Project: Social Enterprise Humber

Grant: £30,000

This project will address the gap identified through CERT’s initial Connect Fund project; that business development support is inconsistent across the region in terms of access, quality and depth. CERT believes that the low levels of social investment in the area are reflective of the lack of suitable support available and having raised awareness of these development opportunities, it now needs to provide more specific business development support to strengthen social enterprises; helping them to identify the right investment for their organisations as a route towards sustainability.

The project aims to re-establish the Social Enterprise Humber network alongside a series of enterprise development support sessions. This work will expand and build on the tools and resources developed through its original project, equipping organisations to take on social investment as well as increasing the number of organisations trading in the area.

Organisations will be given access to resources, expertise, training and networking opportunities to enable them to explore enterprise development and social investment for the first time. Established organisations will also benefit from increased access to social investors through the new network. There will be a better understanding of the marketplace for investment and enterprises will be able to learn from the experiences of others and make informed decisions able taking on investment. There will also be improved relationships between investors and investees, resulting in investors learning more about the local context and potentially tailoring their offers to suit the environment. This increased support will enable organisations to develop realistic proposals to not only take on investment but manage it effectively.