Funding Portal
This is the area of the website where you can find the latest funding opportunities for social enterprises. From loans, finance support packages, grants and more, there is a wealth of financial support for social enterprises now available. Use the links and downloads below to find funding for your social business.
The Social Enterprise Loan Fund
This a new fund designed to help social enterprises in the Northwest beat the current economic downturn. The fund aims to assist social enterprises and charities who are unable to secure funding from mainstream sources.
The Social Investment Business
The Social Investment Business acts as a portal to help social enterprises, charities and community groups access funding. Social Investment Business provide access and information on a variety of third sector funds including Futurebuilders Fund, Social Enterprise Invesment Fund, Communitybuilders Fund and the Modernisation Fund.
Merseyside Funding Information Portal
A brand new online resource that gives you all the information you need to know about funding your social enterprise. Information and support in tendering and procurement related opportunities are also offered through this portal.
Spark gives organisations and individuals the opportunity to address homelessness through social enterprise. It offers funding to social enterprises who are seeking to tackle the root causes of homelessness. Spark is more than simply a fund. It is also a nine month programme of support from leading public, private and third sector organisations.
Applications for the next round will open Spring 2010.
UnLtd Sport Relief: Make It Happen Awards Programme
Run by UnLtd, this is a programme of funding and support for young people with entrepreneurial ideas. The programme gives young people aged 11-21 the change to run their own sports and arts projects to help bring their local communities together and reduce anti-social behaviour.
Click the above link to visit the website, or alternatively click here to continue reading about the programme.
Managed by the Community Development Foundation and funded by the Office of the Third Sector Grassroots Grants can provide non-profit or community groups grants of between £250-£5000. Social enterprises can apply for Grassroots Grants provided they meet the criteria. For more information about Grassroots Grants and to read the criteria, click the link above.
BIG Lottery Reaching Communities Fund
The Reaching Communities fund is open to any social enterprise in England with an idea about how to improve their community, with funding of as much as £500,000 for up to five years available.
UnLtd's Millennium Awards provide practical and financial support to social entrepreneurs in the UK. There are current 2 awards available to social entrepreneurs: Level 1 and Level 2. Level 1: Awards of between £500 and £5,000. Level 2: Awards of up to £15,000. For more information please click the link above.
UPCOMING DEADLINE FOR UNLTD LEVEL 2 AWARDS! 30TH AUGUST
Bridges Ventures: Social Entrepreneurs Fund
The Bridges Social Entrepreneurs Fund is an initiative of the Bridges Charitable Trust to address the funding gap often faced by fast growing social enterprises looking to scale up.
Bridges Ventures tailor each investment to ensure that it fits the needs of each particular social enterprise, while also allowing the Bridges Social Entrepreneurs Fund to make a reasonable financial return to demonstrate a sustainable funding source for social enterprises.
The fund is currently open for investment. For more information about the fund, please click on the link above.
Funding Central is a free smart website for all third sector organisations, including community groups, providing access to thousands of funding and finance opportunities, plus a wealth of tools and resources supporting organisations to develop sustainable income strategies appropriate to their needs.
The People's Millions are looking for new projects that aim to improve local facilities or help people get more out of their area.
Every night for a week in November ITV regional news will feature two great project ideas competing for viewers' phone votes. At stake is up to £50,000 from the BIG Lottery Fund.
You'll stand a better chance of winning if your project will get people involved in their local community, help those most in need, or is original and imaginative.
Liverpool Sefton Social Investment Bond
Ethical bank, Charity Bank, is seeking to support social enterprises in Liverpool and Sefton via a guaranteed savings fund for private investors, businesses and wealth funds. The money deposited in the Bond will be used to offer loan finance from £50,000 to £2million. Click on the link above to learn more.
The Phone Co-op's Social Enteprise Start-up & Expansion Fund
The Phone Co-op has re-launched its social enterprise fund which provides resources to social enterprises to help them at critical stages in their development.
The Arthur Guinness Fund, which was set up in 2009 in memory of the founder of the Guinness brewery business, has awarded funding to community projects and social enterprises in the UK, Ireland and other countries over the past year.
This year, as well as increasing the amount of money available, the fund has agreed a three-year partnership with Ashoka, a global network of more than 2,500 social entrepreneurs, which will provide practical and business support to the 30 candidates selected to receive grants through the fund.
Applications for the funding can be made from 28th September.
The Social Enterprise Opportunities Fund
For the remainder of 2010, the eligibility criteria for the Social Enterprise Opportunities Fund will be changing. Liverpool Vision has teamed up with the Community Foundation for Merseyside to pool resources to support projects offering pathways back to employment to long-term unemployed people.
They particularly want to fund new social enterprises or charities which as part of their operations offer 'transitional employment' opportunities, however existing organisations providing innovative solutions to the issue of long-term unemployment are welcome to apply as well. Click on the title above for more information.
