I am a grant fund manager with experience in the social economy sector, growing social investment and capacity building. I currently work as the Connect Fund Manager at the Barrow Cadbury Trust, a fund for social investment infrastructure in partnership with Access - The Foundation for Social Investment.

My Fellowship looks at how Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) in the USA are supporting alternative models of business to help communities thrive. I am passionate about social enterprises and co-operatives, previously working under the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus for his social business initiatives. I will look at how these locally led finance institutions support alternative models of business that share wealth and build resilience for local communities.

The project will have a particular interest in 'participatory investing', which is the practice of social investing with meaningful input and ownership from communities affected by those decisions. The USA has some of the most developed examples of participatory and grassroots community investing as well as an established ecosystem of CDFIs.