Social Enterprise

Social enterprises are businesses that work primarily to improve the lives of people. Their core objective is to achieve a social, societal, or environmental impact. They frequently work to support disadvantaged groups such as the long-term unemployed, people with disabilities, travellers, etc., or to address issues such as food poverty, social housing, or environmental matters.

There is a wide spectrum of social enterprises in Ireland, from local community-based enterprises to larger enterprises, some of which trade internationally. They create employment and support many Government policy objectives in areas such as labour market activation, health care and the environment.

Like other businesses, social enterprises pursue their objectives by trading in goods and services on an ongoing basis. However, any surpluses generated by social enterprises are re-invested into achieving social objectives, rather than maximising profit for their owners.

Their primary focus on social impact sometimes makes it difficult for social enterprises to gain access to the type of supports that are available to other enterprises to develop and grow.

Trading for Impact: National Social Enterprise Policy 2024-2027 was launched by Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys TD on July 24 2024.

The purpose of the policy is to help cultivate and sustain strong and impactful social enterprises in Ireland to enrich the social, environmental, and economic well-being of people living in our communities. The policy represents a strong commitment by Government to social enterprises and a recognition of their value and potential.

The policy outlines five key objectives:

1. Building Awareness of Social Enterprise

2. Growing and Sustaining Social Enterprise

3. Supporting the Green Transition

4. National and International Engagement

5. Impact Measurement

57 concrete actions are defined under these objectives, which will be implemented between 2024 to 2027. A Stakeholder Engagement Group will be established to provide oversight for the policy, and annual reports will be published on its implementation.

A partnership approach was adopted in the development of this policy, with ongoing engagement and consultation with all relevant stakeholders being key principles throughout its development process. This included an open national public consultation which received 44 submissions. The submissions may be found here.

The policy document can be found here.

SME Test

As part of the development of the new social enterprise policy in 2024, consideration was given to any potential impacts on small and medium enterprises. As part of this process an SME test was completed which considered any such impacts. The SME test can be viewed here.

The primary role of the National Social Enterprise Policy Implementation Group (NSEPIG) was to oversee implementation of the National Social Enterprise Policy 2019-2022. The group was made up of key representatives of Government Departments, public bodies, and social enterprise stakeholders.

Summary Minutes of National Social Enterprise Policy Implementation Group (NSEPIG) Meetings

Awareness Strategy Sub-Group

The Awareness Strategy Sub-Group (ASSG) of the National Social Enterprise Policy Implementation Group was established in May 2020. Its main purpose was to develop a social enterprise awareness strategy.

Summary Minutes of Awareness Strategy Sub-Group (ASSG) Meetings

In July 2024, the Minister for Rural and Community Development published Trading for Impact: National Social Enterprise Policy 2024-2027.

A Trading for Impact Stakeholder Engagement Group was established to co-ordinate input into the delivery of social enterprise policy. The group includes representation from key Government departments, public bodies, and social enterprise representative bodies, networks, and practitioners.

The Stakeholder Engagement Group isa key vehicle to advise on the implementation of the National Social Enterprise policy. While responsibility for delivery of the policy measures rests with the Department of Rural and Community Development, partnership with a wide range of social enterprise stakeholders is key to the success and sustainability of Trading for Impact.

Two seats on the group have been allocated to social enterprise practitioners, one from a rural social enterprise, and one from an urban social enterprise.

Summary Minutes of Trading for Impact Stakeholder Engagement Group (TFISEG) Meetings

The Department of Rural and Community Development is committed to holding an annual social enterprise conference for all stakeholders. The aim of the conference is to:

• Provide networking opportunities
• Circulate information
• Share best practice examples
• Inform policy implementation and future policy development

The 6th National Social Enterprise Conference was held in the Printworks in Dublin Castle. The theme of the conference was 'Trading for Impact’, 300 delegates attended in-person with over 200 online.

A consortium of social enterprise support organisations, SERI, ISEN, LDCN and the Wheel supported the department in delivering this conference. A full recording of the National Social Enterprise Conference Event 2024 can be found here

The 5th National Social Enterprise Conference was hosted by the Department of Rural and Community Development on 16th November 2023. The theme of the conference was 'Social Enterprise in Ireland – An International Perspective'. It was held in the Shearwater Hotel in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, almost 300 delegates attended in-person with over 100 online.

Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland supported the department in delivering this conference. A full recording of the National Social Enterprise Conference Event 2023 can be found here

The 4th National Social Enterprise Conference was hosted by the Department of Rural and Community Development on 17th November 2022. The theme was ‘A New Beginning’. It was held in the Morrison Hotel, over 150 delegates attended in-person, and over 200 delegates live streamed the event.

A full recording of the National Social Enterprise Conference Event 2022 can be found here

The 3rd National Social Enterprise Conference was hosted by the Department of Rural and Community Development on 18 November 2021. The conference was hosted by Dunhill Ecopark, a social enterprise in Co. Waterford. Over 400 stakeholders from the social enterprise sphere met to discuss social enterprise in Ireland. The conference theme was ‘The Future of Social Enterprise in a Changing Ireland’.

