In the 1990s, ELBA was known as the East London Partnership. A smaller group of around 37 companies, its work was focused on business leaders' involvement in local partnerships in Newham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney. From 1995, in partnership with
The Environment Trust and
London Borough of Tower Hamlets, ELBA was involved in the creation of
Mile End Park. In 2012, Islington Giving invited ELBA to create a business-supported employee volunteer programme in
Islington, called the Businesses for Islington Giving (BIG) Alliance. In 2013, ELBA's recruitment agency London Works, launched as a social enterprise to 'help talented people from low income backgrounds into their first role in London's financial and business services sector', received a £100,000 grant from the Mayor of London's London Enterprise Panel.{{cite web | url=http://www.london.gov.uk/media/mayor-press-releases/2013/10/mayor-backs-four-new-projects-to-drive-jobs-and-growth-in-the ==Competitors and alternatives==