Publication of the Access Report

That the Parliament welcomes the publication of the Access Report, based on research conducted by social enterprise Dechomai, alongside social investors Firstport and Social Investment Scotland, which documents the understanding, perception of, and availability of social investment among ethnic minority social entrepreneurs in Scotland; understands that Scotland is experiencing an increase in social entrepreneurs from diverse ethnic backgrounds, but believes that such individuals often face challenges in accessing the necessary support to fulfil their dreams and ambitions, which have both social and economic value; notes that the research was funded by the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund, which aims to support organisations and activities that facilitate the growth and development of the Scottish entrepreneurial ecosystem, including in the Rutherglen constituency; understands that the report found that over 70% of investment providers overlook barriers that can be faced by ethnic minority social entrepreneurs, which the report identifies as low levels of awareness of the social investment market, a lack of tailored support during the application process, low levels of trust in financial institutions, and difficulty navigating the business support ecosystem, and commends the report for outlining a series of recommendations and interventions that could allow ethnic minority social entrepreneurs to overcome what it considers to be the barriers that they currently face to access and benefit from funding in order to scale their social impact, thus benefitting whole communities.