building efforts are tailored to your organisation’s unique needs, ensuring you’re positioned to make a significant impact.

Apply here to take the next step for your future

This is your opportunity to access the support you need to strengthen your organisation. If you’re ready to build long-term sustainability, and make a real impact in your local ecosystem following the effects of the Cost of Living crisis, apply now and move your organisation forward.

Why us?

As a Black community-focused infrastructure organisation, DiNN works intersectionally across the demographics and causes our community is active in. Over the past couple of years, we have been particularly active in supporting the sustainability of Black-led climate action, youth-led, lived experience-led, and strengths-based organisations.

Our Support

We want you to have the best possible experience of this funding programme. Please feel free to get in touch with us so we can help you through.

  • Get in touch with us directly by email and we’ll get back in touch within 2 working days. 

  • 1-2-1 support calls are available throughout.

    This is an opportunity for you to clarify any questions you may have about the application process. To request a call, please email us. Please join the call with your questions prepared.

  • We will announce an information session with our collaborators in the coming weeks. Please sign up to our newsletter to be in the know.

Get ready 

to go big.