Further information and videos of the National Social Enterprise Conference Event 2021 can be found here

Since the establishment of the Department in 2017, specific supports for social enterprises have been provided through the Social Enterprise Measure of the Dormant Accounts Fund. Funding has been provided to approximately 1,700 organisations. The total amount allocated under this Measure since 2017 is over €18 million. Details of the funding made under the Social Enterprise Measure of the Dormant Accounts Fund can be found in the links below:

• Growing Social Enterprise Scheme 2024/2025
• Scaling-up Scheme for Social Enterprise 2023
• Scaling-up Scheme for Social Enterprise 2022
• Start-up Fund for Social Enterprise 2022
• Awareness Raising Initiative for Social Enterprise (ARISE) 2022
• Social Enterprise Small Capital Grants Scheme 2021
• Start-up Fund for Social Enterprise 2021
• Awareness Raising Initiative for Social Enterprise (ARISE) 2021
• COVID-19 Regeneration Scheme for Social Enterprise 2021
• Social Enterprise Small Capital Grants Scheme 2020
• Training and Mentoring Scheme 2019
• Social Enterprise Small Capital Grants Scheme 2019
• Social Enterprise Measure 2018
• Social Enterprise Measure 2017

Social enterprises can also benefit from funding under several other programmes, including the Community Services Programme (CSP), Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) and LEADER.

SE-News is the newsletter for social enterprises in Ireland published by the Department of Rural and Community Development.

Its mission is to share information and news of interest to social enterprises throughout Ireland, to help build and strengthen the Social Enterprise community and to share case studies and examples of good practice.

The Department of Rural and Community Development has commissioned Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland (SERI) to run a pilot programme to investigate the challenges and merits of utilising a dedicated voluntary accreditation or ‘quality mark’ for social enterprise.

SERI will work with up to 100 social enterprises to test the potential of voluntary ‘People and Planet First’ accreditation for social enterprises.

​People & Planet First is a robust framework which has been in existence since 2021 and is adopted in 130+ counties. it as a quality mark for social enterprises which is recognised globally.

The verification focuses on five core standards to keep assessment costs low, bridge language divides and legal differences and open global opportunities for all enterprises that put people and planet first.

The five standards are:

1. Purpose: Exists to solve a social and/or environmental problem.
2. Operations: Prioritises purpose, people and planet over profit in operational decisions.
3. Revenue: Has a self-sustaining revenue model.
4. Use of surplus: Reinvests the majority of any surplus towards its purpose.
5. Structure: Chooses legal structures and financing that protect and lock-in purpose long-term.

More details, including a list of verified social enterprises, can be found here

In line with one of the commitments in the Social Enterprise Policy, the Department of Rural and Community Development has published information on the various business supports available to social enterprises. This list provides details of financial and non-financial sources of support, from both public and private organisations.

Social Enterprise Supports Tables

The National Social Enterprise policy recognises the very important contribution of Higher Education Institutes in supporting Social Enterprise to grow in scale and impact through teaching and cutting-edge research on Social Enterprise and related areas. A network of Social Enterprise stakeholders from Higher Education Institutes within Ireland has been formed to engender collaboration and innovation, as well providing the opportunity to share information regarding policy developments and Social Enterprise activities.

Any Higher Education Institutes not currently represented on the network and wishing to be involved please contact rural.strategy@drcd.gov.ie

Summary minutes of Social Enterprise Higher Education Institute (HEI) Network Meetings

One of the institutions created under the Good Friday Agreement is the British-Irish Council (BIC). The purpose of the BIC is

The BIC Social Inclusion work sector has agreed a topic of social enterprises for the work period of 2018-22. The Department of Rural and Community Development participated on this Group alongside representatives from the UK, Scottish, Welsh Governments, the Northern Ireland Executive and the governments of the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey.

Further information and videos of the British Irish Council Virtual Irish Visit Showcase Event held on 2 September 2021 can be found here.

Foroige Partnership

To increase awareness among young people of what social enterprises are and their potential in helping with social and environmental issues, the Department collaborated with Foróige in 2020 to develop a social enterprise module as part of the NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship). The NFTE is a youth entrepreneurship education and development programme, managed and provided by Foróige in Ireland. The module was designed to teach young people about social enterprise by enabling them to practice the business model themselves. In 2021/22 6000 students participated in the social enterprise module, with very positive feedback received from teachers and students. The module has provided young people with a great opportunity to play their part in developing social enterprise in Ireland and improving people’s lives. This initiative won the Excellence through Collaboration award at the annual Civil Service Excellence and Innovation Awards in 2023.

National Social Enterprise Policy for Ireland 2019-2022

The National Social Enterprise Policy for Ireland 2019-2022 was the first policy specifically aimed to support social enterprise at a national level and focused on three key objectives:

1. Building Awareness of Social Enterprise;

2. Growing and Strengthening Social Enterprise and

3. Achieving Better Policy Alignment.

It set out a series of 26 commitments on the part of Government across these objectives for the development of social enterprise over the period 2019-2022. These commitments were delivered in partnership with social enterprise stakeholders.

A commitment to build on the National Social Enterprise Policy 2019-2022 was integral to the Programme for Government published in June 2020.

The policy was developed following extensive research and consultation with stakeholders and with the general public. Submissions received during the public consultation may be found here.

Boosting social entrepreneurship and social enterprise development in Ireland - OECD In Depth Policy Review

Social Enterprises in Ireland – A Baseline Data Collection Exercise

The Role of Irish Policy in Unlocking the Potential of Rural Social Enterprises Report

National Social Enterprise Policy 2019 – 2022 Annual Reports

Public Consultation on the National Social Enterprise Policy for Ireland 2019-2022 submissions

Social Enterprise in Ireland Research Report

Rethink Ireland Research on Legal Form for Social Enterprises 2021

Trustlaw Guide Social Enterprises in Ireland

‘BUY SOCIAL’ AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT REPORT