Brisbane City Council, Social Ventures Australia and the PricewaterhouseCoopers Foundation have joined forces to establish Brisbane’s first Social Enterprise Hub. Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said the three parties had each committed $30,000 to the Hub, which will support the growth of Brisbane’s emerging social enterprise sector.
“The Hub will help businesses with primarily social objectives make the transition from community organisations that receive most of their funding through grants, to sustainable trading entities that deliver social benefits,” Lord Mayor Newman said. “The Hub will provide expertise and resources that would otherwise be unavailable or too costly, such as establishing corporate mentors and links with education and training providers.”
The Hub will run as a pilot for the first year, supporting seven enterprises, including Ethical Property Maintenance, Sustainable Gardening Services, Sandgate Enterprise and Employment Development, Mu’ooz Cooperative, Green Black Cooperative, Spiral Community Hub and Speak Out Limited.
PricewaterhouseCoopers Foundation spokesperson, Rick Millen, said the Hub would be a great opportunity for the Foundation to engage in the growth, development and sustainability of Brisbane’s social enterprise sector.
“Our people will be able to share their expertise, experience and skills in a manner that will focus on the specific needs of the Hub enterprises,” Rick Millen said.
Social Ventures Australia Executive Director, Jan Owen, said the Hub will give social enterprises an opportunity to accelerate their programs in a supportive learning environment.
“By participating in the Hub program, enterprises will become more competitive in the market place and will increase their impact,” she said. “We look forward to measuring the success of these enterprises and creating an entity that will continue this important work into the future.”
For further information please contact Brisbane City Council on (07) 3403 8888.
