Accessing Place Based Capital

Place Based Capital Series

Accessing Place Based Capital

Thriving communities and local organisations need access to capital—whether it’s money to fund projects, infrastructure to support local businesses, or equipment and tools to enable new ventures. But too often, traditional capital is hard to access, inflexible, costly, or disconnected from community needs.

This introductory session explores practical and effective ways for communities and local organisations to better access the resources they need. We’ll introduce a place-based, community-centred approach to accessing capital—one that strengthens local control, economic self-reliance, resilience, and long-term prosperity.

You’ll gain an understanding of existing local capital sources and how to prioritise and activate them, making them more accessible when needed. You’ll discover practical ways to connect those with capital to those who need it, so that they can bring their venture, initiative or project to life. We’ll introduce key concepts, foundational strategies, and examples of structures, vehicles and institutions that can make accessing capital more inclusive, equitable, and aligned with local needs and priorities.

Whether you're a community leader, business owner, council member, or an economic or social impact professional from a government or non-government organisation, this session will help you expand your thinking and build a foundational understand of practical strategies to strengthen access to capital. The insights shared in this session can be applied to a wide range of opportunities, from affordable housing and local startups to community enterprises, small businesses, and renewable energy projects.

In this session, you will:

• Get an overview of Place Based Capital - Learn the core values, functions, and the role of ‘accessing capital’ in a place-based system.
• Learn the basics of accessing place based capital - Understand why accessing place based capital matters and how it can improve outcomes for local projects, organisations and communities more broadly. 
• Discover the range of locally available finance and assets - Discover the many forms of capital beyond traditional finance and how different access strategies impact community outcomes. Learn how to identify and mobilise local money and assets to make them more accessible. 
• Explore some ways to strengthen readiness to access funding – Learn how to position your community, organisation, or initiative to effectively request and secure capital.
• Discover different ways to connect capital to community needs - Learn the many ways to connect those with capital to those who are seeking it in more inclusive and equitable ways. 
• Explore values-aligned external capital – When accessing funding from non-local actors, understand how to prioritise options that align with community values and goals.
• See examples of real-world applications - Gain inspiration from communities that have successfully accessed local capital.
• Begin to apply strategies and solutions to real-life examples - Apply these strategies to your community’s goals and challenges, those you are working with and/or to explore sectoral and issue-based applications.

By the end of this session, you will have a clear starting point and a structured framework to explore how to create opportunities locally to access capital and grow place-based capital, empowering communities to meet today’s challenges and thrive in the future.

Who should participate?

This session is tailored for a broad audience and provides valuable introductory insights that apply across different sectors:

• Community Leaders and Members -  Learn how creating a place based capital system that enables local access to capital, generate new opportunities, strengthen your neighbourhood and meet local priorities.
• Community organisations - Discover practical strategies to access place based capital to drive community-led initiatives and long-term impact.
• Council and government representatives - Explore how creating opportunities to access place based capital can unlock economic, social, and environmental outcomes, while building stronger, more resilient communities.
• Economic and community development professionals - Gain tools and strategies to foster access to place based capital, create economic opportunities, and create thriving local economies.
• For-purpose, philanthropic, and social impact practitioners - Understand how accessing place based capital supports equity, inclusion, sustainability, and transformational social change, and learn ways that you can support it.
• Developers and investors - Discover how you can access local capital sources for your projects, and in doing so, deliver meaningful returns to communities. 
• Others - Gain insights into how accessing place based capital can unlock value for communities, economies, and the environment.

How does it work?

• Interactive Online Sessions: This series is delivered online, allowing you to engage with others across Australia. Each module offers interactive opportunities, with discussions, group work, and collaborative learning that ensure a dynamic and engaging experience. 
• Co-Learning Environment: As a participant, you’ll not only learn from the content but also from your peers. This session emphasises co-learning, where you’ll be part of a shared journey that expands the body of knowledge, strategies and solutions. Through collective insights, discussions, and shared experiences, you will help shape and build on the growing understanding and practical implementation of place based capital.
• Broad Audience Appeal: Designed to benefit anyone involved in community building, economic development, social impact, or other areas of relevance. 
• Flexible Engagement: You can participate in this session on its own or continue through the series to deepen your knowledge.

What’s included?

• Practical and interactive sessions, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions, discuss and apply what you learn.
• This session blends theoretical insights, case studies, and hands-on activities to ensure you take home actionable knowledge that can be applied in your community or organisation.
• A certificate of completion for each module to acknowledge your learning.
• Ongoing connection through the Place Based Capital Network LinkedIn group, where you can keep the conversation going, exchange insights and stay updated on future opportunities and initiatives.

Cost 

This module is priced at $250 (excl.GST)

Subsidies are available upon request for those in need. Discounts are available for individuals that participated in the Place Based Capital Program 2023-24. Please contact the pbcp@ethicalfields.com to discuss subsidies and discounts.  

Register today and take the first step towards building a capital system that works for local places and people! 

Have you completed our Fundamentals of Place Based Capital?
We highly recommend it! The Fundamentals module provides the perfect foundation you will need to build your confidence to engage with this and other more in depth place based capital topics. 

About the Place Based Capital Learning Series

This session is part of the Place Based Capital Learning Series. It is designed to equip you with the knowledge and strategies that communities need to activate and manage local capital. We will cover everything from foundational financial concepts to the practical steps communities can take to identify, generate, govern and use local funding, assets, enterprises and services for their benefit.