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Social entrepreneurs Ireland is offering two programmes valued at €500,000 and 35 places to people and organisations with innovative ideas to solve social problems.
The two programmes of support that are now open for application are the ideas academy - aimed at those with an early-stage idea to solve a social problem - and the impact programme, which provides high-potential social entrepreneurs with bespoke support to grow their impact and embedded best practice.
SEI seeks out people with unique insight and scalable ideas to social problems and through a mixture of funding, mentorship, and training, helps organisations to grow and deepen their impact.
Since its foundation in 2004, the organisation has supported more than 550 social entrepreneurs around Ireland.
The ideas academy
The ideas academy has up to 30 places for people with innovative early-stage ideas to solve social problems.
The three-month programme will be delivered online in 2023 and will provide participants with the support and direction they need as they take the first steps from idea to action, sparking a new generation of social entrepreneurs.
Participants will be supported to progress their solution, to build skills and accelerate learning in core areas of importance to social entrepreneurs and to move from idea to action.
Participants also have the opportunity to pitch for seed funding at the end of the programme to pilot their idea.
Recent alumni of the ideas academy include The Together Academy, FASD Ireland, Spéire Nua and Education for Sustainability.
Impact programme
There are five places available on SEI’s prestigious impact programme, aimed at high-potential social entrepreneurs who are looking to bring their organisation to the next level.
Awardees will join the nine-month accelerator programme, where they will receive mentorship, bespoke training and consultancy in leadership development, fundraising, governance, strategic planning and communications.
They will also each receive €20,000 in unrestricted funding to grow their impact and will receive access to pro-bono support from SEI’s partner organisations.
Alumni of the programme include AsIAm, Grow Remote, The Two Norries and Jiminy Eco Toys.
Commenting on the national call for applications, SEI CEO Tim Griffiths said: “Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, and our dynamic community of supporters, are determined to provide support and help accelerate the pace of social change in Ireland.
"We believe that social entrepreneurs are the way to do just that and would encourage anyone with an idea, or who is taking action to make their communities better, to apply to one of our programmes.”
How to apply
Applications for the ideas academy are open until midnight on Tuesday 16 May and applications for the impact programme close at midnight on Tuesday 30 May. Interested candidates can apply or find out more at socialentrepreneurs.ie.
On Thursday 4 May, SEI will host an online information session for potential applicants that will outline the supports available through the two programmes.
Participants will hear from alumni of the ideas academy and impact programme and will have the opportunity to join a live Q&A session with SEI programme managers.
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