Social enterprise businesses work to address important issues and achieve a social, societal or environmental impact, rather than maximising profits for owners or shareholders. They seek to realise this impact through trading products and/or services on an ongoing basis and are governed in a fully accountable and transparent manner. Profits or surpluses that are generated via trading activities are directly reinvested back into social enterprises to further enhance their impact.
Through their activities, social enterprises bring about a diverse range of economic, community and policy benefits in the communities and areas where they are based. These benefits include shared prosperity, inclusive growth, social inclusion, active citizenship, and training and job creation - often for marginalised people.
In order to support the creation and development of social enterprises in Dublin City, the Dublin City Social Enterprise Awards (DCSEA) were established in 2015 by Dublin City Council (DCC), Inner City Enterprise (ICE) and the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Dublin City. These partner organisations recognised that there was a need for specific kickstart funding and support to help social enterprises start and grow in the city. The Awards programme aims to help social enterprises develop in Dublin City, promote social enterprises and increase awareness of the important contribution that they make to local communities and economies.
The Awards process is managed and administered by ICE who, alongside the LEO Dublin City, provide a range of training, mentoring supports, specialist workshops, (run by one of ICE’s Sponsors, William Frys Solicitors) and net-working events. Each year, typically a fund of €50,000 - increased in 2022 to €60,000 - is distributed among the social enterprises within Dublin City. The funding is provided by Dublin City Council along with the Department of Rural and Community Development.
In 2015 there were 4 Awardees, while now in 2022, ICE are hand-holding 38 Awardees. This work is being overseen by the Dublin City Social Enterprise Committee which is comprised of representatives and key stake-holders of relevant bodies and organisations and chaired by LEO Dublin City.
Social enterprises are now, finally, gaining recognition as a component of the overall entrepreneurial ecosystem and this is reflected in documents such as Future Jobs Ireland Strategy, National Social Enterprise Policy 2019-2022, and the Regional Enterprise Strategy for Dublin 2022-2026.
Social enterprises provide a range of supports and services in their local areas that might otherwise never be supplied. They typically embrace and embed, collaboration, solidarity, pluralism and sustainability which leads to integrated economic and community development in their respective setting or concerning their goal. While much work has been done in this sector, Ireland Inc needs to keep up the pace to keep level with other EU countries.