Santander shortlists ten London social enterprises for financial boost in new award scheme
Ten social enterprises and community organisations based in London have been shortlisted for the Santander Social Enterprise Development Awards. These selected enterprises will have the opportunity to win up to £50,000 to help their businesses grow and improve their local communities.
The shortlist includes social enterprises across a diverse range of areas from sustainable energy and recycling projects to apprenticeship schemes for young people:
• Be Totally You Ltd, an organisation providing training and work experience to equip at risk and vulnerable people in Lewisham with vital skills for the future
• Energy Solutions, based in Brent, which aims to reduce fuel poverty and carbon emissions by providing energy advice to the local authority and housing associations
• MAC-UK, an enterprise providing youth-led music projects for marginalised young people with complex mental health issues and social care needs in Camden
• Cressy IT Solution in Tower Hamlets, which provides affordable IT solutions and support services to residents, businesses and third sector organisations
• Forest Recycling Project, based in Walthamstow, a community business tackling social and environmental issues through re-use, recycling and reduction initiatives
• Seagull Print Ltd, an Earlsfield-based professional printing service employing individuals with mental health conditions, offering work-based rehabilitative training
• The Green Firm aims to create a sense of community ownership by involving local people from Islington in gardening services for both private clients and public spaces
• Community Money provides practical money and debt training to financially excluded people across London
Enabling Enterprise, an organisation which provides work experience for school leavers in East London to help them improve their career opportunities
• PRA Plastic Developments, based in Hackney, is the social enterprise arm of The Centre for Better Health charity and provides products including PVC to industry. It offers one year employment skills placements to individuals with mental health issues
From this shortlist, three winners will be selected by a panel of judges to receive one of three prizes: £50,000, £30,000 and £15,000. The winners will be announced on 19th April 2012.
The judging panel will be chaired by Carlos Portela, Managing Director, Santander Corporate Banking London and will also include Sonal Shah, Chief Executive of The London Community Foundation.
Carlos Portela said: "Selecting three winners from the shortlist will be challenging as they are all impressive enterprises providing an important service to the local community. We will base our decision on the organisations that will make the best use of the money and generate the biggest impact in improving local communities across London."
The Awards are part of Santander's commitment to supporting small and medium businesses in the UK and aim to help social enterprises and Community Interest Companies looking to grow their business and improve their local community.
Targeted at established social enterprises with two or more years of trading, the Santander Social Enterprise Development Awards offer social organisations the opportunity to win prize money that will help them realise their ideas and deliver social regeneration in their local communities. The winning social enterprises will also receive access to support from Santander including mentoring programmes, funding for internships and university business courses and training.
In addition, the successful applicants will gain valuable input from The London Community Foundation which will work alongside them to assess the social impact of their business and the effect the award will have on local communities.
Content provided by Santander