Carlow Entrepreneurs urged to apply for huge funding by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland

€20,000 and nine months of mentorship available to people from Carlow with a tried and tested solution to a social problem.

Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, the first organisation to focus solely on supporting social entrepreneurs in Ireland, is seeking applications for its 2024 Impact Programme. The organisation supports people with innovative ideas to tackle Ireland’s social problems

There are 5 places, and combined funding of €100,000 available on the 2024 programme. The Impact Programme is designed to support social entrepreneurs to develop and lean on strengths such as planning, teamwork, collaboration, leadership and big picture thinking.

It has been designed around a number of key pillars:

Group Learning: Bringing together individuals at similar stages and with shared needs in structured group sessions, fostering learning from both experienced mentors and sector experts.
Group Sharing: Conversations and connections with fellow social entrepreneurs are crucial. Normalising challenges and learning from one another, significantly enhancing a leader's resilience.
Individual Support: Monthly individual support sessions to ensure that each social entrepreneur's needs are heard, allowing for bespoke interventions throughout the programme.
Funding: €20,000 in unrestricted funding for each awardee, and support to leverage more funding from Social Entrepreneurs Ireland’s network of supporters.
Community: A 20-year-strong community of alumni and sector experts, who can offer invaluable advice, support, mentoring, and connections.
Commenting on the national call for applications, CEO of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, Tim Griffiths said: “Every day, in every community across Ireland, we see people stepping up with innovative solutions to tackle social and environmental problems. We call these people social entrepreneurs, and at Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, we’re looking to find and support even more of them in Carlow.”

“Social entrepreneurs face the same challenges, worries and concerns as typical entrepreneurs, the Impact Programme creates space for awardees to problem solve, strategise and learn together as a group, while taking a step back from the day-to-day operations of their business.”

Alumni of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland include Carlow social entrepreneur Kim Mackenzie Doyle, founder of The B!G Idea - a multi-award-winning educational programme for 15-19 year olds. Other alumni include AsIAm, Refill Ireland, Education for Sustainability, and Jiminy Eco Toys.

Applications for the Impact Programme will remain open until midnight on Wednesday 24th April 2024. Those interested in applying or finding out more information can visit www.socialentrepreneurs.ie.