What we offer
| Step Up | Catalyst Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | £5,000–£30,000 | Over £50,000 |
| Cost | 0% interest | No interest; a fixed fee |
| Repayment | Within 2 years (up to £10,000) or 5 years (above) | A share of your income; no fixed term (aim: 10 years); nothing for the first 12 months |
| Decision | Within three weeks | Open all year; start with a chat |
| Best for | Repeating something that's already working | Scaling business and impact |
Busy month, bigger repayment. Quiet month, smaller repayment.
An illustration only, with no real figures. Your terms are agreed with the investment team.
Investment comes with expert support. Each route suits a different kind of organisation.
Scotland's ambitious social entrepreneurs
Get ready through LaunchMe, then apply directly
Community-led projects
Top-up investment alongside community shares and bonds
Innovators and university spinouts
Through partners such as The Ventures Lab
Global majority-led enterprises
Co-designed with global majority-led organisations
LaunchMe in Scotland, or Boost Invest in the North East.
Inclusive dance and fitness classes, and equipment, taken to rural community halls across Orkney, paid for by memberships, pay-as-you-go classes and private events.
Start It → Build It → LaunchMe → Step Up · Orkney
Venison from overpopulated deer on a family farm near Pitlochry becomes donations for food banks and community larders, funded by sales from a social enterprise butcher's shop on the high street.
Start It → Build It → Social Innovation Challenge → LaunchMe → Step Up · Pitlochry, Perthshire
A Highland social enterprise offering training and jobs to young people is building a youth-led innovation campus in Tain, tackling rural depopulation through training, sustainable food and tourism.
Catalyst Fund · Tain, Highlands
The Catalyst podcast · The guide to social investment · Jargon buster
Yes, if you're already trading in Scotland. Step Up offers 0% interest loans of £5,000–£30,000 to repeat an activity that has already worked, with a decision within three weeks. The Catalyst Fund offers revenue-based investment of over £50,000.
You repay a share of your income, so repayments rise and fall with your sales. There's a fixed fee instead of interest, no fixed term (the aim is to be repaid within ten years) and no repayments for the first twelve months. Talk to the team first: most applicants get investment-ready through a programme like LaunchMe.
