Our Theory of Change
Explore SSE’s Theory of Change to see how our learning, funding and networks help people build resilient, sustainable organisations that create lasting social and environmental impact.
SSE has supported thousands of social entrepreneurs and social ventures to strengthen their impact and sustainability. Together, they tackle a wide range of social and environmental challenges, from reducing inequality and improving wellbeing, to creating meaningful employment, often for people who face the greatest barriers. Through their work, SSE-supported ventures have gone on to benefit millions of people in communities across the UK.
Our impact comes from supporting both the people leading social change and the organisations they are building. Through our learning, funding and tailored support, we help social entrepreneurs develop the skills, confidence and networks they need to run resilient, impactful ventures. Participants consistently report stronger leadership, improved business and financial capability, increased trading income and stronger networks.
By strengthening social ventures, SSE helps create lasting community impact. More resilient organisations are better able to respond to local needs, create jobs and contribute to healthier local economies over time. This approach sits at the heart of SSE’s Theory of Change: by investing in leaders and the ventures they run, we help build a stronger social economy and a fairer, more resilient society.
Our strategy
Since 1997 SSE has backed 5,000+ social entrepreneurs across four continents. Our 2025–28 strategy enters phase two, Bold Repositioning, refreshing our theory of change and outcomes.
Impact reports
Explore our evaluations to see what participants and partners report, what changes over time, and the evidence behind SSE’s approach to building resilient, sustainable organisations with real impact.
Annual report
Our 2024–25 annual report takes stock of what we achieved and the change we delivered this year, with highlights, impact data and stories from the social entrepreneurs we supported.