Community investment is different. Instead of turning to the private sector and wealthy individuals for support, community investment is about engaging communities to invest in themselves.

By harnessing the collective investment powers of whole communities, large amounts of capital can be raised in small sums from members of the community.

Be it a small village shop or large scale housing development, a community recycling project or major renewable energy scheme, they all have one thing in common – actively committed and motivated members who recognise the wider benefits of communities investing and engaging in their own solutions. To find out more about who have issued shares in this way visit the directory.

Community Shares is a Government-funded action learning research project looking at new ways for social enterprises to attract finance. The work is funded by the Office of Civil Society and led by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and delivered by the Development Trusts Association and in partnership with Co-operatives UK and the Social Return on Investment Network. Click here to find out more.