This year, 260 social entrepreneurs will use Match Trading grants. Could you be one of them?
6 Jan 2018
You could double your money with SSE’s innovation in funding
By Sophie Hobson, SSE’s communications manager – say hello @sophiehobson
Match Trading™ grants are a new type of funding for socially-driven organisations, created by the School for Social Entrepreneurs.
“But I’ve looked at all the types of funding out there! And I’ve never heard of Match Trading before,” I hear you cry.
Well, it’s a very good job you’re reading this blog then.
Match Trading grants are pretty new on the scene. We publicly launched them in September, but we’ve been developing them for about three years, in-hand with social entrepreneurs, and supported by Lloyds Banking Group and the Big Lottery Fund.
The point of Match Trading grants is to help social entrepreneurs grow their organisations by selling more, so they can create more impact. Check this out:
(Can’t watch the video? Read this.)
It’s a beautifully simple concept, isn’t it? Match Trading grants effectively allow you to double your money when you bring in revenue from sales and trading.
In this way, we hope that social entrepreneurs like you will be encouraged to focus on sales, rather than chasing grant-funding and donations.
But why?
Because, in an uncertain funding climate, we think that sales and trading can provide a sustainable revenue stream, helping you build a stronger future for your organisation.
We believe that many social entrepreneurs could benefit from being less reliant on traditional grant, and diversifying their income streams.
Many social entrepreneurs… but not all. Match Trading grants aren’t right for everyone. We think they’ll work best if:
- Your organisation is at least one year old
- You’re looking to grow by increasing your sales and trading income
This year, SSE will support at least 260 social entrepreneurs with a Match Trading grant, in partnership with our pioneer partners Lloyds Bank and Big Lottery Fund, and programme partner Power to Change.
As always, we’ll help social entrepreneurs develop the right mix of income for their circumstances, so they have the best chance of thriving.
So how do you get a Match Trading grant?
The next opportunity is the Trade Up and Scale Up levels of our Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme, which opens for applications in March.
What else?
Read more about Match Trading and its results if you’re generally interested in what we think is a pretty whizzy idea, with the potential to positively impact our sector.
If you’re the type of larger organisation that supports other socially-led enterprises, and you’d like a pow-wow about how you can use Match Trading grants or get involved with the work we’re doing, email [email protected] to talk to our team.
The School for Social Entrepreneurs is 20 years old and we’re still innovating. Because that’s what entrepreneurialism is all about.
We do it all because we love supporting people with new approaches to social and environmental change, like you.
