What is Match Trading?
Match Trading™ is a simple, powerful innovation in grant funding. It rewards social organisations for increasing their income from trading by matching pound for pound any growth in sales. This helps strengthen independence and reduce reliance on traditional grants.
Developed by the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE), Match Trading™ is designed to empower locally-led organisations, especially in communities facing disadvantage. It supports them to build financial sustainability and long-term resilience by encouraging entrepreneurial behaviour.
Why it matters
Traditional grants are important, but they can create dependency and limit long-term sustainability. Match Trading offers a different approach. It supports social enterprises, community businesses and charities to increase income from trading, helping them become more resilient and self-sufficient.
This matters most in communities experiencing structural disadvantage. These organisations are often rooted in the places they serve, led by local people who understand local needs. Match Trading strengthens their autonomy, giving leaders more agency to grow on their own terms.
For funders and partners, it’s a way to support lasting impact. Match Trading not only grows income, it builds stronger business models and contributes to regeneration at community level.
Proven impact
1000 +
Social organisations have used Match Trading grants to date
35 %
Average increase in trading income in one year
42 %
Match Trading grants for ventures in the 20% most deprived areas
How you can get involved with Match Trading
SSE are keen to work closely with funders and policy influencers to grow the movement of Match Trading in the sector. We believe there can be a new wave of grant making that puts trust into the hands of social leaders, gives power to communities and boosts the sustainability of the sector.
By collectively scaling and delivering Match Trading grants that incentivise trading in the social sector, and by subsequently pulling together the data that demonstrates the finance opportunities and needs of the sector, alongside its impact, we can together transform the sector and inform policy insights.
