What is Red Shed?
Red Shed is Comic Relief's Social Investment team. We invest in charities, social enterprises and impact funds in line with Comic Relief’s Social Change Strategy.
This helps organisations grow, innovate and generate their own income, whilst increasing their social impact. It also means Red Shed can recycle its investments and maximise the impact of its funds. Red Shed provides flexible, patient, impact-first social investment; usually with loans or equity. We also invest in social impact bonds and funds that tackle big systemic social issues. Find out more about our social change strategy here.
If you are a charity, social enterprise, funder or investor interested in talking to us about social investment, please get in touch here(opens in new window).
Our Criteria
Our criteria for making investments are that investees:
Are a relevant registered entity
Achieve social change in at least one of Comic Relief's 4 key issue areas
Work in the UK and/or at least one of Comic Relief’s international priority countries
Have at least 6 months’ proof of revenue for their social business
Have a clear need for taking on repayable finance and a business model that includes repayment plans
Our Current Investments
Here are some of the social impact organisations that Red Shed currently invests in:
Investments
Fair by design
People on low incomes and in poverty pay more for essential products like energy, credit and insurance than better off households. This is known as the poverty premium. Fair By Design is dedicated to reshaping essential services so they don’t cost more if you’re poor.
RefuAid
RefuAid’s Equal Access Loan Programme provides interest free, character-based loans for refugees from skilled professions to requalify to work in the UK.
Beam
BEAM is the world’s first online platform that crowdfunds employment training for homeless people or those at risk of homelessness.
Sumerian Foundation
The Sumerian Foundation supports pioneering social enterprises and charities with long term impact-first funding and skills support. Red Shed’s investment enables Sumerian to support three social enterprises with a combination of business mentoring and flexible finance to help them grow.
The Social and Sustainable Housing Fund (SASH)
The SASH fund provides loans to enable social impact organisations who provide accommodation-based services to purchase houses.
Meet The Team
Meet The Team Boxes
Tom Colborne
Tom has 20 years' experience working for social impact organisations in project management, business development, strategy and fundraising analyst roles. He joined Red Shed in 2020 and has previously worked for the British Red Cross, TackleAfrica and RedR as well as a spell in investment banking.
Reflections from the Shed: My 3 years at Comic Relief leading its social investment work
My 3 years at Comic Relief leading its social investment work by Amir Rizwan.