Enterprising Not-For-Profits: Seeding Social Entrepreneurship
Toronto Workforce Innovation Group collaborated with the Centre for Social Innovation and a host of other organizations to support social enterprise development in Toronto. The Grant is called the Enterprising Non-Profits Program (ENP) Grant program which first began in British Columbia and is now hosted by the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto.
The ENP funding program provides matching grants of up to $10,000 for organizations exploring business ideas. The seed money helps organizations in the first phase of development: to test the viability of their ideas; to conduct the market research, and do organizational readiness and business planning activities needed to help ensure success.
Social Enterprises have two goals: to generate revenue and further a social mission. In Toronto, many social enterprises have led to increased training and employment opportunities for marginalized groups.
Examples of succesful social entrepreneurships in Toronto include:
- Eva's Phoenix Print Shop (run by Eva's Initiatives) is a commercial print shop that provides training and transitional employment to youth who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness.
- The Pegasus community project is a thrift store that employs adults with developmental disabilities.
- TurnAround Couriers is a Toronto-based bicycle courier business that recruits youth-at-risk from shelters and agencies to be both the bicycle couriers and the back office staff.
- Artscape: fosters culture-led regeneration by providing affordable live/work spaces to individuals working in the creative sector
Toronto Workforce Innovation Group is a proud funder of this project and believes that social entreprise is a creative solution to complex local labour market challenges.
Other Funders for this Project:
- Catherine Donnelly Foundation
- Citizens Bank
- City of Toronto
- The Co-operators
- Social Capital Partners
- Social Entrepreneurship @ MaRS
- Toronto Community Foundation
- Toronto Community Housing
- Partners: Centre for Social Innovation
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