Organisations, courses and individuals who help social entrepreneurs and businesses
- Joe Saxton
- Feb 25
- 3 min read
I put a post on LinkedIn in February asking who or what the organisations were that helped social entrepreneurs. I got a fantastic range of responses, so I thought I would collate them into a single post. Here they are. I have put them roughly in the order they came through in the comments, though more regional ventures are at the end. Apologies if I have missed any organisations.
School for Social Entrepreneurs
The School for Social Entrepreneurs is one of the powerhouses of support for social entrepreneurs. Through practical learning, Match Trading™ grants and expert support, they help people build confidence, skills and connections to grow strong, sustainable enterprises that change lives and protect the planet
Social Enterprise UK
Social Enterprise UK is the umbrella body for promoting social enterprise in the UK. Social enterprises, according to their website are defined as ‘are businesses with a social or environmental purpose’ Their ‘State of Social Enterprise 2025’ is a powerful synthesis of the impact and difference that social enterprises make.
UnLtd UK
UnLtd supports individual social entrepreneurs with a range of support, including grants, mentoring, coaching, training and helps them understand their impact. In 2023/24, UnLtd supported 150 social entrepreneurs with Starting Up and Scaling Up grants and services to drive social change.
The Young Foundation
The Young Foundation say they are the home for community research and social innovation. In their words: ‘We tackle the issues people tell us they care about. We believe that everyone in the UK should experience the power of participation to shape a just and inclusive future. Our projects drive better prospects, a fair shift to a greener planet, and empowered places.’
Daring Capital
Daring Capital is an investment fund for social innovation. As they say, ‘We invest in extraordinary under-represented FOUNDERS Building Companies that make the world a better place’. So far, they have invested £2.5 million in diverse founders.
Social Founders
Social Founders connects, supports and celebrates founders in the charity and social enterprise sectors. They are a global network, supporting founders creating social impact. They provide a mix of practical and personal support, connections, events, stories, information and inspiration. They share stories across the media and other stakeholders to inform and inspire wider audiences.
Social Ark
Social Ark works with talented and resilient young people from under-resourced communities to develop campaigns & social businesses that create change. They have supported over 1,500 young changemakers, helping them grow in confidence and amplify their voices, while realising and reaching their potential.
Founders Hub
Founders Hub helps entrepreneurs explore practical answers to navigate entrepreneurial challenges. They illustrate with case studies, tools and videos a breadth of issues that social entrepreneurs need to tackle.
EP Foundation
The EP Foundation supports social entrepreneurs and innovators who benefit from accessing additional skills, experience and funding. They incubate social projects that help overcome barriers to learning, volunteering and employment. We favour projects that draw on the untapped potential of skilled volunteers.
Cambridge Social Ventures
Cambridge Social Ventures supports a whole range of businesses that have positive social and environmental impacts. Their programmes are designed for people who will drive their businesses forward to create real, lasting social or environmental change.
Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership
Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership works to strengthen social enterprise in Cumbria. They do this by providing support and advice through their membership scheme, and by promoting funding available for social entrepreneurs in Cumbria.
Firstport
Firstport is for social entrepreneurs in Scotland; they have support staff who cover a range of regions in Scotland. They also help find investments for social entrepreneurs as well as support social businesses and entrepreneurs in a breadth of ways.
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