Social Enterprise Development Initiative Grants (SEDI)

Funding pool for new capability building grants for social enterprises is approximately $2.6 million.
A separate First Nations stream will be released in 2026 with a funding pool of $2.5 million, with further details to be confirmed
Grants are valued from $50,000- 120,000 each.
No co-contribution requirement
Grant funded activities must be completed within six months of award.
Applications close: The program operates on rolling rounds and is anticipated to remain open through to early 2027

The Social Enterprise Development Initiative Grants (SEDI) support eligible Australian social enterprises, including trading Indigenous owned or controlled organisations with a direct social benefit, to build capability, grow their business, and scale their social impact.

Funding can be used to purchase business and impact capability building services from providers, including services such as financial management, evaluation and impact measurement, business consulting, legal advice, systems implementation, marketing strategy, and operations advice.

The program is designed for organisations delivering direct benefit to Australians experiencing entrenched disadvantage across approved social outcome areas. Applicants new to the program first submit an expression of interest, then complete a phone discussion, and if eligible are invited to lodge a full application for panel assessment.

Key Requirements

Build organisational capability to scale social impact. The grant is intended to help eligible social enterprises become more effective and efficient in demonstrating and increasing impact for the people and communities they support. Funding is for capability building services that strengthen the organisation and support future growth.
Demonstrate direct benefit to people experiencing entrenched disadvantage in Australia. Applicants must show they currently provide direct benefit in one or more approved outcome areas. Indirect benefit alone is not sufficient.
Show a credible plan to scale impact. Applicants need to explain how their capability building activities link to a realistic scaling plan and expected outcomes. The sources also note that weak alignment between the capability plan and scaling strategy can reduce competitiveness.
Be a trading organisation with sufficient operational maturity. Applicants must be an Australian social enterprise, or a trading Indigenous owned or controlled organisation with a direct social benefit, have beneficiaries primarily in Australia, have trading revenue above $50,000 per year, and have progressed beyond the start-up phase.
Be ready to work with providers and deliver required project outputs. Applicants should engage preferred providers early. Successful recipients must complete the approved capability building services and establish, or update where needed, an Impact Measurement Framework and a Business Plan during the project timeline.

What is eligible for funding?

Purchase business and impact capability building services that help the enterprise grow its impact.
Advice on systems implementation, including areas such as IT, HR, inventory, and accounting.
Advice on financial management and reporting.
Advice on marketing strategy and materials preparation.
Advice on social procurement strategies.
Investor grant pitch development and introductions to impact investors or philanthropists.
Operations advice to assist in scaling operations.
Other capability building services that support scaling impact.
Internal costs necessary to purchase capability building services, up to 20 percent of total grant funding.
Capability needs assessment by a provider after grant award, where relevant.

What companies are eligible for funding?

Eligible entities:

• Social enterprises. A social enterprise is described as a business that puts people and planet first, trades like any other business, and exists to solve a social or environmental problem. It can be a for-profit organisation, a non-profit organisation, or a charity that trades.
• Trading Indigenous owned or controlled organisations with a direct social benefit.

Other eligibility considerations:

• The organisation must have direct impact in one or more approved social outcome areas.
• The organisation must currently provide direct benefit to Australians experiencing entrenched disadvantage.
• The organisation must be Australian, with beneficiaries who primarily reside in Australia.
• Trading revenue must exceed $50,000 per year.
• The organisation may be early stage, but must be beyond start-up phase.
• If trading revenue is less than 50 percent of total revenue, the capability plan must aim to substantially grow the trade element.
• If a high proportion of trading revenue comes from one customer, the capability plan must include steps to attract more customers.
• The grant amount will not exceed annual turnover

Is this grant competitive or entitlement based?

Competitive. Your application will be assessed among other applications by a judging panel.

How can I increase my chances of winning this grant?

By engaging an accredited government grants consultant, such as Avant Group.

Competitive grants often require significant business case development and project analysis to support the application, this may include detailed presentations supporting the project’s merit, projected sales, cost-benefit analysis and more.

As part of your engagement with Avant Group, your account manager will assess the required documents and will provide the following as needed to support your grant submission.

Grant application writeup including a detailed presentation illustrating how the grant funding will contribute to your project, how the funding will contribute to the project’s budget, a project milestone plan, delivery timeline, impact on employment if applicable and a breakdown of the management and leadership team for the project

Industry analysis presentation
Competitor Analysis Presentation
Marketing and Sales Analysis Presentation
3-5 year Cashflow Forecast
3-5 year Balance Sheet Forecast
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Grant Funding
End-to-end grant application including information collating, analysis and application writing
CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) cost-benefit analysis
Stakeholder relations and Risk Mitigation Plans
Any other relevant forecasting that will support your application

How can I get help with my application? Or know if I’m likely to win funding?

Avant Group offers a no-obligation assessment of your eligibility for funding and will assess your likelihood of a successful grant application.

This grant is open

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