Social enterprise capability building grants – available now

Social Enterprise Development Initiative (SEDI) Grants help social enterprises, including trading Indigenous owned or controlled organisations with a defined social benefit, grow their business, scale their impact and further their missions of creating positive social change.

The grants, valued at up to $120,000 each, are targeted towards supporting social enterprises to be more effective and efficient in demonstrating and increasing social impact for the people and communities they exist to support.

The initiative supports social enterprises across all states and territories that are delivering services for people living in Australia who are experiencing entrenched disadvantage, in a range of social outcome areas, including: communities, employment, education and First Nations Australians. View full list of the DSS outcome areas.

Grants are funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Social Services and are to be used to purchase business and impact capability building services from intermediaries, such as financial services, evaluation and impact measurement, business consulting and legal advice.

Grant eligibility

Eligible SEDI Grant applicants:

• Are a social enterprise (see definition below) or a trading Indigenous owned or controlled organisation with a defined social benefit
• Have a direct impact in one or more of the approved Department of Social Services outcome areas
• Currently provide direct benefit to those experiencing entrenched disadvantage in Australia
• Are an Australian organisation
• Have beneficiaries who primarily reside in Australia
• Have a trading revenue that exceeds $50,000 per year
• May be early stage but have progressed beyond the start-up phase
• Are seeking to scale impact (now or in the future) in one or more of the approved outcome areas to address entrenched disadvantage in Australia

Definition: A social enterprise is a business that puts people and planet first. It trades like any other business, but exists specifically to make the world a better place. A social enterprise seeks to solve a social or environmental problem. It can be a for-profit or non-profit organisation, or a charity that trades.

Notes:

• This is a competitive grants process. Meeting all the eligibility criteria is not a guarantee of being awarded a SEDI Grant.
• An eligible applicant must currently provide direct benefit to those experiencing entrenched disadvantage in Australia. An organisation is not eligible to apply if the only benefit being provided is indirect (e.g. your organisation supports social enterprises that are providing the direct benefit).

Grant timeframe

Applications for a SEDI Grant will remain open until December 2025. This cutoff date intends to allow those applying in late 2025 to have time to complete their grant activities by the end of the SEDI program in June 2026.

Applications will be assessed at the next available SEDI Grants Expert Panel session. Grants will be awarded based on the assessment criteria outlined in the application guidelines, with a particular emphasis on the additional impact expected from scaling using the capability building services (funded by the grants).

Education and mentoring

Complementing the SEDI Grants program is a whole-of-sector education and mentoring support system. This includes Understorey, an online tool to help social enterprises navigate the sector and to learn, exchange and contribute to a better future. Understorey brings together learning communities and leading practice resources. It is targeted at those in or interested in the social enterprise sector, aiming to feed curiosity, offer practical solutions, and inspire new possibilities for the future. Social Enterprise Australia is the steward and coordinator of Understorey.

Impact intermediaries

Impact intermediaries provide capability building services that help social enterprises scale their impact.

Note: There are no SEDI Grant ‘approved’ providers/intermediaries. The intermediaries listed on our website have not been accredited by IIA. We recommend you conduct thorough research to determine the suitability of an intermediary for your needs. The cost of capability building services is dependent on an organisation’s complexity, capability and what services are required. In procuring any services the social enterprise and the provider/intermediary should ensure they have a common understanding of what work is involved, what will be delivered, how much time it will take and what the risks are (e.g. unknown information).

