School for Social Entrepreneurs secures further £2.55m funding for social entrepreneurs from Big Lottery Fund
22 Aug 2017 12:34 PM
Big Lottery Fund has renewed its funding for social entrepreneurs supported by School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE), with a £2.55m grant.
The renewal extends Big Lottery Fund’s commitment to the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme, in partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs, launched in 2012. The award-winning programme, jointly funded by Big Lottery Fund, will support 2,600 social entrepreneurs in total by 2022.
The first five years of the programme has supported 1,300 social entrepreneurs, who are forecasted to reach as many as 1.1 million beneficiaries over five years, according to a social impact review 
of the programme conducted by CAN Invest and Investing for Good.
Big Lottery Fund’s £2.55m grant to School for Social Entrepreneurs will support a further 1,300 social entrepreneurs over the next five years with grants of up to £10,000. Students also attend a year-long SSE learning programme to help them start up, grow or scale their organisation, and receive mentoring from a Lloyds Banking Group employee.
This funding announcement follows SSE’s 20th anniversary in July, when it celebrated supporting more than 1,000 leaders of social change each year through its learning programmes and courses across its global network of 11 schools.
Alastair Wilson, CEO of School for Social Entrepreneurs, said: “The renewal of our partnership with Big Lottery Fund means School for Social Entrepreneurs can deliver on our mission to support the learning and growth of social entrepreneurs – people who solve problems first-hand within their communities. This grant-funding will directly benefit 1,300 people who are creating tangible social and environmental impact across the UK. We are thrilled to announce this news as we celebrate 20 years of supporting the leaders of social change with learning and connections.”
James Harcourt, Grant Making Director for England, Big Lottery Fund said: “Thanks to National Lottery players we have been able to continue our support for the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme, in partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs and jointly funded by Big Lottery Fund. Collaborations like this allow us to maximise the impact of our funding, and the entrepreneurial aspect of the programme aligns with our commitment to putting people in the lead and having a positive impact in communities across England.”
The sixth cohort of the programme will begin in October 2017. People interested in applying for the 2018 cohort can register their interest at https://www.the-sse.org/lbsep/
Notes to Editors
About School for Social Entrepreneurs
- School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) empowers people to create change in their communities and improve the lives of others.
- It supports social entrepreneurs: people who tackle social problems by starting, scaling and sustaining organisations.
- SSE helps more than 1,000 leaders of social change every year through courses, connections and support. Michael Young founded SSE in 1997 in London. Today, SSE’s network of 11 schools impacts communities across the UK, Canada and India. www.the-sse.org.
For further information, please contact: Sophie Hobson, communications manager, SSE: sophie.hobson@sse.org.uk / 0207 089 9120
About Big Lottery Fund
- The Big Lottery Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK. We put people in the lead to improve their lives and communities, often through small, local projects.
- We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. In 2016/17 we awarded £712.7 million and supported more than 13,814 projects across the UK for health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
- Since June 2004 we have awarded over £8 billion to projects that change the lives of millions of people.
About the Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Programme
(In partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs and jointly funded by Big Lottery Fund)
- The partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs sits right at the heart of Lloyds Banking Group’s ambition to Help Britain Prosper. It is one of its flagship programmes designed to support social entrepreneurs in communities and, through them, help stimulate economic growth and regeneration across the UK.
- Launched in April 2012, the Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Programme is run in partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs. The programme provides both financial support (grants of up to £10,000) and access to a comprehensive learning support programme including a business mentoring scheme. By 2020 the programme, which is also jointly funded by the Big Lottery Fund, will have supported around 2,350 social entrepreneurs to start and grow innovative social organisations.