Deadline: 14-Jan-22
The City of Melbourne is pleased to launch the Social Enterprise City Impact Grants Program to enhance the City of Melbourne’s reputation for business vitality, diversity and inclusiveness, and contribute further to the city’s economy and community.
The Social Enterprise City Impact program provides financial assistance and development opportunities to support the establishment and expansion of businesses and organisations with a distinctly social purpose.
For the purpose of this program, a ‘social enterprise’ is defined as an organisation which combines trade with a social purpose where this purpose is a defining part of the business. Applicants may include social enterprises, B Corporations, charities and other philanthropic organisations. Applications will be accepted from both not-for-profit and for-profit businesses.
Objectives
- Support social enterprises which demonstrate the ability to help reinvigorate the city, respond to postpandemic opportunities or challenges, and generate positive impact to the City of Melbourne.
- Encourage the establishment, development and expansion of sustainable social enterprises which enhance the City of Melbourne’s business vitality, diversity and inclusiveness.
- Support social enterprises which demonstrate a unique point-of-difference, sound business model, including long-term financial viability.
Applicant Types
Types of social enterprises supported by this program:
- Impact startups/organisations utilising digital technologies with high growth potential that uses innovation and/or addresses scalable markets.
- Organisations operating a more traditional street-side ‘brick-and-mortar’ business which offers products and services to its customers face-to-face in an office or store that the business owns or rents.
- Organisations which are a hybrid/blend of the two models.
Applicant organisations must be located within, or be delivering their activity, product or service to customers within, the City of Melbourne municipality and the enterprise must exist to benefit the environment and people (the community) who live, work, study and play in the City of Melbourne.
Program Categories
- Start-up: Open to existing social enterprises to assist in accelerating the establishment of their business. Grants up to $10,000 are available
- Expansion: Open to existing social enterprises to assist with growth of their business. Grants up to $10,000 are available.
Program Streams
- Open Stream: This stream is open to any social enterprise that meets the eligibility criteria and the program objectives.
- Circular Economy Stream: City of Melbourne is interested in bold and inventive circular economy solutions, challenging the notion of what ‘waste’ is, and finding pathways towards a circular economy and zero waste. This stream is for those social enterprises who are developing and/or delivering innovative circular economy related products and services.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for this program applications must meet the following criteria:
- Applicant organisations must be located within, or be delivering their activity, product or service within, the City of Melbourne municipality and the project must be targeted to benefit people (the community) who live, work and play in the City of Melbourne.
- Demonstrate how the City of Melbourne will benefit from its proposal and alignment to the purpose of the program by responding to and guided by key City of Melbourne plans including: Council Plan 2021-25, Economic Development Strategy 2031, and Sustainable Development Goals.
- Have a valid Australian Business Number (ABN).
- Have documented evidence of an appropriate legal structure, such as a sole trader, an Australian registered company, business cooperative or partnership.
- Organisations can be a not-for-profit constituted body, a certified B Corporation or a social enterprise that meets the Social Traders definition of a social enterprise.
- Demonstrate sustainable business practices in line with the Australian ethical charter
- Have no outstanding acquittals or debts to the City of Melbourne.
- Be able to commence the proposed activity promptly upon receiving the grant
- Be able to demonstrate financial viability as evidenced by a basic business plan including projected financial statements.
For more information, visit https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/business/grants-tenders/social-enterprise-grants/Pages/social-enterprise-grants.aspx