• Arctic90 is a boutique advisory working with purpose-led businesses on strategy, operations, sustainable growth, market access and scaling impact
• Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship (ACRE) supports individuals, enterprises and communities to build new cultures of social entrepreneurship, community-led rejuvenation and community asset ownership
• Awakening Leadership provides coaching, training, facilitation and consulting services to social entrepreneurs and purpose-driven leaders to elevate leadership and increase impact
• Beckon Capital helps enterprises and investors mobilise capital to create positive impact
• Benefit Capital offers a range of impact investing services, including helping social enterprises raise capital, corporate structuring for impact, reporting on impact and emerging impact investment opportunities
• Benefolk (formerly The Xfactor Collective) offers support in 100+ capability areas, including governance, strategy, leadership, impact and outcomes measurement, evaluation, communications, fundraising, legal and financial
• Better Charity works with for-purpose organisations on strategy, financing, fundraising, operations and impact
• Blue River Group assists clients create impact investment products and then find the appropriate wholesale investors for those products
• BlueRock helps social enterprises with business planning, financial management, contract negotiation, legal support and access to finance
• brandkind provides branding, marketing and communications to support social enterprises to amplify their impact and grow
• Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) provides advice and information to start-up and established co-operative and mutual enterprises in business planning, governance and legal, measurement and capital raising
• Catena Capital provides capital advisory services to help organisations optimise their capital structure and make informed decisions
• Centre for Social Impact offers capability building services across social impact and outcomes measurement, evaluation approaches, impact strategy, scaling models, Theory of Change and professional development
• Changemakers Lab is helping grow the social enterprise ecosystem by assisting people and organisations through coaching, start-up programs and community support
• Collab4Good is a South Australian impact intermediary that builds the capacity and capabilities of impact-driven individuals and businesses to lead, learn, connect and collaborate to deliver positive social impact
• Co-operative Bonds works with purpose and values-driven member-based organisations to develop financially viable and sustainable business models that maintain a strong connection to their vision and community
• Create and Evaluate specialises in social impact measurement, strategic planning, team building and training in grant writing, with expertise in regional and rural businesses
• Esparq Ventures is an Indigenous owned and led non-profit supporting early-stage Indigenous social enterprises to scale their impact
• For-Purpose Evaluations works with for-purpose organisations and governments to create and implement social impact measurement frameworks and evaluate existing projects and new innovations
• For Purpose Investment Partners is a social impact investment fund manager, bringing private sector capital and capabilities into sizeable businesses and projects to create significant social impact
• Frankston Social Enterprise Hub seeks to establish the Southern Metropolitan region of Melbourne as a region renowned for flourishing enterprise doing good for people and planet
• Global Impact Initiative helps impact investing scale globally through specialised consulting, investment funds and education
• GoodWolf works with for-purpose organisations on strategy, impact measurement, philanthropy and investment, operations and innovation
• Impact Boom provides social enterprises with advisory services to develop sustainable businesses that create positive social impact
• Impact Generation Partners advises, invests in and supports enterprises that deliver financial as well as social and/or environmental returns
• Impact Outfit supports organisations to scale and grow positive social and environmental impact through their business activities, investments and philanthropy
• Impact Seed provides bespoke and programmatic capacity building and investment readiness support to social enterprises in Western Australia
• ImpaQT bridges the gap between Queensland’s social innovation and impact investing sectors
• Institute Community Directors Australia provides governance training and capacity building services for board directors and leaders in the community sector
• Ithaca Impact provides support to organisations, including social enterprises, to scale their business and measure and report their impact to shareholders and stakeholders
• Jess Cossens is a management consultant who supports purpose-driven clients with strategy, organisational effectiveness, program design and evaluation, diversity, equity and inclusion, project management and delivery
• Leadership Space partners with social enterprise leaders and teams, helping them to steer through change and growth and to attract and sustain funding
• Leadership Victoria develops, connects and inspires leaders from all sectors and backgrounds to tackle complex and systemic problems, and strengthen communities
• LendForGood is a crowd-lending platform for impact businesses, helping them find the capital they need to grow by democratising impact investment
• MinterEllison has expertise in assisting social enterprises to scale and grow, as well as broader sector support for social enterprise peak bodies, certifying bodies and funds
• Nadia + Alf Taylor Foundation provides pro bono philanthropic advisory to individuals and organisations that want to invest in social enterprise projects. Its Enable Fund ensures that 100% of donor tax-deductible donations are channelled to credible, global projects
• One10 enables change makers, innovators and social benefit suppliers to create by providing expertise, connections and access to investors and capital
• Purpose Made offers solutions that create real impact, and advisory services on innovative financing
• Purpose Plus by Tender Plus helps social enterprises with business planning, program design, financial management, philanthropy and government fund raising, and impact measurement
• Purpose with Profit (PwP) advocates and works to grow the purpose-led economy, specialising in growth advisory using business and impact ESG indicators to break through the ‘purpose’ ceiling
• Regen Labs helps regenerative enterprises to identify and connect with the right catalytic grants and finance – to enable progress and fulfilment of potential
• Right Lane is an ethical management consulting firm serving the purpose economy with a vision to build a strong Australian purpose economy that delivers a fairer and more prosperous society
• Sefa equips social purpose organisations with the tools, knowledge, resources and financial solutions to become more confident, sustainable and fitter to make a positive impact
• Social Change Central is a dedicated online hub for social enterprises
• Social Impact Hub helps social enterprises maximise their impact through advice, education, collaboration and the mobilisation of capital
• Social Outcomes supports clients to develop evidence-based impact frameworks with clear outcomes measures designed to support the impact capital-raising process
• Social Scaffolding supports organisations to create social good, for social enterprises this may include business modelling, outcome measurement, impact assessment, governance and reporting
• Social Ventures Australia provides advocacy, consulting and advisory services, including strategy and governance, business planning, capital raising (wholesale market) and outcomes management
• Solutions2You provides business advisory services, leadership and mentoring programs, and supports women-owned business
• StartSomeGood provides tools, education, coaching and a blended ecosystem of community, courses and fundraising platforms to turn bright ideas into real impact through social entrepreneurship
• Sustainable Value specialises in social outcomes frameworks and measures that enable the collection of service user data to produce insights about human outcomes from programs, businesses and services
• The Difference Incubator partners with entrepreneurs to strengthen their growth strategies and impact, by providing business strategy support, financial modelling, investment readiness, and business and mindset coaching
• The NonProfit Alliance and For-Purpose Alliance catalyse the collective wisdom and experience of for-purpose leaders through peer-to-peer leadership programs that build capability
• Towards Better specialises in inclusive community development, custom training modules and mentoring programs tailored to enhance social enterprise effectiveness and sustainability
• Worthwhile Ventures empowers First Nations people and enterprises that generate positive impact for First Nation communities
• Violet Co Legal & Consulting works with businesses and organisations wanting to make a positive impact with and for women and Indigenous peoples
• White Box Enterprises builds, supports and advocates for large-scale jobs-focused social enterprises, so that every individual can access meaningful and inclusive employment

