Deadline: 03-Aug-21
The Social Enterprise Start-up Fund is an €800,000 Fund which will be delivered over two years: 2021 – 2022. The Fund was created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund.
Objectives
The objective of the fund is to support social enterprises at the start-up / early stage of their life cycle, to embed strong business principles and, in turn, deliver social impact, create jobs and inspire an emerging, next generation of Irish social enterprises.
The Fund will provide critical support to the most innovative and impactful start-up social enterprises across Ireland, supporting them to:
- Build a plan to grow their social enterprise,
- Map their key stakeholders and customers,
- Create networks within the social enterprise sector,
- Increase their financial sustainability,
- Communicate their vision and mission to a wider audience.
Benefits
In 2021, the fund offers (up to) 25 Awardees:
- Cash grants: In 2021, the Fund will support up to 25 social enterprises with cash grants of €9,000 each.
- The Accelerator Programme: All successful applicants will win a place on the National Accelerator Programme specifically designed for social enterprises. The Accelerator Programme is designed to equip the social enterprises with the tools and techniques needed to expand their business skills and deepen their impact within their communities.
- Business supports: The Accelerator Programme also includes business supports tailored to the needs of each organisation such as strategic planning, business modeling, and communications.
Eligibility Criteria
- Rethink Ireland invites applications from social enterprises (projects) that are at an early stage of their development and are looking to fully establish themselves in the market.
Rethink Ireland Core Criteria
- The project must address a critical social issue
- The project proposed must be innovative in an Irish context
- The project must be based on the island of Ireland and must make its main impact in the Republic of Ireland
- The project must have potential and a desire to scale or replicate in Ireland (it may also have potential internationally, but this is not a requirement)
- The project has passed the idea stage, i.e. has completed some market research, developed a prototype, made at least one sale, etc.
- Applicants need to be of a not-for-profit nature. Legal forms include e.g. a company limited by guarantee, a co-operative, a trust, and other not for profit legal entities
- If your organisation has charitable status then it will meet the eligibility criteria
If you have another legal form, but meet the definition of social enterprise under the National Social Enterprise Policy for Ireland, the Fund may be able to support you.
For more information, visit https://rethinkireland.ie/current_fund/social-enterprise-start-up-fund/
