Supporting the allocation of dormant assets to social investment

The UK government’s expansion of the Dormant Assets Scheme created a rare opportunity to direct new capital towards social impact investment. Better Society Capital ('BSC') needed robust public evidence to support the case for allocating a portion of these funds to social investment initiatives across the UK.

Results in brief

• Material Impact designed and conducted a survey of 2,000 adults across 17 major UK cities

• Research data used to evidence public support for a UK government's national funding decision

• Research used in MP briefings, sector advocacy and national media coverage

  
  

The challenge

Better Society Capital, one of the UK’s largest social impact investors, deploys dormant assets to support social investment across the country.

Dormant assets are funds left untouched in bank and other financial accounts for 15 years. While individual balances are often small, when aggregated they represent a significant pool of potential funding for social impact.

In 2022 the sector identified an opportunity to secure additional funds through the first expansion of the Dormant Assets Scheme since 2011. To support the case for allocating further capital to social investment, BSC needed robust evidence demonstrating public awareness of and support for social impact projects in local communities.

The outcome

Material Impact designed and conducted a national survey of 2,000 UK adults across 17 major UK cities, analysing the results and producing a detailed research report.

Working closely with BSC's internal advocacy team, the findings were translated into briefing materials for Members of Parliament, providing evidence of public support for social investment initiatives.

The research also provided a strong foundation for the organisation’s wider communications activity, enabling a media campaign that brought national attention to the role of social impact investment in local communities.

The combined advocacy and communications effort contributed to social investment being named a beneficiary of the Dormant Assets Scheme expansion, with approximately 40% (£31 million) of the initial £76 million released allocated to social investment.

This funding supports the continuation and expansion of impact projects across the UK.