The Impact Factory — frequently asked questions
What is The Impact Factory?
The Impact Factory is a UK impact finance advisory that turns public sector ambition into investable, blended-finance propositions across climate, nature and social outcomes, and connects them to institutional capital. The Impact Factory (2026) Limited is registered in England and Wales, company number 16946387.
What does The Impact Factory actually do?
Three things, forming one continuum. Translate: turning public strategies, plans and prospectuses into investable propositions built to the HM Treasury Green Book Five Case Model. Prepare: getting projects investment-ready, either an authority's own projects or through a dedicated investment readiness service for the wider local ecosystem. Deliver: working alongside place-based investors and fund managers through due diligence, deployment and post-investment management.
Who does The Impact Factory work with?
Local authorities, combined authorities and Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs), other public bodies, fund managers and institutional investors. Current work centres on Oxfordshire, including engagements with Oxfordshire County Council, the Trust for Oxfordshire's Environment (TOE) and the Oxfordshire Local Nature Partnership (OLNP).
How does The Impact Factory work with local authorities and Mayoral Strategic Authorities?
In three shapes: embedded capability (working inside the authority's team for a defined period, building propositions and transferring the method), commissioned services (a defined output such as an investment prospectus, pipeline triage or a thematic investment readiness service), and transaction support (business case, compliant structuring and co-investment negotiation for a specific vehicle or deal). The premise is that few authorities can recruit an in-house investment team, so the capability bolts on instead.
What is place-based impact investing?
Place-based impact investing means investing to benefit a specific local area — a town, county or region — with the involvement of local stakeholders, across needs such as clean energy, nature recovery, affordable housing and regeneration. The Impact Factory's role is making such opportunities investable: most places have ambition and projects, but not propositions structured to the standard capital requires.
What is investment readiness?
Investment readiness is the state in which a project can withstand an investor's scrutiny: clear ownership, credible costings, a revenue model that services the capital, allocated risks and a route to contract. Most place-based projects fail this test not on fundamentals but on preparation, which is why investment readiness is a significant barrier to attracting capital — and a core Impact Factory service.
What is the HM Treasury Five Case Model, and why does The Impact Factory use it?
The Five Case Model is HM Treasury's Green Book standard for business cases, covering the strategic, economic, commercial, financial and management cases. The Impact Factory builds every proposition to it because it is the one format trusted on both sides of the table: a council cabinet and Section 151 Officer can govern by it, and an investor can diligence against it.
What is blended finance?
Blended finance combines public, private, philanthropic and community capital in one structure, using public or catalytic money to make a proposition bankable for private investors — for example by seeding a fund, taking first loss or funding development costs. The result is leverage: each public pound mobilises a multiple of private capital rather than substituting for it.
What sectors does The Impact Factory cover?
Four: Climate (community and local renewable energy, building and estate retrofit, EV and clean transport infrastructure), Nature (Biodiversity Net Gain, natural flood management, woodland and peatland restoration, green and blue infrastructure), Social (social enterprise, community-owned assets, inclusive growth and skills), and Place (affordable and social housing, town centre and estate regeneration).
What is the Oxfordshire Nature Recovery Fund (ONReF)?
ONReF is a revolving loan fund providing patient loans to Oxfordshire landowners, farmers and enterprises for projects that restore nature, repaid through natural capital income such as Biodiversity Net Gain units, carbon income and Natural Flood Management payments. It is a partnership between the Trust for Oxfordshire's Environment and the Oxfordshire Local Nature Partnership, supported by Oxfordshire County Council. The Impact Factory helped unlock its public seed funding, structured it for FCA and Subsidy Control compliance, and introduced its private co-investor.
Is The Impact Factory a regulated financial adviser or broker?
No. The Impact Factory supports projects and public bodies as they engage with funders and investors, and structures propositions so they are compliant, but it does not act as a regulated investment broker and does not provide regulated financial advice.
How do I contact The Impact Factory?
Email stuart@theimpactfactory.co.uk, or find The Impact Factory on LinkedIn. The practical first step is a short conversation about where you are; we will say plainly whether we can help.
About The Impact Factory · ONReF case study · Green Prospectus case study