Impact incubators and accelerators

Impact incubators and accelerators help social enterprises and purpose driven start ups grow their business and prepare for future impact investment.

Note: There are no SEDI Grant ‘approved’ incubators and accelerators. The incubators and accelerators listed on our website have not been accredited by IIA. We recommend you conduct thorough research to determine the suitability of an incubator/accelerator for your needs. The cost of services is dependent on an organisation’s complexity, capability and what services are required. In procuring any services the social enterprise and the incubator/accelerator should ensure they have a common understanding of what work is involved, what will be delivered, how much time it will take and what the risks are (e.g. unknown information).

• Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship (ACRE) provides social enterprise learning and development expertise and advisory as well as incubator and accelerator programs for enterprising community-led initiatives
• Enactus Australia is a national community of students, academics, business leaders, partners and program alumni with a passion to leverage entrepreneurship for positive social and environmental outcomes
• Energy Lab is Australia’s largest clean tech startup accelerator
• Green Collect works with organisations and communities to enable circularity, reuse and the best environmental outcome for all types of items
• Impact Boom‘s Elevate+ program helps entrepreneurs develop sustainable and scalable impact enterprises
• Impact Seed‘s Impact2Innovate program provides bespoke and programmatic capacity building and investment readiness support to social enterprises in Western Australia
• One10 enables change makers, innovators and social benefit suppliers to create by providing expertise, connections and access to investors and capital
• Regen Labs provides individual and cohort-based incubation and acceleration support to regenerative enterprises, primarily based in regional Australia
• Scaling Impact helps start ups grow their business and prepare for future impact investment
• Solutions2You provides business advisory services, leadership and mentoring programs, and supports women-owned business
• StartSomeGood provides tools, education, coaching and a blended ecosystem of community, courses and fundraising platforms to turn bright ideas into real impact through social entrepreneurship
• The Mill House Ventures delivers accelerator and incubator business programs for ACT start-up social entrepreneurs, as well as growth programs and business support activities to assist their sustainability
• White Box Enterprises builds, supports and advocates for large-scale jobs-focused social enterprises so that every individual can access meaningful and inclusive employment

If you are an impact incubator or accelerator and would like to be included on this list, contact enquiries@impactinvestingaustralia