The Sage Seniors Association was one of the first organizations to work with SEF back in our earliest days. We were delighted when they were one of the first successful applicants to the Investment Readiness Program (IRP), a program created by the federal government to support social purpose organizations get ready to use social finance as a tool.
The second round of the Investment Readiness Program (IRP) opened on September 8th until October 9th, 2020. The first round of the IRP provided a number of important lessons for applicants that IRP Alberta (of which SEF is a partner) hope will be a benefit in this round. These key lessons, listed below, should help to develop stronger applications.
Don’t know about you, but I am really behind on my reading. Perhaps the inability to gather in person has spurred people to find lots of other ways to connect. And beyond the many newsletters, this fall you will be able to take part in a number of virtual gatherings designed to explore social and economic innovation.
Entrepreneurs, and in particular social entrepreneurs are usually moving pretty fast. Too fast, it would seem to sit (or even stand) and reflect on what they are doing. And often, too busy to look for and find their “tribe.” For a few years at SEF, as I worked with ever increasing numbers of social entrepreneurs, I began to think we needed to get all these incredible people in a room together.
SVI Alberta’s lead organizers, the Social Enterprise Fund and Thrive (an initiative of Momentum) and SVI Hollyhock are deeply grateful for our generous sponsors who have stepped up to make the first SVI Alberta possible. SVI Alberta will take place at the Banff Centre October 15/16.
Our latest edition of Portfolio sports a whole new look, as SEF updates our brand after ten years. Take a look and find out more about the great work being done by our clients across Alberta. And stay tuned for a whole new website very soon! SEF Portfolio Summer 2018
There are a number of ideas I find myself returning to over and over again in my work with SEF’s clients – a few simple basics that may help in your thinking about working in the world of social enterprise. Income must be bigger than outgo, or you don’t get to play.
Just over a year ago, I was asked to speak on the topic “The Secret of Financing for Social Entrepreneurs.” I recently came across the notes for that talk, and realized they’re still relevant – and thought I should share them here. If you have ever tried to launch any kind of enterprise or business, you will know that access to money at the right time can be key to your success.
SEF has always believed that big impact can be created if you look at the opportunities in your own community. Lately, we have partnered in several interesting conversations and projects using community economic development to improve the lives of Albertans. If you would like to read more about community economic development and what it can do, take a look at two new publications in The Library on this site.
Yes, it has been a while, but you can find a new Spring 2016 edition of Portfolio in The Library on this site. Check out some of SEF’s newest investments — more than $25 million to over forty enterprises since we launched in 2008. And stay tuned for more great impact investments to be finalized in the coming weeks.
