Kindred Creates Nearly 300 Jobs And Secures £19.4m Investment Across Liverpool City Region

Nearly 300 jobs have been created and almost £20 million of additional investment has been secured across the Liverpool City Region thanks to Kindred, a Combined Authority-backed initiative supporting socially trading organisations.

Since launching in 2020, Kindred has invested £3 million into 69 socially trading organisations (STOs), helping generate £42.7 million in economic and social value across the region. The initiative was established with £5.5 million from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority alongside £1 million from Power to Change.

A new impact report, Building the Future Economy, highlights how Kindred-backed organisations are creating employment, attracting investment and strengthening communities throughout the city region.

Nearly 300 Jobs Created Since 2020

The report reveals Kindred-supported organisations created 74 new full-time equivalent jobs during 2025, taking the total number of jobs created over the past six years to almost 300.

Employment across organisations backed by Kindred has increased by 81% since 2020, with more than 405 full-time equivalent roles now supported.

The report also found that Kindred-backed organisations have secured £19.4 million in follow-on investment since 2021, including £3.05 million over the past year, while their combined turnover has increased to £14 million, up from £11.5 million in 2024.

Collectively, the organisations have reached more than 483,000 people through projects focused on health and wellbeing, community support, culture, biodiversity and tackling social inequality.

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said:

“When this initiative was first muted, I was told it would be a bold move to support it. I did, and that support has paid dividends.

“For too long, success has been judged by what happens in boardrooms rather than what happens in our communities. Kindred is proving there’s another way. With our financial backing, they’re helping to create good local jobs, bringing investment into neighbourhoods and helping people build stronger, healthier communities.

“Nearly 300 jobs and almost £20 million of extra investment is a fantastic return, but the real success is measured in the lives being changed. That’s exactly the kind of economy we’re working to build across the Liverpool City Region.”

Investment Supporting Communities Across The Region

Kindred says its investment continues to support organisations that have historically faced barriers to funding.

During 2025, 37% of investment by value went to Black and ethnically minoritised-led organisations, exceeding the organisation’s target of 25%, while 49% of investment supported women-led organisations.

The report also found that Black and ethnically minoritised-led organisations supported through Kindred are growing both turnover and employment by an average of 45% each year.

Projects backed by Kindred include community regeneration in Runcorn, initiatives tackling loneliness and social isolation in Knowsley, and support for cultural organisations looking to secure permanent premises in Birkenhead.

Jen Van der Merwe, Executive Director of Kindred, said:

“Liverpool City Region is quietly building one of the UK’s most ambitious experiments in inclusive growth. Social economy jobs matter: they’re good, secure roles created in the communities that need them most. And where the social economy takes root, other investment tends to follow because it’s catalytic by nature.

“That’s what Kindred exists to unlock: by backing individual organisations and connecting them to each other and to wider partners, we strengthen an ecosystem that’s already proving what’s possible.”

The report also highlights that Kindred has made 74 investments in 69 socially trading organisations since 2020, while 60% of supported organisations are demonstrating improved business practices through reaching new markets, adopting new technologies and securing appropriate forms of finance.

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Kindred and six partner organisations are now working together through the Liverpool City Region Social Impact Partnership to scale the approach even further.

Their Social Investment Pathfinder aims to raise £50 million to help meet growing demand for investment and support more socially trading organisations across the region.