Please note that that the Enterprise Development Programme is currently closed for new applications. Please check back for further updates.
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Groundwork joins the Enterprise Development Programme as Environment Sector Partner
The Enterprise Development Programme (EDP) is expanding. Community charity, Groundwork is joining the partnership to support charities and social enterprises operating in the environment sector.
The EDP is developed and funded by Access – The Foundation for Social Investment and managed by Social Investment Business (SIB). It provides a broad range of support for charities and social enterprises working in certain sectors in England, helping them to work up an idea for trading and expand or upscale their existing business or enterprise model.
Groundwork will work closely alongside the chosen environmental organisations, supporting them to become more financially and environmentally sustainable. These organisations will work collaboratively with Groundwork to develop a package of support to help them on their enterprise journey, with support including an enabler network, mentoring, group-based learning opportunities, training and support on applying for grants.
Examples of eligible trading models are broad and could include; selling woodland products or produce from land management projects, selling services such as training or awareness courses, producing and selling a Standard Mark, or setting up an online retail or physical charity shop.
Funds generated by charities and social enterprises from trading can complement grant funding, act as a source of core funding or be reinvested back into organisations for further growth.
Stage 1 applications for environmental organisations in England will open on Tuesday 15 June with a deadline of Tuesday 13 July.
Since relaunching following its pilot in January 2020, the EDP programme has supported over 80 organisations across the Equality, Homelessness, Mental Health and Youth sectors with tailored support packages, which have included learning programmes and grants.
EDP’s current sector themes cover Black and Minoritised Communities, Equality, Homelessness, Mental Health and Youth, with sector partners the Ubele Initiative, Equally Ours, Homeless Link, The Association of Mental Health Providers, and The Centre for Youth Impact.
Seb Elsworth, Chief Executive of Access – The Foundation for Social Investment – said: “Charities and social enterprises operating in the environment sector are improving communities and supporting people right around the country. Building more resilient business models is key to them being able to deliver more of this impact, and for many earned income can play a bigger role. We are delighted that Groundwork are joining the Enterprise Development partnership to embed support for enterprise in the environmental sector.”
Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK Chief Executive, said: “We are very pleased to be joining the Enterprise Development Programme partnership. We hope that by supporting environmental organisations in securing more sustainable and resilient futures, we can help communities thrive.”
Deborah Smart, Director of Grants at Social Investment Business, said: “We’re delighted that the Enterprise Development Programme is expanding to be able to support organisations operating in the Environment sector. The addition of Groundwork UK as a new sector partner will help environmentally-focused organisations to grow their enterprise activity and increase their impact.”
How to apply
Stage 1 application for the Environment sector for EDP will open on 15 June, with a deadline 4 weeks later on 13 July. Stage 2 applications will close on 10 August. You can read more about the eligibility criteria here.
In the meantime, you can find out more about EDP and the application process here.
-Ends
For further information, please contact:
Miranda Love
Marketing and Communications Lead
Social Investment Business
Notes to Editors
About Access
Access – The Foundation for Social Investment works to make charities and social enterprises in England more financially resilient and self-reliant, so that they can sustain or increase their impact.
Access does this by supporting the development of enterprise activity to grow and diversify income and improving access to the social investment which can help stimulate that enterprise activity.
Set up in 2015, Access was endowed with £60m by the Government to support more organisations to access social investment. It also runs the Growth Fund, a blended finance programme supporting small scale lending to the sector, on behalf of the National Lottery Community Fund and Big Society Capital.
www.access-socialinvestment.org.uk
About Social Investment Business
Social Investment Business provides finance to create fairer communities and improve people’s lives. They do this by providing the money and support they need directly, partnering to support them effectively and, using their knowledge to inform their own work and influence others.
Since 2004, SIB has deployed and managed over £400m of loans and grants into over 2,000 organisations and enabled almost 1,000 more to get dedicated support through programmes.
www.sibgroup.org.uk
About Groundwork
Groundwork is a charity working locally and nationally to transform lives in the UK’s most disadvantaged communities. We’re passionate about creating a future where every neighbourhood is vibrant and green, every community is strong and able to shape its own destiny and no one is held back by their background or circumstances.
We help people gain confidence and skills, get into training and work, protect and improve green spaces, lead more active lives and overcome significant challenges such as poverty, isolation, low skills and poor health. www.groundwork.org.uk
Enterprise Development Programme supports social enterprise to gain accreditation
Originally published via Social Enterprise Mark on 12/3/21.
