In the UK, there exists a wide variety of offerings in the public and private sectors for funding new social enterprises and amassing the necessary skills or network to make it all happen. Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the key organisations which offer support to UK-based social entrepreneurs.
Social Enterprise UK
Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) is the UK membership body for social enterprise. Their work involves carrying out research, running campaigns for members and lobbying on the sector's behalf. Their ‘Buy Social Corporate Challenge’ launched in 2016 created the world’s largest commitment to social procurement. They also work to raise the profile of people and social enterprises in the sector and help to build strong networks between social enterprises.
UnLtd
UnLtd is the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs, and they are committed to aiding them though some of the most difficult aspects of growing a business. They use their expertise to find, fund, and support social entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to life and build sustainable social ventures. UnLtd’s core startup awards include the Try It, Do It and Grow It awards - each geared towards projects at different stages of development.
Impact Hub
Alongside their office spaces, the well-known global organisation, Impact Hub, offers multiple programmes which support those growing a social business. One example is the Impact Hub Fellowship, a topic-focused entrepreneurial idea award and one-year incubation programme designed to enable early-stage entrepreneurs to realise innovations for a sustainable world.
Ashoka
Ashoka’s network of social innovators begins with the Ashoka Fellowship: an association of social entrepreneurs creating systemic change. Fellows are evaluated based on the following five criteria: new idea, entrepreneurialism, creativity, social impact, and ethical fibre. Over the last 10 years Ashoka UK has selected 40 Ashoka Fellows who are support in a variety of ways including funding, accelerator programmes, workshops and network access.
Nesta
Nesta, the National Endowment for Science, Technology, and the Arts, is a global innovation foundation. They are focused primarily on innovations that will shape the future, be it technical, social, health, etc. They back new ideas which are tackling the big challenges of our time by providing helpful resources and toolkits as well as funding opportunities. You’ll find more information on how they can help you innovate here.
SSE
The School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) equips people to transform their communities and improve the lives of others by providing them with educational courses and connecting them with funding and mentoring. Their 6 day courses cover topics such as starting a social enterprise, scaling, replication, and moving an existing charity towards a social enterprise model. They also offer shorter workshops on similar topics.
Skoll Centre for Social Innovation
The Skoll Centre for Social Innovation fosters innovative social transformation through education, research, and collaboration. They seek to provide high potential individuals with the inspiration, knowledge, skills, and networks they need to effectively pursue careers of positive social impact. They do so through a wide variety of grants, competitions and programmes such as the Skoll Venture and Map the System awards.
ChangemakerXchange
ChangemakerXchange is a global collaboration platform for young social innovators. It gathers some of the world’s most exciting changemakers at impact retreats in beautiful spaces around the world for the exchange and co-creation of ideas.
Student Hubs
Student Hubs was founded in 2007 by a group of students who hope to create a society in which every student engages with social and environmental challenges during their time at university, empowering them to become active citizens for life.
The Platform
The Platform creates opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to transform their lives and the world around them through unique learning opportunities, such as working at their social enterprise hub, venue hire or catering businesses.
Mutual Ventures
Mutual Ventures is a socially focused consultancy with extensive experience supporting organisations to become investment ready and to develop new social impact approaches, resulting in organisations securing funding or winning new contracts. They support organisations on the whole journey to accessing social investment: from identifying the right social investment offer to developing a business case and brokering relationships with investors.
Social Enterprise Academy (SEA)
SEA delivers innovative, peer-led social enterprise courses across Scotland that combine work-based practice with accredited qualifications and are adaptable and responsive to different levels of experience and growth. These include one- and two-day intro courses as well as longer programmes to develop a social enterprise or grow an established organisation. SEA also delivers courses in other countries, including in partnership with the British Council.
Just Enterprise
Just Enterprise is a comprehensive programme designed to help social enterprises and social entrepreneurs grow their businesses and achieve their goals. Supported by the Scottish Government, Just Enterprise hosts numerous workshops and training services focused on business support, business recovery, procurement, leadership and funding.
Social Firms Scotland
A social firm is a specific type of social enterprise where the social mission is to create employment and work for people who face significant barriers to employment. Social Firms Scotland offers its members business development support to help them set up and build viable commercially-focused social firms that can offer jobs, training and meaningful work-based experiences.
Cambridge Social Ventures
Cambridge Social Ventures, in collaboration with the Cambridge Judge Business School, offers two different programmes aimed at supporting budding social ventures. The first is the Social Venture Weekend, which is a three day workshop tailored towards emerging entrepreneurs wanting to explore new ideas and established ventures looking to refine their idea and cement their understanding of business fundamentals. The second is the Social Venture Incubator: an intensive year long program filled with monthly training days, a personal business advisor, access to loans and angel investors, and even a shared co-working space in central Cambridge.
Bethnal Green Ventures
Bethnal Green Ventures runs an intensive three month long accelerator programme for early-stage ‘Tech for Good’ social ventures who have the ambition to scale up and impact millions of lives. The accelerator comes with numerous benefits, including training workshops, 1:1 weekly mentoring, free office space in London for six months, and a £20,000 investment in exchange for 6% equity.
Emerge Education
Emerge Education strives to create a better education for billions of people by investing in and accelerating the growth of education-focused social enterprise startups and ventures.