Scope has begun its first foray into leveraged fundraising with a scheme which will ask high net worth individuals for loans as well as donations.

The pilot scheme will see the disability charity ask wealthy supporters for a donation of £2,800 (worth £3,500 with gift aid), accompanied by a three-year loan of £7,000. Against this investment of £10,500, Scope will be able to secure a commercial loan of £7,500.

Scope hopes that the scheme, called Grangewood Venture Philanthropy Project, will raise £1.8m for the building of 15 new flats for disabled adults in Essex.

The charity has guaranteed to pay back 80 per cent of the loans, on which it will pay back zero interest. It is attempting to entice supporters with the pledge that, after securing higher rate tax relief from their donation, the loan/gift will have cost the donor £1,750, against which the charity will be able to secure £18,000 per donor for the project.

In an information pack which reads more like an investment offer rather than a case for support, the charity outlines risks associated with the investment intermingled with service users’ stories.

The proposition has gained early support from the City, with Alex Macpherson, from the ventures team at Octopus Investments, saying it could appeal to investment professionals who are used to financing start-ups with risk capital.

While there is no financial return on investment offered by Scope, Macpherson said the project is still “significantly more efficient than a traditional donation-based model”.