Social Enterprise Development Initiative Grants Program (Australia)

Deadline: 31-Dec-25

Applications are now open for Social Enterprise Development Initiative (SEDI) Grants Program to support social enterprises to be more effective and efficient in demonstrating and increasing social impact for the people and communities they exist to support.

Social Enterprise Development Initiative (SEDI) Grants help social enterprises, including trading Indigenous owned or controlled organisations with a defined social benefit, grow their business, scale their impact and further their missions of creating positive social change.

Outcome Areas

• The initiative supports social enterprises across all states and territories that are delivering services for people living in Australia who are experiencing entrenched disadvantage, in a range of social outcome areas, including: communities, employment, education and First Nations Australians.

Funding Information

• Grant amount: up to $120,000.

Uses of the Funds

• Eligible uses:
  • Grant funds are to be used to purchase business and capability building services that will help a social enterprise grow its impact. These services are to be provided by intermediaries and must be completed within six months of a SEDI Grant being awarded.
  • The SEDI Grant application form includes a list of capability building services that social enterprises can choose from. This list of services is flexible and will change as the SEDI Grants Team learns more about what social enterprises need. Social enterprises can include other services (not included in the list) that will help grow their impact.
  • The types of services a social enterprise selects is dependent on its needs, but could include:
    • Advice on systems implementation
    • IT/HR/Inventory/Accounting
    • Advice on financial management and reporting
    • Advice on marketing strategy/materials preparation
    • Advice on social procurement strategies
    • Investor grant pitch development
    • Introductions to impact investors or philanthropists
    • Operations advice to assist in scaling operations
    • Other capability building services to assist with scaling impact
    • Internal costs necessary to purchase capability building services (to a maximum of 20% of total grant funding)
• Ineligible uses:
  • Grant funds cannot be used for general expenses, including:
    • Property: The Enterprise must not acquire or lease assets with SEDI Grant funds. This includes:
      • purchasing property, buildings or land
      • renovating or improving physical spaces
      • acquiring equipment or vehicles
    • Operating costs not necessary for the purchase of capability building services
      • salaries and wages for staff
      • IT systems, including upgrades and maintenance
      • rent or lease payments for offices or facility spaces
      • general utilities and office supplies (Note: Grant funds can be used to pay for internal costs necessary to purchase capability building services, to a maximum of 20% of total grant funding)
    • Indirect costs
      • administrative overheads unrelated to the capability building services funded by a SEDI Grant
    • Ineligible activities
      • activities or programs not directly related to the capability building services funded by a SEDI Grant
    • International travel costs not specifically approved by IIA

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible SEDI Grant applicants:
  • Are a social enterprise (see definition below) or a trading Indigenous owned or controlled organisation with a defined social benefit
  • Have a direct impact in one or more of the approved Department of Social Services outcome areas
  • Currently provide direct benefit to those experiencing entrenched disadvantage in Australia
  • Are an Australian organisation
  • Have beneficiaries who primarily reside in Australia
  • Have a trading revenue that exceeds $50,000 per year
  • May be early stage but have progressed beyond the start-up phase
  • Are seeking to scale impact (now or in the future) in one or more of the approved outcome areas to address entrenched disadvantage in Australia

For more information, visit IIA.