Social Enterprise Jobs Fund
The Queensland Government has committed $8 million over 2 years for the Social Enterprise Jobs Fund, as part of the Future Skills Fund.
The Social Enterprise Jobs Fund will continue to build on the commitments under the Queensland Social Enterprise Strategy to support the development of a sustainable and thriving social enterprise sector.
Under the Jobs Fund, $4.6 million in funding has been allocated to business development and growth grants for eligible organisations. The grant programs delivered are outlined below.
Social Enterprise Growth Grants
Applications for Social Enterprise Growth Grants (Round 1 – 2022–23) are now open.
The Social Enterprise Growth Grants program provides grants to eligible established Queensland social enterprises for capability and capacity building that supports the business to scale up or adapt.
The social enterprise must have potential within the next two years to grow the business including its social impact and increase employees.
Available funding
In 2022–23, $1.6 million will be available for Social Enterprise Growth Grants.
Funding of between $5,000 and $25,000 (excluding GST) may be provided for eligible organisations to purchase equipment and resources, or access business services, to enable them to move their social enterprise to the next stage of growth.
Eligibility criteria
Your business must be a Queensland social enterprise that can demonstrate it meets the program definition of a social enterprise (including the commercial trading and reinvesting benchmarks outlined in the funding guidelines), and has operated and traded in Queensland for at least 12 months.
Your social enterprise must have a mission or purpose aligned to Queensland Government priorities including, but not limited to, supporting jobs, investing in skills, growing regions, protecting the environment, and safeguarding health.
Eligible activities
Grants will provide funding for activities, services or expenditure that build the skills, capability and capacity of the social enterprise. Funding requested must have a direct link to increasing business sustainability and/or employment.
Funding is available for the purchase of:
- production equipment
- digital equipment and systems
- consumables, resources or materials (specific to an identified growth opportunity)
- skills development and coaching programs
- business and strategic planning advice
- website development and upgrades
- marketing strategies.
Application process
Applications for the Social Enterprise Growth Grants program opened on 17 October 2022 and will close at 5pm, Thursday 12 January 2023.
Note: To apply, you must complete the online application form.
The Social Enterprise Growth Grants program is a limited life program and in 2022–23 applications will be considered through two competitive funding rounds.
- Read the eligibility criteria.
- Read the funding guidelines 2022–23 (PDF, 1.58MB).
- Download the project budget template (XLSX, 61KB) – complete and submit with your application (Note: You must submit a project budget with your application).
- If you are eligible to apply:
- complete the online application form
- attach all supporting documentation (including your project budget)
- submit by 5pm, Thursday 12 January 2023.
If successful, you must enter into a Services Agreement (funding contract) with the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training.
