Pioneers Post

Let’s wake the sleeping giant of social change: procurement EXPERT INSIGHT: How and where public money is spent is too often regarded as a back-office procedure, rather than the frontline instrument of social change that it should be, says Mark Swift.

Grateful to @pioneerspost.bsky.social for publishing this piece.

Procurement is still treated largely as a technical exercise, when it’s one of the most powerful levers we have to shape lives & places.

If we’re serious about social value, we have to re-humanise it.

tinyurl.com/3euxux29

📧 Subscribe for free to receive our newsletter every Friday, for top news and analysis from the world of business and finance for good: www.pioneerspost.com/newsletters

This week in the Pioneers Post newsletter:

🔎 England’s blended finance wholesaler's independent review

🏔️ Davos 2026: Beyond Greenland and tariffs – the impact-focused discussions

☕ Podcast: The Colombian enterprise using great coffee to do good

And more>> pioneerspost.cmail20.com/t/j-e-ydtltd...

🚨 Applications for the #SE100 Impact Pioneer Awards 2026 are now open!

Every year, Pioneers Post and NatWest Social & Community Capital celebrate the UK’s top social enterprises. What category will you enter?

You have until 15 February to apply: www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2...

Urbania: The Colombian enterprise using great coffee to do good Good Stories podcast episode 7: Colombia is famous for its top quality coffee, but the brew can offer more than just a pick-me-up. Anna Patton meets the co-founders of Urbania, who are creating jobs f...

New episode from us at @pioneerspost.bsky.social, recorded in Medellin with @juliepybus.bsky.social. (Enjoy my lame attempts to slurp the coffee while tasting, and my terrible Spanish...)

www.pioneerspost.com/podcasts/202...

#bcorp #colombia #medellin #socialenterprise @soljourno.bsky.social

NEW: Innovators are creating new markets to make nature investable and mobilise much-needed private investment for our ecosystems.

Can forward-thinking finance overcome fears – of financial risk, greenwashing and more – in time to prevent ecosystem collapse?

tinyurl.com/mu6mv8xy

Sign up for free weekly news and insights from the world of business for good: www.pioneerspost.com/newsletters

This week in the PP newsletter ✉️:

📉 Global VC investments in impact startups fall to lowest level since 2017

🇹🇼 Taiwan’s innovation energy fires up Social Enterprise World Forum 2025

🌄 Beyond VC: How can Europe get fit for an impactful future?

And more: pioneerspost.cmail19.com/t/j-e-ydohle...

Mapping a fairer future: The open-source movement that's mobilising for climate resilience Huge swathes of the planet barely appear on commercial maps, leaving open-source maps – built and updated by volunteers around the world – to fill in the gaps. Now, the nonprofit Humanitarian OpenStre...

New feature from us at @pioneerspost.bsky.social - this time on how #openmapping - plus drones, AI and community engagement - can help people better prepare for and respond to climate disasters.

immersives.pioneerspost.com/openstreetma... #opensource @hotosm.org

Too many climate-affected communities are missing from commercial maps.

In @pioneerspost.bsky.social’s latest Earth Fixers, HOT shows how open, community-led data fuels local climate resilience.

✨ Read more: bit.ly/3X0Kbfe

What happened in the #impact world this week?

🩺 UK healthcare social enterprises outperform NHS averages

📚 Four social outcomes funds launch in Africa to improve access to education

🚢 How ships could soon be powered by algae

... and more: www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2...

[Partner post]

Try @goodfinanceuk.bsky.social's ‘Is It Right for Us?’ tool - a quick, free resource to help you explore if social investment could be worth adding to your financial toolkit.

👉 Click here to get started >> buff.ly/QQk9c8R

YouTube video by Good Finance Spotlight Case Study: Granton Project CIC - The Pitt

[Partner post]

⭐ Spotlight series from @goodfinanceuk.bsky.social

Discover how Granton Project CIC used social investment from Firstport to help fund the redevelopment of a site in one of Edinburgh's most underserved communities.

🎬 Full case study video here >> www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlTX...

If Keir Starmer wants to ‘deliver, deliver, deliver’, UK social investors can make Westminster’s money go further, argues Big Issue Invest’s new boss OPINION: As one of the UK's pioneer social investors, Big Issue Invest, celebrates its 20th birthday, new managing director Holger Westphely and original co-founder Nigel Kershaw say the concept is pr...

If Keir Starmer wants to ‘deliver, deliver, deliver’, UK social investors can make Westminster’s money go further, argues Big Issue Invest’s new boss

Full story: www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2...

This week in the Pioneers Post newsletter ✉️

🇬🇧 UK social investors can make Westminster’s money go further, argues Big Issue Invest’s new boss

🏫 What are social outcomes partnerships?

🇲🇾 Connecting isolated enterprises to unlock development

And more...

Read it here: createsend.com/t/j-46906D23...

[Partner post]

Opportunities for social impact organisations from @goodfinanceuk.bsky.social 👇

🎤 Readdressing imbalance community event, watch on demand

📌 News of a new grant

🤓 How to register for their next e-Learning cohorts

and more... 👇

linkly.link/2G1mj

Opinion: Why impact investors should share the good news about climate adaptation opportunities Climate adaptation solutions remain under-invested despite the massive opportunities they offer. Impact investors must lead the way by combining both their capital and their influencing power to refra...

