CEIS (Community Enterprise in Scotland)
CEIS is the UK’s largest and most experienced social enterprise support agency. Their social enterprise support is complemented by business finance, employability services, event management, social research, asset-based community development and online learning.
The Enterprise Support Team provide specialist business advice to social enterprises and third sector organisations across Scotland from start up to growth stage. Our team of advisers have extensive knowledge of social enterprise, third, public and private sectors and a wealth of experience in supporting social enterprises and third sector organisations.
CEMVO Scotland has an aim to build the capacity and sustainability of the ethnic minority (EM) voluntary sector and its communities. They have a network of over 600 EM voluntary sector organisations throughout Scotland to which they deliver a wide range of programmes that provide capacity building support to the sector.
Community Funds – Scottish Government
The Scottish Government has a range of funding programmes to support community led regeneration and community empowerment.
Community shares are a way for people to invest in what matters to them.
Community members buy shares in enterprises providing goods and services that meet their needs. In turn, the enterprise is controlled and governed by the community it serves. Community shares have helped to launch and grow a wide range of thriving community businesses.
CTSI is a ‘single door’ access point for a wide range of support and services for charitable organisations, community and voluntary action groups, volunteering and social enterprise in Clackmannanshire.
Their goal is to provide help and support to people living in Clackmannanshire who want advice on running or starting any type of charitable, social enterprise or voluntary group, as well as volunteering and community work. They act as a one-stop-shop for all issues related to community development, governance, funding advice, health and social care information and volunteering.
CVS Falkirk & District is recognised by Scottish Government and Falkirk Community Planning Partnership (CPP) as the third sector interface for the full Falkirk District area.
They have a primary role in ensuring the continuation and development of a vibrant third sector (charities, social enterprises, community and voluntary groups etc) in Falkirk’s communities.
CVS Falkirk promotes social enterprise as a model of doing business, they work with existing social enterprises, and encourage individuals and organisations to be more socially enterprising, through a range of services.
Development Trusts Association Scotland
DTA Scotland is an independent, member-led organisation which aims to promote, support and represent development trusts in Scotland. Established in 2003, DTA Scotland now has over 350 development trust members – community-led organisations using a combination of enterprise and creativity to improve the quality of life for local people in urban, rural and island communities across Scotland.
There are various publications available to download, including ‘So you want to set up a Development Trust?’.
Firstport support individuals all across Scotland to start, develop and grow their ideas into businesses with social impact at the core. They are part of a wider ecosystem of entrepreneurial support – Scotland Can Do – and work alongside other support organisations, academia and funders to encourage more people from all walks of life to start social enterprises and to help them get started.
Just Enterprise is a Scottish Government funded programme for the third sector. Their expert network of advisers can provide the support, training and information you need to start, develop, grow and lead your social enterprise. The majority of their services are completely free to access.
This portal gives free access to contract opportunities in Scotland. Find details of contracts with Scottish Local Authorities, NHS Scotland, the Scottish Government, Agencies and NDPBs, Higher and Further Education and Emergency Services by browsing the available contracts.
School for Social Entrepreneurs
They have helped thousands of people develop the skills, strengths and networks they need to tackle society’s biggest problems. They run courses that equip people to start, scale and strengthen organisations that make a positive difference.
Scottish Enterprise focuses on activities that help Scottish businesses to adapt and better respond to economic opportunities and challenges.
Our goal is to create a more productive, resilient and competitive economy for Scotland. To achieve this, we work to drive business innovation, build international competitiveness and encourage more investment in companies and infrastructure. These are the areas where Scottish Enterprise can deliver the most value, make the biggest impact and help unlock Scotland’s economic potential.
They believe social entrepreneurs play an essential role in changing the world and strengthen their role in local communities through transformational learning that will increase their community impact.
They want to facilitate social entrepreneurs around the world to step up and solve the social and environmental issues affecting their communities.
They believe in the power of learning and development to transform people of all ages to be agents of change. So far, they have facilitated over 78,000 social entrepreneurs to help create fairer communities where people have equitable access to opportunities.
Social Enterprise Scotland (SES) is an independent, membership-led organisation and is the voice of social enterprise in Scotland. They have championed the sector for more than 15 years to help create a supportive policy environment for social enterprises. They are the first point of contact for the media and public and promote a positive vision for social enterprise.
SIS (Social Investment Scotland) is a social enterprise and charity offering loan funding and business support for social enterprises, charities and community groups.
They connect social enterprises to expertise and opportunities, creating a growing network of people, organisations and communities who are all working towards impact-aligned goals.
Social Value Lab are passionate about social enterprise. They view ‘social enterprise’ a thing you do rather than a thing you are, and understand the potential to transform the way business is conducted and services are delivered.
Social Value Lab brings a deep understanding of social enterprise in its many forms:
- Social firms
- Development trusts and partnerships
- Enterprising charities
- Housing Associations
- Credit Unions
- Co-operatives
- Mutuals
Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise
Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise (SVE) is Stirling’s local third sector interface (TSI). TSI’s exist to build empowered communities with a thriving third sector, which consists of community groups, voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises.
SVE provides services, aimed to build third sector capacity, structured around the themes of third sector excellence and resilience, social innovation, volunteering, community development and third sector involvement in community planning and decision making.
SVE works with local and national partners to offer support to up and coming and established social enterprises.
Supplier Development Programme
SDP helps businesses that have little or no experience of tendering and are often too small to have dedicated bid/tender resources to contemplate bidding for public sector contracts. SDP aims to help such businesses become what we call “tender ready” for contracts, which improves their prospects when competing throughout Scotland where there is an annual public spend of £14.5 billion.
The Supplier Development Programme (SDP) fulfils the Government manifesto commitment to provide local businesses including social enterprises with advice to make them better placed to win public sector contracts in Scotland and throughout the UK.
As well as benefiting from the range of free tender training, social enterprises can amplify its social impact by engaging via SDP with the public sector and the wider supply chain and in some circumstances feed into and influence how services can be better delivered for the common good.