• THE ARTHUR GUINNESS FUND

    The Arthur Guinness Fund is a global fund, created as part of the Guinness 250 celebration. In the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (from here on referred to as "Ireland") it is a fund of up to €2.5m, the creation of which was supported by people coming together to sign their names next to Arthur Guinness' signature, in pubs across Ireland.

    The ethos of the Arthur Guinness Fund is 'From one to many. Creating opportunities for Communities'.

    The Arthur Guinness Fund awards programme has been set up with the aim of supporting and empowering social entrepreneurs, who have projects and initiatives that are innovative, impactful and sustainable, for the benefit of communities across Ireland.

    Applications for the Arthur Guinness Fund are no longer being accepted. Application will reopen in October 2010.


    THE AWARDS

    The Arthur Guinness Fund awards programme is looking to find and support up to 25 Social entrepreneurs over a two-year period within Ireland.

    Successful applicants will benefit from financial (in the region of €100,000 per project) and practical support.

    In addition, successful applicants will benefit from being given access to the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland alumni network. They may also benefit from being recognised through media coverage and PR in association with the Arthur Guinness Fund.


    WHAT IS A SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR?

    A social entrepreneur is someone who has the spirit, energy and drive of successful business entrepreneurs, but rather than building profitable businesses, their core purpose is to improve and enhance society, changing communities for the better.

    Just as business entrepreneurs are key drivers of change in the private sector, social entrepreneurs act as the change agents for society, seizing opportunities by improving systems, inventing new approaches and creating sustainable solutions to change communities for the better.

    While business and social entrepreneurs share many common characteristics, there is a key difference in terms of why they do what they do. Business entrepreneurs are ultimately motivated by building commercially successful companies whereas social entrepreneurs are motivated to improve society. They are people who challenge the status quo and measure their success not by making a profit, but by making a difference. For social entrepreneurs their mission to change communities for the better is at core of everything they do.

    There are many social entrepreneurs throughout Ireland, many of whom would not necessarily call themselves such. Being a social entrepreneur is not something that requires a specific qualification. They are people who day in, day out work to make a positive impact on their community and society as a whole.

    Click here for some great examples of social entrepreneurs.