Social Enterprise
Social Enterprises are part of a diverse and steadily growing sector globally, nationally and in Dublin. They are being increasingly recognised as an effective means for delivering community, social and economic development through innovative, integrated and cooperative methods and operations. In Dublin; social enterprises, social entrepreneurs and associated support organisations have been steadily increasing and developing over the last few years.
So what is a social enterprise?
According to the National Social Enterprise Policy – a social enterprise is:
Social Enterprises typically trade for a social / societal purpose; are independent; and primarily re-invest surplus or profits in their respective social objective. They are of great importance to Dublin and to local communities as they typically bring about economic benefits such as job creation (often for those who are marginalised); community benefits such as social inclusion or education; and policy benefits such as service delivery or active citizenship.
Interested in starting a social enterprise?
If you are interested in starting a social enterprise, supports are available from many different organisations such as Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices, Local Development Companies / Partnerships, Accelerators & Networks which are listed in the 
table below.
A key resource which was developed in an Irish context is the Social Enterprise Toolkit.
The extensive toolkit provides information on structure, mission,
marketing and market research, managing finance and
general management. It also features various case studies and
resources on measuring social impact.
The toolkit can is available to download https://socialenterprisetoolkit.ie/
LEO Dublin City supports for Social Enterprises
Training
Social enterprises can join the regular training courses run by the LEO Dublin City on topics such as start your own business, sales, tax, marketing, social media etc. Upcoming training courses and workshops are listed here.
Mentoring / Advice
Mentors on the LEO Dublin panel are experienced business people who can offer specialist advice to enterprises / social enterprises on addressing challenges and opportunities. A number of the mentors have previous experience mentoring social enterprises. Apply for mentoring here
Grants / Finance
The LEO provides a number of different grants. These are primarily for commercial / for profit enterprises so it will depend on the structure of the social enterprise whether it is eligible to apply. Check the LEO Grants eligibility criteria here. The Trading Online Voucher is open to social enterprise that operate in the commercial domain and on a non-profit basis. Further information is available here
Other funding sources Rethink Ireland
Dublin City Social Enterprise Awards
This scheme provides mentoring, support and funding to selected social enterprises. The purpose of the awards are to support social enterprises to start and grow in Dublin city. It opens for applications usually in March each year. Sign up to the LEO Ezine to be informed when it opens again. Videos of previous awardees are available here
Awardees receive:
- €5,000-€15,000 Funding
- Publicity / Promotion Opportuntities
- Mentoring / Advice
- Other supports
Social Enterprise Support Organisations
| Support Organisation | Supports | Website |
| Dublin City Council | Events; Dublin City Social Enterprise Awards | http://www.dublincity.ie/ |
Local Enterprise Office Dublin City | Advice; Mentoring; Training; Grants* | https://localenterprise.ie/dublincity |
| Carmichael Ireland | Advice; Mentoring; Training; Office Space | https://www.carmichaelireland.ie/ |
| Eastside Dockland Local Employment Service | Training, Mentoring, Advice | https://www.standrews.ie/edles/ |
| Inner City Enterprise | Training, Mentoring, Advice | www.innercityenterprise.com |
| Dublin South City Partnership | Training, Mentoring, Advice | www.dublinsouthcitypartnership.ie |
| Ballyfermot Chapelizod Partnership | Training, Mentoring, Advice | www.bcpartnership.ie |
| Dublin North West Area Partnership | Training, Mentoring, Advice | www.dnwap.ie |
| Dublin City Community Cooperative | Training, Mentoring, Advice | www.dublincitycommunitycoop.ie/ |
| Northside Partnership | Training, Mentoring, Advice | https://www.northsidepartnership.ie/ |
| F2 Centre | Space | https://www.facebook.com/F2Centre/ |
| Startup Ballymun | Advice, Network | |
| Innovate Dublin | Space, Advice | http://www.innovatedublin.org/ |
Local Enterprise Office Dun Laoghaire Rathdown | Training, Mentoring, Advice, Grants* | https://www.localenterprise.ie/DLR |
| Southside Partnership DLR | Training, Mentoring, Advice | https://www.southsidepartnership.ie |
| Local Enterprise Office South Dublin | Training, Mentoring, Advice, Grants* | https://www.localenterprise.ie/southdublin |
| South Dublin County Partnership | Training, Mentoring, Advice | https://sdcpartnership.ie/ |
| Local Enterprise Office Fingal | Training, Mentoring, Advice, Grants* | https://www.localenterprise.ie/Fingal |
| Fingal LEADER Partnership | Training, Mentoring, Advice | http://www.fingalleaderpartnership.ie/ |
| The Wheel | Advice, Information | https://www.wheel.ie |
| Pobal | Advice, Information | https://www.pobal.ie/ |
| Irish Social Enterprise Network | Events, Advice, Resources | www.socent.ie |
| Community Reuse Network | Events, Advice, Resources | http://socialentrepreneurs.ie/ |
| Rethink Ireland | Events, Awards, Funds, Training, Mentoring | https://rethinkireland.ie/ |
| An Cosan – Virtual Community College | Training, Accredited Courses | http://www.ancosan.ie |
| Clann Credo | Loans | https://www.clanncredo.ie |
| Community Finance Ireland | Loans | https://www.communityfinance.ie |
| Microinfance Ireland | Loans | https://microfinanceireland.ie |
*Eligibility criteria apply
Other Information
Dublin City Council also supports social enterprise and innovation development through the Dublin City Social Enterprise Committee (SEC). This committee is comprised of key social enterprise stakeholders and representatives and reports to the Economic Development, and Enterprise Strategic Policy Committee of Dublin City Council. The SEC has adopted a strategic approach which includes:
- The Social Enterprise Committee will identify specific areas of need and opportunity for social enterprise as an opportunity for co-creation within the council
- The Social Enterprise Committee will review suitable business sectors for Social Enterprise particularly strong growth sectors that have a developed ecosystem and that have significant scale or potential to grow in Dublin City.
The work of the committee and the various social enterprise initiatives conducted by LEO Dublin City align with the:
National Social Enterprise Policy for Ireland 2024 - 2027
The Economic Development Office / Local Enterprise Office - of Dublin City Council have produced a number of research reports and initiatives regarding social enterprise / social economy development. These can be viewed in the Research section
