€140,000 funding available for Kildare's social entrepreneurs

€140,000 funding and support available for people with ideas to solve social problems. There is two weeks left to apply to Social Entrepreneurs Ireland. 

A lifesaving blood donation campaign (the Vampire Cup), a nature-based experiential education initiative (Seed Scholars) and the first ethnic minority interest and multilingual community radio station in Ireland (GOCOM Radio) are among the projects being supported by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI) across the country.

SEI is now encouraging anyone who has an innovative idea to solve a particular social problem to apply for a place on its Ideas Academy – aimed at those with an early-stage idea to solve a social problem or Impact Programme – aimed at high-potential social entrepreneurs looking to grow the impact of their organisation. SEI has up to 50 programme places and €140,000 funding available. 

Since its foundation in 2004, SEI has supported more than 500 social entrepreneurs all around Ireland who are who are championing and driving solutions in areas such as mental health, housing, the environment and education.

One recent graduate of SEI’s Ideas Academy is the Vampire Cup, founded by UCC medical student Glenn Curtin. The Vampire Cup is a national blood donor recruitment strategy in the form of an intervarsity competition that pits colleges and universities against each other to see who can donate the most blood and save lives across the country. In the next Academic Year, 16 colleges from across the country representing over 200,000 students and staff will undertake the Vampire Cup challenge and become blood donation advocates.

Other social enterprises currently being supported by SEI include Seed Scholars, founded by Eliya Lavine, an immersive environmental education programme for primary school children, and GOCOM Radio, founded by Islammiyah Saudique Kadejo, the first ethnic minority interest and multilingual community radio station in Ireland that is providing ethnic representation opportunities, bridging language barriers and promoting migrant skills.

Commenting, CEO of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, Tim Griffiths said: “Social entrepreneurs are society’s problem solvers. They are people who see a problem, develop a solution and take action. At SEI, our vision is an Ireland where people solve all social problems and our mission is to find and support people with solutions to social problems on every step of their journey. We are very proud of the social entrepreneurs and organisations we have supported over the past 18 years who have directly impacted the lives of millions of people throughout Ireland and have contributed significantly to creating employment opportunities. Now we’re inviting anyone across the island of Ireland who has an idea they want to put into action, or an idea that needs support to take to the next level, to apply to SEI for support. We know that with the right people alongside you, everything is possible.”

There are up to 45 places available on SEI’s Ideas Academy for people with innovative early-stage ideas to solve social problems. The three-month programme aims to support a new generation of social entrepreneurs by providing participants with the training and direction they need as they take the first steps from idea to action. Participants also have the opportunity to pitch for a portion of a €40,000 seed fund at the end of the programme to pilot their idea.

SEI has a further €100,000 available through its prestigious Impact Programme, aimed at high-potential social entrepreneurs. Up to five Awardees will join a nine-month accelerator programme, where they will receive mentorship, training, and consultancy in areas such as leadership development, fundraising, governance, strategic planning, and communications. Awardees each receive €20,000 in direct funding, pro-bono support from partner organisations and access to a network of fellow social entrepreneurs and business experts. 

DCC plc, the international sales, marketing and support services group, is the flagship supporter of SEI’s national call for applications.

Applications for the Ideas Academy and Impact Programme are open until midnight on Tuesday, April 5. Interested candidates can apply or find out more at socialentrepreneurs.ie