Big Issue Trust

Registered charity 1042514 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as BIG ISSUE INVEST TRUST, THE LOCAL INVESTMENT FUND, THE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE LOAN FUND

The Social Enterprise Loan Fund aims to promote charitable purposes by the provision of loans and other financial assistance. We aim to support the growth of financially viable social enterprises.

Objects

The charity's objects ("Objects") are to promote charitable purposes by the provision of grants, financial loans and other assistance in any of the following ways: (a) the provision or assistance in the provision of recreational facilities for persons who by reason of their youth age infirmity or disablement poverty or social and economic circumstances have need of such facilities or for members or the female members of the public at large, (b) the relief of poverty age and disability by the provision of housing for rental to those in need, (c) the advancement of education by the provision of charitable schools places of learning and educational facilities, (d) the advancement of education training and retraining particularly among the unemployed and the provision of work experience to the unemployed, (e) the advancement of education training and retraining and (in cases of need) financial support in setting up in a trade business or vocation or preparing for entering a profession trade business or employment generally or amongst the unemployed, (f) the promotion of such other charitable purposes as the directors may think fit.

Area of benefit: NOT DEFINED

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · Disability · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Accommodation/housing · Amateur Sport · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves were £133,282 at year-end, which is above the trustees' stated policy target of £24,000. The charity reported a net expenditure of £1,734,728 against income of £971,725, resulting in a net movement in funds of £(763,003), yet maintains sufficient cash to meet obligations for at least the next 12 months.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts audited by Blick Rothenberg Audit LLP. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Investing charity funds policy and procedures
• Investment
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses policy and procedures

Corporate structure

• Registered company of the charity Companies House 02995859

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• British Gas Energy Trust — “Big Issue Changing Lives CIC has been awarded £395,614 of funding from the British Gas Energy Trust” (source page)

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

• HAYDEN, Lisa — director, appointed 11/02/2026on trustee list
• GÖRANSSON, Britta Elisabeth Lisa — director, appointed 01/11/2023not on trustee list
• KAWA, Lizan — director, appointed 14/06/2023on trustee list
• FINDLAY, Lucy Jane — director, appointed 08/04/2020on trustee list
• BIRD, Parveen — director, appointed 30/01/2018on trustee list

Official officers record.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~1.4 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 2.5% of total income — below the median for charities its size (4.9%) (benchmarks).

Register events

• Received assets from another charity (15/09/2023) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

• Lisa Goransson
• Lisa Hayden
• Lizan Kawa
• Lucy Jane Findlay
• PARVEEN BIRD

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Throughout England

Income and spending

Common questions

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with VALAN SOCIAL WELFARE TRUST.

• VALAN SOCIAL WELFARE TRUST income £759k
• SOCIAL BUSINESS TRUST income £7.1m
• THE FOUNDATION FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS income £6.4m
• BIG ISSUE NORTH TRUST LTD income £810k
• THE IRON BRIDGE TRUST income £390k
• Launchpad Social Enterprise income £5.6m

Side by side with its peers

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.