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 The Arthur Guinness Fund, which has so far awarded €1.65m to a range of social entrepreneurial initiatives in Ireland, has opened for applications for the 2012 round of funding.
Successful projects in the current process will be eligible to receive between €50,000 and €100,000 each.
Established as part of the Guinness 250th celebrations, The Arthur Guinness Fund is an investment programme designed to honour the philanthropic legacy of Arthur Guinness by “supporting the vision and the enterprising spirit of social entrepreneurs in Ireland”.
As part of this year’s Arthur’s Day celebrations, Guinness committed to adding a further €500,000 to the fund.
The fund is looking for applications in two main categories.
Firstly, established projects (termed as take-off projects) that have a proven working model in operation for between two to five years and can demonstrate the long term impact they are having in their community, are eligible to receive financial support up to €100,000. This funding will be provided over two years along with a comprehensive business mentoring programme with a view to taking the work to the next level. This includes additional expertise and practical support from Diageo Ireland through workshops, seminars and training.
Start-up projects eligible
Secondly, projects that have been established in the past two years (termed as start-up projects) are invited to apply to receive up to €50,000 in funding, plus the professional mentoring support over two years. According to Diageo, this award is specifically aimed at start-up projects that require a springboard to help turn their vision into a reality.
The fund has provided €1.65m of funding, together with professional business support, to 20 Irish social entrepreneurs over the last two years.
Applications to the Arthur Guinness Fund can be made until 5pm Wednesday, 30 November 2011.
Some 2011 recipients
- Hand on Heart Enterprises - a model for supportive enterprise that helps blind or low vision people to find meaningful work and to get them into the workplace
- Irish Men’s Sheds Association - environments all over the country where men, particularly those hit by unemployment, can recover their self-esteem through a mix of education, upskilling and health promotion
- The Fumbally Exchange (FEx) - design hub in Dublin’s Liberties in which entrepreneurs, the unemployed, sole traders and small businesses can come together to share office space, as well as ideas, energy and innovation
- Turn2Me - an online interactive community of 3,500 people who help and support each other in a peer-to-peer environment
- Fundit – web platform that gives the public an opportunity to ‘fund’ ideas they like in return for creative rewards
Image Caption: Oisin Scollard, John Evoy, Tanya Clarke, marketing director, Diageo Ireland, Stuart McLaughlin, Denis Roche, George Boyle, Jamie Regan, John Kearney and Robin Blandford Article courtesy of Bizstartup.ie
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