Addressing loneliness and social isolation in Plymouth (2021-2025)

An impact report on The Rank Foundation’s Participatory Grant-Making (PGM) Programme in Plymouth (2021–2025), where recipients actively shaped the grant-making process and created 15 times the social value of each £1 invested.

Since 2018, The Rank Foundation has invested nearly £5.5m to support the social enterprise sector in Plymouth. During that time, some 50 of the city’s social purpose organisations have benefitted from this support. This investment has contributed to building a more resilient and sustainable social purpose sector that is now much better positioned to address many of Plymouth’s social, economic, and health challenges.

In 2021, Rank launched a £1m fund to support projects delivered by social enterprises to address social isolation and loneliness, which had been thrown into sharp relief during the Covid pandemic in Plymouth. Rather than making funding decisions from afar, Rank established a participatory grant-making panel comprising local social enterprise representatives and community members with lived experience. This community-led approach approved 27 projects that have transformed how Plymouth addresses loneliness and isolation. Having recognised the programme’s impact on beneficiaries, Livewell Southwest, Plymouth’s integrated health and social care provider, contributed £500,000 in match funding, extending the reach to support 12,500 regular participants across the city.

The results speak for themselves: rigorous evaluation shows these projects generated £15 million in net social value – an impressive return of £15 for every £1 invested!

Our comprehensive report below shares detailed case studies, explores the participatory grant-making process, and demonstrates how community-led funding can create real social value.

Read the Full Report