SIFI Winners

Social Innovation Fund Ireland officially launched

Trade
Pictured: Sean Peters, Save a Selfie,; Dara Connolly, ReCreate; Collette Ryan, Carebright; Ronan O Dalaigh, Thriftify

28 January 2016

Social Innovation Fund Ireland, a non-profit organisation, was officially launched in Dublin yesterday. The organisation aims to provide growth capital and support to the best social innovations in Ireland and in doing so to enable those groups to maximise their impact.

Social Innovation Fund Ireland opened the inaugural Animate Programme in December 2015. As Ireland’s first non-profit accelerator the Programme supports early stage innovations, projects and organisations to get to the next stage of their development.

The award consists a grant of up to €10,000 supplementing non-financial support such as growth planning supports from a business consultant; a mentor; technical supports; and access to Social Innovation Fund Ireland’s networks.

From a field of 55 entries, four winners were selected:

•      Carebright: a social enterprise developing a new model of care for people with dementia called Dementia Hub
•      ReCreate: a national social enterprise that takes surplus stock from businesses and makes them available for free and in unlimited quantities for reuse as arts and educational materials for all kinds of creative purposes
•      Save a Selfie: an interactive mobile app that allows members of the public to take “selfies” alongside emergency equipment, with the potential to save lives all around the country
•      Thriftify: a Web-based platform that helps charities realise the true value of unsold donated stock, particularly donated books

Deirdre Mortell, Social Innovation Fund Ireland CEO, said: “The Government’s challenge fund of €5 million to Social Innovation Fund Ireland means that for every Euro of funds donated, we can match it with a euro from government, enabling us to double the impact of our donations. These four projects illustrate the power and impact of philanthropy when it partners with government, creating 80 jobs while meeting local social needs.”

TechCentral Reporters

Read More:


Back to Top ↑

TechCentral.ie