As part of the Social Enterprise Exchange programme, South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation is managing a small grants scheme to support start-up and existing social enterprises.
Grants of £1000 to £1,500 are available to start-up and early stage social enterprises. Grants of up to £5,000 are available to social enterprises that have been trading for at least 12 months.
Applicants to the Social Enterprise Exchange grants scheme must first register with Social Enterprise Exchange at https://www.socentxchange.net/register and, if eligible, will be assigned to one of our enterprise advisors who can provide additional guidance on grant applications.
A new round of the scheme opens on 4 August and will close 22 September 2021.
There are two strands to the grants scheme:
Accelerate grants for start-ups
Start-up grants from £1,000 to £1,500 for new social enterprises registered in the last 12 months.
Transform grants for existing social enterprises
Grants for growth from £1,000 to £5,000 for existing social enterprises registered for at least 12 months.
(please note: Transform grants requests in excess of £1,500 require a match funding contribution by the applicant – download the grant guidelines below for more information)
All grant applicants are required in the first instance to have registered for social enterprise support with the Social Enterprise Exchange programme and to have been accepted either on the Accelerate strand for social enterprise start-ups or the Transform strand for existing social enterprises. Grants are only available as part of a package of support and following completion of an initial business diagnostic. To apply for a grant you will need to have available your unique Social Enterprise Exchange ID which should be provided to you by your lead advisor.
Please ensure you have registered with the SEE programme and have received a letter of acceptance from an SEE enterprise advisor. If you are seeking grant support but do not register with or are not accepted on to the new phase of the Social Enterprise Exchange programme then you will not be eligible to apply for a grant. To be accepted on the Social Enterprise Exchange programme you will need to have a registered address or an operational address in one of the local authorities of Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Dales, Doncaster, North East Derbyshire, Rotherham, or Sheffield, and to be starting up or already operating a social enterprise. See our grants scheme Guidance Notes for our definition of a social enterprise.
If you have previously registered for support in the first phase of the Social Enterprise Exchange programme, which ended 30 June 2019, you will need to re-register in order to be eligible for business support and the small grants scheme. Registration is via our online registration system here.
If you have already registered for the new phase of Social Enterprise Exchange, you will have been allocated a unique Social Enterprise Exchange ID including the reference ‘SEE2’.
We recommend you discuss your application in advance with your lead Social Enterprise Exchange coach or advisor in order to ensure you have the best chance of success with your application. If you are not sure who is your lead enterprise advisor please write to us at info@socentxchange.net for further guidance.
Download Grants Scheme Criteria here
Download the grant scheme Help Guide here
Click on the appropriate link below to access the application form: