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AndyYates Luke_at_KnowHow chrism TomMcHugh

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How to get funding for a social enterprise

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Things you'll need

  • Energy, passion, commitment and the ability to demonstrate that you have done something about your idea.

Got a great idea but don't know how to get it off the ground? Getting funding for a new social or non for profit enterprise can be difficult but new ways are emerging that can help budding entrepreneurs. Add your ideas to this guide.

1

Try Kick Start Investment - for funding, advice and mentoring

Kick Start is a new programme run by experienced entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs which invests up to £30,000 of seed capital to help fund early stage business - including sustainable social enterprises and non profit businesses.

Just as importantly it provides expert advice, help and mentoring to help start ups reach key milestones such as product launch, distribution, revenues or business partnerships. 

Kick Start is for entrepreneurs who have got a good idea and shown they are committed to it by, for example, building a prototype, anyalysing the market or contacting potential customers to prove a sustainable business case exists. The programme is backed by Oxford Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial societies around the country. Applications for Kick Start 2011 are now open and close on May 6th 2011.

2

Try UnLtd - to get your idea off the ground

For those at the pure idea stage UnLtd is a great start, providing grants to aspiring and deserving social entrepreneurs who want to make a difference.

3

Explore available Government advice

The Government's new start up initiative Start Up Britain has a lot of useful information and links for social entrepreneurs.

4

Look at social enterprise 'incubators' - to refine business plans

And several social entrepreneurial incubators are emerging that foster entrepreneurial teams and work with them intensively for several months to refine their business plans and next steps. 

These include the London based Social Innovation Camp which also runs Bethnal Green Ventures and Oxford's Emerge Lab.

Further information

The social entrepreneurial scene in the UK is growing rapidly and it has never been a better time to get involved.

  • www.kickstartinvestment.com
  • www.unltd.org.uk
  • www.startupbritain.org
  • www.sicamp.org
  • www.theemergelab.org
Take a look at the Setting up a social enterprise

course on KnowHow's StudyZone.

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