Social Entrepreneurs Invited To Academy And Award Programme

Social entrepreneurs are being invited to take advantage of specialist training, networking opportunities and funding support for their business.

The Social Entrepreneurs Ireland's Academy and Award programmes help entrepreneurs develop their social enterprise idea or business. Applications are now open for both programmes.

Academy for Social Entrepreneurs

Do you have an innovative idea to solve a social problem? Are you ambitious, entrepreneurial, and passionate about social change? This five day programme, over the course of five months, will provide you with the support and direction you need to help you to kick-start your idea and take the next steps.

The Academy, taking place in both Dublin and Galway in 2018, is worth in excess of €5,000 per project. Together with a small group of fellow innovators, you will receive:

• Targeted training to accelerate your knowledge in the key foundational areas of leading a social business, such as solution design, financial management, storytelling, leadership and personal resilience.

• Membership in one of Ireland's largest networks of social entrepreneurs - you will have connection to and mentorship from a large number of extremely experienced social entrepreneurs.

• The opportunity to pitch for seed funding as a way to progress your idea to its next stage of development. Those completing the 2018 Academy programme will have the opportunity to pitch for part of a pot of €20,000.

Applications close at 17:00 on Friday 23 March 2018.

Read further information and applications are available here: socialentrepreneurs.ie/theacademy

Awards Programme

This nine-month accelerator programme will provide you with specialised support to help you to bring your project to the next level, with a view to becoming a highly impactful, effective, scalable, and sustainable organisation.

As an Awards winner, your project will receive support and direct funding worth over €25,000, and you will join Ireland's largest network of social entrepreneurs working across the country to solve Ireland's social problems quickly and effectively.

Up to eight social entrepreneurs will be selected to participate in the awards programme, receiving training and support, access to a powerful network and direct funding:

• The Awards Programme delivers one-to-one and group training, in areas such as leadership development, communications, governance, strategic planning, fundraising, and resilience.

• As members of Ireland's largest network of social entrepreneurs, you will have connection to and mentorship from a large number of extremely experienced social entrepreneurs.

• Awardees receive direct unrestricted funding of €10,000 to support them to build strong foundations for their organisations and grow their impact.

Read further information and applications are available here: socialentrepreneurs.ie/awards