How do we and our partners support the growth of social enterprise? Here are some specific examples.
Training and mentoring
- We have trained over 27,900 social and creative entrepreneurs through our Global Social Enterprise and DICE programmes.
- In Kazakhstan, we partner with Chevron to equip social entrepreneurship pioneers with the skills, knowledge and support network to create sustainable solutions to problems in their communities.
- Our programme with Diageo in India sought to foster gender equality and economic empowerment by cascading training to 4,000 women social entrepreneurs.
- In Indonesia, we have supported the development of community social enterprises focusing on eco-tourism.
- Through our Business and Investment Readiness programme in Ghana, we brought together UK and Ghanaian organisations to co-develop an investment fund that can support impactful social enterprises.
Social enterprise in international development
- With the EU we launched a project in the Philippines to strengthen civil society participation in policy reforms and promote job creation, SME development and social stability via social enterprise.
- In partnership with the EU, we have delivered substantial programmes to support social enterprise in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka.
- We are delivering social enterprise training programme in Morocco to support youth employment and address some of the root causes of instability.
Social enterprise and education
- Our Social Enterprise in Schools programme has reached over 42,200 students in countries as diverse as Greece, Jamaica and Kazakhstan. It enables pupils to gain hands-on experience of social enterprise and develop knowledge and 21st century skills in citizenship, critical thinking and innovation.
- With Plymouth University we published a pioneering 12-country research study that examines how and why so many universities are collaborating with social enterprises.
- In Mexico, we trained 300 higher education students from 20 universities who will deliver social enterprise lessons in English in schools in the State of Mexico.
- We published a comparative study and five in-depth country reports on social innovation and higher education in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam.
Research and publications
- We have published over 40 surveys, guides and reports on social enterprise, social innovation and the impact economy.
- These include over 20 ‘State of social enterprise’ surveys that provide a summary of the current size, scale and scope of the social enterprise sector in countries around the world.
- Our Social enterprise and job creation in Sub-Saharan Africa report finds that social enterprises are more likely than traditional SMEs to provide employment and training opportunities for youth, women as well as poor and vulnerable people.
- We published the first global survey of the impact of Covid-19 on social enterprises.
- In 2015, we, SEUK and the World Bank published Think Global, Trade Social about the key role social enterprise and social investment can play in delivering more equitable development. It features a foreword by Prof. Muhammad Yunus.
- We have conducted research across six countries on the role of social enterprise in supporting women’s empowerment.
Find all of these publications in our Reports section.
Raising awareness of social enterprise
- We co-hosted the 2019 edition of the Social Enterprise World Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which had an estimated media reach of 100 million.
- In Vietnam, we collaborated with Hanoi TV on a 52-part television series about social enterprise.
- We raise awareness of social enterprise and impact economies through ‘Global Perspectives on Social Enterprise’, our collection of articles, podcasts and videos with Pioneers Post.
- We work with Social Enterprise UK to promote consumer awareness of social enterprise through campaigns such as #WhoKnew and #BuySocial.
- We contribute to the global conversation on social enterprise and the impact economy on Twitter (@SocEntGlobal) and Instagram (britishcouncilsocialenterprise).
Policy and government support
- With United Nations ESCAP we co-host the Asia Policy Dialogue on social enterprise and social investment which brings together senior officials and advisors from 14 countries in Asia.
- In Vietnam we collaborated with policy makers and state-affiliated organisations to support the passage of the country’s first law to define and promote social enterprise.
- We and Social Enterprise UK supported Ghana’s Ministry of Trade and Industry in the formulation of the Ghana’s first Social Enterprise Strategy.
- In Greece we helped authorities implement a national Social and Solidarity Economy strategy.
- We advised the European Commission’s Expert Group on Social Entrepreneurship and contributed to a European Action Plan for the Social Economy and Social Enterprises.