Social Economy Incentive Fund for Belfast social enterprises

News article

This fund from Belfast City Council aims to incentivise and boost Belfast-based social enterprises and co-operatives

Belfast City Council’s Social Economy Incentive Fund is for new and growing social enterprises that need support at early development, start-up or early growth stages.

The prize fund is split into three categories.

Early-stage

The maximum award is £2,500. To apply, organisations will be in the development or start-up stage but must be ready to trade or be operational within three months of receiving the award.

Start-Up

The maximum award is £5,000. To apply, organisations must be at start-up stage and currently operational or trading less than two years.

Growth

The maximum award is £10,000. To apply, organisations must be trading or operational for a minimum of one year or demonstrate the capacity to reach VAT threshold within the first year of trading or operation.

Eligibility criteria

To apply, an organisation must be:

  • located in Belfast City Council area
  • trading or ready to start trading within the next three months
  • able to demonstrate the potential impact of the fund on achieving organisation and programme aims
  • a registered social enterprise or co-operative organisation or in the process of completing this registration
  • committed to begin spending the fund on the project within three months of receipt of funds with all monies spent within 12 months of award

There must not be any duplication of funding from any other sources for the project.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 1 November 2024.

Find out more and apply for the Social Economy Incentive Fund.

First published 16 September 2024