Big Boost for Social Entrepreneurs

Newly formed Social Ventures Australia has released details of its BIG BOOST! business plan challenge.

As Pro Bono Australia reported last month (Vol 5 edition 9) SVA is an initiative to support social enterprise through the provision of resources, funding and business mentoring from its network of corporate and Not for Profit mentors.

SVA launched its’ $250,000 Big Boost with the help of the Chairman of the Clean Up Australia Foundation and Brownlow Medalist and co-founder of Reach Foundation, Jim Stynes.

The “SVA Big Boost” is a business plan challenge designed to encourage and support social entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions to entrenched social problems.

The ideas may come from the social sector, from communities themselves, from business ore through partnerships of all three.

To help entrants make their ideas a reality, the Big Boost offers:
 A series of workshops to help educate social entrepreneurs on the business principles needed to run a successful venture.
 Management coaching for potential social entrepreneurs to help develop robust venture plans, develop business skills and create viable enterprises.
 Funding for selected ‘pattern-changing’ social ventures – to $250,000 in seed investment.
The project will run until November and will be in four phases:
Getting Started ; a call for new ventures
Getting Connected: short-listing ventures for development
Getting Serious: finalising venture plans
Getting Funded: final selection of up to 5 ventures for funding.

The first workshops get under way early in July.

The good news too is that anyone in Australia can enter the SVA Big Boost regardless of their venture’s stage of development.

Established in 2002, SVA is the result of the pooled resources of The AMP Foundation, The Benevolent Society, The Smith Family and WorkVentures.

In Australia in 1998, 14.6% of households with children were jobless. This is an increase of nearly 30%* on comparable figures from the early eighties.

SVA’s founding Chief Executive, Michael Traill says statistics such as these reflect the ever-growing divide between Australia’s rich and poor, and the failure of traditional welfare systems to provide effective solutions.

SVA encourages alternative solutions to social problems, based on an entrepreneurial and community-driven approach.

Find out how you can get involved in the Big Boost at the SVA website at www.socialventures.com.au.