Opinion: Climate adaptation solutions remain under-invested despite the massive opportunities they offer.

Impact investors must lead the way by combining both their capital and their influencing power to reframe climate adaptation as the smart thing to do:

www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2...

Global volume of capital invested in impact deals in 2024 falls by 30% compared with previous year – GIIN survey Impact assets under management keep growing but yearly investment volume drops as impact investors report economic headwinds – while they move towards 'safe' investments in mature companies and develo...

Impact assets under management keep growing but yearly investment volume drops, as impact investors report economic headwinds, reveals the GIIN's latest investor survey:

www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2...

How do you measure social impact? YouTube video by Good Finance

[Partner post]

What is social impact, why does it matter, and how can you measure it? @goodfinanceuk.bsky.social breaks it down in this video, covering what impact means, why it’s vital, and how to get started.

👉 www.youtube.com/watch?si=sNN...

‘We need all hands on deck’ – Impact Europe chair on how the impact community can shine a light in dark times Ahead of Impact Week in Malmö, Leslie Johnston talks about how the impact community needs to work with ‘unlikely allies’ if it is to tackle today’s existential challenges – and why impact investors ne...

NEW: Ahead of Impact Week in Malmö, Leslie Johnston talks about how the impact community needs to work with ‘unlikely allies’ if it is to tackle today’s tough challenges – and why impact investors need to listen to the voices of social innovators on the ground:

www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2...

Neon pink background with white text that says: Is it right for us? And yellow text that says: Discover if social investment is a viable option for your organisation. The Good Finance logo is on the top left corner and an image of a curly hair woman is on the top right corner.

[Partner post]

Social investment is repayable funding that can help grow your organisation. Use @goodfinanceuk.bsky.social's ‘Is it right for us?’ tool to see if you’re eligible - it’s quick, simple, and takes just 2 mins!

🔗 Click here to get started >> www.goodfinance.org.uk/is-it-right-...

Pioneers Post | LinkedIn Pioneers Post | 10,419 followers on LinkedIn. The Social Enterprise Magazine | Pioneers Post is the social enterprise magazine, delivering the news and setting the agenda for the new wave of social en...

From September 2025, we’re focusing our efforts on building our community and facilitating conversations on LinkedIn, so our posts on Bluesky will be less frequent.

Find us on Linkedin here: www.linkedin.com/company/pion...

Dark blue background with white text that says: Investor Directory Tool and yellow text that says: Browse our list of investors and advisors. The Good Finance logo is on the top left corner and an image of the UK map is on the right.

[Partner post]

🌟 Discover investors that match your organisation’s mission with @goodfinanceuk.bsky.social's Investor Directory.

Get access to the right funding opportunities quickly and easily!

🔗 buff.ly/h7OofHb

The Impact World this Week: 19 September 2025 This week: Musk’s xAI secretly drops benefit corporation status, Japan’s first Orange Bond unlocks US$100m for women and girls, coalition calls for impact recognition in EU regulation, and more.

What happened in the #impact world this week? Our pick of the latest news:

🤖 Musk’s xAI secretly drops benefit corporation status

🇯🇵 Japan’s first Orange Bond unlocks US$100m for women and girls

🍦 Ben & Jerry's co-founder quits ice cream company

And more…

www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2...

Finding catalytic capital: AVPN conference focuses on Asia’s big challenge In the wake of foreign aid cuts, and in its drive to become a world leader in impact investing, Asia needs to find its own sources of catalytic capital to attract more private investment to impact. Wh...

NEW: Finding catalytic capital: AVPN conference focuses on Asia’s big challenge

Read the full article: www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2...

YouTube video by Good Finance Spotlight Case Study: Granton Project CIC - The Pitt

[Partner post]

⭐ Spotlight series from
@goodfinanceuk.bsky.social

Discover how Granton Project CIC used social investment from Firstport to help fund the redevelopment of a site in one of Edinburgh's most underserved communities.

🎬 Full case study video here >> www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlTX...

Portrait of Liesel Pritzker Simmons with headline: "Why Blue Haven Initiative's views "irritate everyone"

NEW: Trailblazing family office co-founder – and former child actor – Liesel Pritzker Simmons on why more impact investors should wade into the “muddy” world of politics – and why there’s one topic no one wants to talk about.

www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2...

#familyoffice #wealthtax

North American & European investors are some of the biggest providers of impact capital to Asia, impeding the continent’s ambitions to become an impact investing leader.

Laura Joffre explores the solutions in this week's Editor's Post: www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2...

In this week's newsletter ✉️

🌏 Hong Kong can be ‘super connector’ for impact investing - AVPN conference

🇬🇧 ‘Affordable and procurement-ready’ impact accreditation launched

✍ ‘End complicity in Gaza genocide’, 1,000+ business leaders tell UK government

Read it now: createsend.com/t/j-216AFA72...

[Partner post]

As the summer holiday season ends, it’s time to go back to learning as registrations open for @goodfinanceuk.bsky.social's e-learning programmes – Due Diligence, Legal Structures and Social Investment Unpicked!

Register your attendance here➡️ www.goodfinance.org.uk/learning-hub