Second Shot Coffee, a social enterprise that trains, employs, and supports people affected by homelessness, has met recognised standards of good practice to be awarded the Social Enterprise Mark.
The Social Enterprise Mark is an externally assessed accreditation, which provides an independent guarantee that an organisation has met sector-agreed criteria and is operating as a genuine social enterprise, committed to creating positive social change.
Second Shot Coffee was supported to apply for accreditation through the Enterprise Development Programme, which aims to support charities and social enterprises to become more financially resilient by developing new enterprise models, or by growing existing ones.
The Enterprise Development Programme (EDP) is funded by Access – The Foundation for Social Investment and delivered by a coalition of national partners, including Homeless Link, which is the delivery partner for the homelessness sector. As part of the programme, Homeless Link worked with Julius Ibrahim, founder of Second Shot Coffee, to identify which support could help them grow their enterprise activity to become more financially sustainable.
Murphy Hopkins-Hubbard, Enterprise Development Manager at Homeless Link, suggested to Julius that accreditation may be beneficial for Second Shot Coffee and the EDP grant supported him to apply for the Social Enterprise Mark. After an independent assessment process to ensure the organisation met the sector-agreed criteria, which defines what it means to be a social enterprise, Second Shot Coffee was awarded the Social Enterprise Mark in early February 2021.
Murphy said: “We have worked with 20 homelessness organisations this year as part of the Enterprise Development Programme and each of them has undergone diagnostic consultations to understand what support would be most valuable. It’s so exciting to see Julius’s work with developing Second Shot Coffee recognised through the Social Enterprise Mark. We hope to find this accreditation boosts the credibility of the organisation as well as boost opportunities for partnerships.”
Second Shot Coffee was set up to tackle negative misconceptions and lack of understanding around homelessness. By providing employment and training to individuals that have been failed by society, it aims to eliminate these perceptions and bring people closer together, and in doing so improve the long-term life outcomes and wellbeing of people experiencing homelessness.
On being awarded the Social Enterprise Mark, Julius Ibrahim said “Creating meaningful impact has been at the core of Second Shot Coffee since we opened in 2016. It’s amazing to now have the Social Enterprise Mark to underpin that dedication and to highlight the work we do. Going forward we’re excited to grow within the community and work with new partners to shout about the importance of social businesses as we progress on to the next phase of the Second Shot story.”
To find out more about Second Shot Coffee click here.
Originally published via Social Enterprise Mark on 12/3/21.
Voluntary Action Leicester Conference: 12 May (Postponed due to COVID-19)
We regret to announce that we are postponing the Enterprise Development Conference on 12 May due to COVID-19.
This is due to government advice and suggested control measures regarding COVID-19. As the event would have brought together more than 100 people, we felt it best to postpone the event for now.
Many thanks for your understanding and apologies for the inconvenience. We will be in touch with details on the future date in due course (most probably September or October). If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact Hetal Jani (hetal.jani@access-si.org.uk).
When: Tuesday 12 May
Time: 10.00 – 16.00
Where: Voluntary Action Leicester – 9 Newarke St, Leicester LE1 5SN
Join us for a one-day Enterprise Development conference on Tuesday 12 May 2020 at Voluntary Action Leicester to co-learn alongside other charities and social enterprises about enterprise development!
Are you a charity or social enterprise looking to become more business-like or enterprising? Do you recognise the importance of enterprise development and find yourself armed with an enterprising idea but need help to move it forward? If you are interested in transitioning towards enterprise activity, or are currently in the process of transitioning and are keen to share knowledge and experience, then we would love to see you there!
Building on the success of the pilot year of our Enterprise Development Programme, Access – the Foundation for Social Investment is organising this Enterprise Development conference as a way to build capacity, confidence and collaboration across multiple charitable sectors to openly discuss and learn about enterprise development, and – most importantly – its role in building the financial autonomy and resilience of the sector. The Enterprise Development Programme is currently open to organisations in the Youth, Homelessness, Equality and Mental Health sectors.
What you can expect on the day:
- Hear from charity and social enterprise leaders who have been successfully trading;
- Learn about aims of the Enterprise Development Programme and how it has supported our existing Youth and Homelessness cohorts and – more importantly – how it could benefit your organisation;
- Dynamic mix of presentations, workshops, panel discussions and peer-learning discussions;
- Extensive networking opportunities with fellow civil society organisations, enterprise development organisations and funders;
- A safe and non-judgmental space in which to ask difficult questions
- Opportunity to learn about other opportunities offered by Access- the Foundation for Social Investment.
This FREE event is offered to all charities and social enterprises working in England.
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