The Social Enterprise Fund (SEF), an initiative of the Edmonton Community Foundation, has a clear mandate: to support ventures that deliver both measurable social impact and financial return. We provide flexible, patient capital to a wide range of organizations—including non-profits, cooperatives, and for-profits—that use business approaches to achieve social, environmental, or cultural outcomes.
Funded by Edmontonians, our priorities are shaped by the needs of our community. While we are open to exploring a broad range of investment opportunities, our current focus is on addressing housing challenges within Edmonton and the surrounding area. Our investment strategy begins with Edmonton, then extends to the rest of Alberta, and finally to projects across Canada.
While our investments have historically taken the form of debt financing, we also offer equity investments and financial instruments such as guarantees when appropriate. What matters most is that capital can be returned and reinvested into other high-impact initiatives. Any profits generated are recycled back into the fund, allowing us to grow our reach and deepen our long-term impact. Through this approach, SEF continues to build a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable economy—starting in Edmonton.
SEF was established in 2008 through a unique collaboration between the Edmonton Community Foundation and the City of Edmonton. Other contributors to the fund have included the United Way, Alberta Real Estate Foundation and several private contributors.
Today, SEF is an umbrella for several different investment funds each with its own mandate, board, and investment criteria. Our largest fund, the Alberta Social Enterprise Venture Fund, is wholly owned by the Edmonton Community Foundation.
To date, SEF has invested over $90 million in more than 110 projects. More than $40 million has been paid back, ready to do more good in the community as new loans.
SEF is an Edmonton-based organization, funded by Edmontonians who care deeply about building a stronger, more inclusive local economy. Because of this, our top priority is investing in initiatives that create meaningful benefits for the Edmonton region. Once local opportunities are met, we then look to support investments across Alberta, and only after that, across Canada. This approach ensures our resources are used first and foremost to serve the people and communities who make our work possible.
While our roots are firmly in Edmonton, SEF also contributes to the broader ecosystem of social enterprise and social finance. We collaborate with partners across the province and country to share insights, build capacity, and strengthen the practical understanding of social enterprise. We also support training opportunities for social entrepreneurs—more details can be found on our ‘Resources’ page.
Our office is located in amiskwaciwâskahikan, also known as Edmonton, on Treaty Six territory. We acknowledge this land as the traditional home of many First Nations and Métis peoples and are committed to working in a way that respects and supports reconciliation and community well-being.
The Social Enterprise Fund recognizes that it works within a diverse community. Without equitable participation by community members of all backgrounds and abilities, community cannot thrive. SEF is committed to ensuring our work truly reflects our community, and strives to appreciate the lived experience of everyone in that community.
SEF works within the context of the Equity Statement of the Edmonton Community Foundation. In particular, we recognize the need to understand the varied challenges and conditions created by institutional and structural barriers. We know we must actively take into account those realities in how we approach the work that we do.
It is our responsibility to go beyond simply understanding. We must have intention in how our work can respond in the most beneficial way for all who come to us, and not simply perpetuate the status quo.
This commitment informs our work, both in terms of presence in community and in our internal processes. We work strategically to understand how our internal work culture and approach can disadvantage others with different backgrounds, and actively seek ways to rectify both attitudes and processes.
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