BSSEC » Social enterprise campaigns & issues

Dormant assets could unlock £1b to boost social enterprise and level up communities Social Enterprise UK and Big Society Capital are among a coalition of organisations promoting the Community Enterprise Growth Plan, described as a “once-in-a-decade opportuni

SEUK: Social Enterprise Awards – Open for Applications!

June 07, 2022

by Sallie Ryan

The Social Enterprise UK Social Enterprise Awards 2022 are the UK’s biggest celebration of social enterprises recognising the best in the sector. They are a chance to showcase the incredible contributions made by businesses that have been making a real difference in tackling social an

Engage for Good sets up new Ukrainian solidarity network

April 25, 2022

Engage for Good, Birmingham’s voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) network facilitated by BVSC, has established a Ukrainian solidarity network, to bring together all organisations that want to be able to support the humanitarian effort. Apologies for the sho

Social Enterprise Support Fund announces new round of grants to support COVID business recovery

March 09, 2022

The National Lottery Community Fund in conjunction with the Social Enterprise Support Fund has just announced a fresh round of grant funding offering sums from £10,000 to £100,000, with most grants likely to be between £10,000 and £50,000. Apologies for the short notice on this &

Social value measurement made ‘transparent and democratic’?

February 22, 2022

There is an interesting post (Social value? All you have to do is ask — and now you can) over on the State of Life blog, somewhat over-excitedly welcoming what the organisation believes is a new dawn in the defining and democratisation of social value measurement arising fr

News from the Crown Representative’s VCSE Advisory Group

February 17, 2022

For some time now Sarah Beaumont has sat as a member of the VCSE Advisory Group convened by the government’s Crown Representative for the VCSE, Claire Dove CBE. This group is designed to act as an intermediary between government and the voluntary and social enterprise sectors an

Virtual networking event for social enterprises in the health and wellbeing sector

January 27, 2022

iSE is offering another free online networking event for social enterprises and trading third sector organisations — this time, for those active in the health and wellbeing sector. Date and time: Wednesday 23rd February 2022 • 10:00am-11:30am. → Book your

WM Growth Hubs announce Birmingham 2022 CWG ‘meet the buyer’ event

January 26, 2022

Find It in Birmingham has just announced that on Thursday 3rd February 2022, from 09:00am-10:00am, the West Midlands Growth Hubs will be hosting a FREE online Meet the Buyer event to enable four of the companies contracted to help deliver the Commonwealth Games 2022 to present further

WMCA unveils plans to grow the region’s social economy sector

November 24, 2021

West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) today made major announcements regarding plans to help the region’s social economy sector grow and thrive. At an online roundtable event today, the Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, and a wide range of public sector and socia

Lottery announces second round of Social Enterprise Support Fund grants worth £16.3m

November 22, 2021

The National Lottery Community Fund has just announced that a second round of funding totalling £16.3m in grant support is being made available through its Social Enterprise Support Fund, which began last year. Its aim is assist to social enterprises that have been affected by the cor

Social enterprise networking in Digbeth

November 18, 2021

iSE says: Calling Birmingham-based social enterprises, mission-led businesses and not for profits! Come along to Centrala Space in Digbeth for brunch time networking, conversation and connection in the heart of our Social Enterprise City. Let’s catch-up, network and reconnect with eac

iSE marks Human Rights Day at the Women’s Enterprise & Community Hub

November 17, 2021

To mark Human Rights Day 2021 on the 10th December the Women’s Enterprise and Community Hub is holding its first ever Unity Fair — and it needs your support. The event will be based at the Women’s Enterprise and Community Hub in Sparkbrook, Friday 10th December and w

University of Birmingham announces new round of its Impact Internships programme

November 16, 2021

The University of Birmingham has just announced that its Impact Internships programme, which offers fully funded undergraduate interns to social enterprises and SMEs, has just opened for a further round of applications: This is a fantastic opportunity to recruit interns and utilise fu

Citizen Click spins out as a new, independent CIC

November 03, 2021

Anyone who has read either the BSSEC website or blog over the past decade or so will be familiar with the website design work of social enterprise Citizen Click. This is because Citizen Click undertook a complete redesign of our website in 2012, helping us to salvage everything we wan

Steve Dixon, Changes UK CEO, named Barclay’s national social entrepreneur of the year 2021

October 25, 2021

Ground-breaking, Birmingham-based recovery charity Changes UK has just announced that Steve Dixon, its founder and CEO, has won Barclays’ National Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2021. The awards celebrate UK entrepreneurs for their exceptional innovation in creating

No Going Back — SEUK’s state of the social enterprise sector survey 2021

October 14, 2021

In 2009 Social Enterprise UK carried out its first state of the sector survey and with each passing survey these exercises have become more sophisticated and arguably more valuable. The latest, No Going Back: State of the Social Enterprise Sector 2021, has just been published and it i

Coventry & Warwickshire CDA is recruiting…

August 09, 2021

This just in from Coventry & Warwickshire CDA: Coventry and Warwickshire CDA is a not for profit organisation which aims to support local people to lead economically active and fulfilling lives by providing useful, practical and accessible services that make a positive difference.

SEUK reports on impact of Buy Social Corporate Challenge — and it is truly impressive

July 20, 2021

Five years ago SEUK established an ambitious Buy Social Corporate Challenge. It was launched to considerable fanfare in Downing Street, with seven founding corporate partners committing to open up their supply chains to social enterprises. The idea of the challenge was to take the pro

iSE & Witton Lodge offer new work, wellbeing and enterprise programme

July 14, 2021

Employment support

iSE and Witton Lodge Community Association are now delivering a new ESF-funded employment and enterprise programme called the WOWED project — which stands for World of Work, Wellbeing and Enterprise Development. The project offers: Basic skills support Confidence/assertiven

Welcome Change CIC opens community hub in Lea Village

July 06, 2021

Councillor Marje Bridle has officially opened a new Community Hub in Lea Village in east Birmingham. The hub is run by BSSEC member, Welcome Change CIC. It has been supported by a grant of £500k from the National Lottery Community Fund, securing its future for the next five years. The