PricewaterhouseCoopers has been chosen as one of the organisations which social ventures need to partner with to access funds from the £10m government-backed Investment and Contract Readiness Fund.

The £10m Investment and Contract Readiness Fund, which is being delivered by the Social Investment Business (SIB) on behalf of the Office for Civil Society, will provide grants of between £50,000 and £150,000 to social ventures to help raise new investment of at least £500,000, or compete for public service contracts of over £1m.

To access funding, social ventures must bid in partnership with an ‘approved provider’ which will provide support in becoming investment- or contract-ready.

SIB this week has announced 12 new approved providers, including PwC and Claridge Capital. There are now 16 approved providers in total.

Minister for civil society, Nick Hurd, said: “The sector has long been saying that ambitious, visionary social ventures need relevant and targeted support to help them scale up their operations and multiply their social impact significantly. I am particularly encouraged to see big corporates recognising the importance of this space."

SIB is looking to make 130 awards over the lifetime of the fund.

Click here for a full list of approved providers.