Setting Up a Social Enterprise for Grants Success | Levi Fernandez - Society Melbourne
“One of the things we caught onto early was really honing our superpowers, and not trying to be every thing, to every one.”
— Levi Fernandez, Co-Founder & Head of Partnerships, Society Melbourne
Show Notes
This is a 101 of how to win grants if you’re a social enterprise.
The quick wrap:
Why Society Melbourne chose a Social Enterprise model rather than a Not for Profit model
How to structure your Social Enterprise for grants success (legalities and registrations required)
How to scale a grants program over time
What Society Melbourne use grants to cover compared to what their sales revenue covers
How to build and maintains relationships with funders
Levi’s experience of working through Partnerships Fatigue
Some of his biggest grants mistakes
How feedback from funding providers was critical to Society Melbourne’s future grants success
Their biggest grants win (Tip: If you would love a grant to cover a salary, you NEED to listen to this)
Advice for anyone thinking about launching, or who’s just launched a Social Enterprise
Advice for winning grants as a Social Enterprise.
More about the episode
Levi Fernandez is the Co-Founder & Head Of Partnerships at Society Melbourne. Society Melbourne is a Social Enterprise, supporting young people experiencing homelessness. Society Melbourne invests 100% of the profits from their portfolio of Social Enterprises back into their impact model.
Levi and the team have achieved big things in a short amount of time - and grants is just one area of their success. In fact, Levi and I first met as Society Melbourne was awarded The Grants Hub’s Social Enterprise grant in 2019.
Social Enterprise is a rapidly growing arena in Australia, with more than 20,000 in operation. In line with this growth, I’m getting asked an increasing number of questions about Social Enterprise and grants.
In this episode, Levi generously shares some of his insights and experience with us around grants and Social Enterprise, and Social Enterprise growth/ the startup journey in general.
What is it that I’m offering to this person or organisation and what’s the value exchange?
Organisation & Business Capacity Building Grants Currently Available
Levi and I discuss the limited grant opportunities that there usually are for operational costs and salaries, and how there is a need for significantly greater funding in this space across Australia.
However coincidentally, The Grants Hub this week has just released a list of Organisation & Business Capacity Building Grants currently available throughout Australia. This was a completely unplanned, but very useful coincidence! If you want to find funding for digital upgrades, or you would love a grant so you can pursue new opportunities, stimulate economic growth, buy new equipment, or review your systems and processes, then check out this grants summary from The Grants Hub.