Social Enterprise
The rise of social enterprise has been one of the big stories of the last few decades. The traditional dichotomy of for-profit business on one side and donor-funded charity on the other side is breaking down as more people pursue a path in the middle.
The world of social enterprise is large and diverse. A for-profit business can can a step towards social enterprise by introducing "corporate social responsibility" (CSR) where they may sacrifice some amount of profits for another goal that is valued by the business owners. At the other end, some charities are moving away from a donor-funded model and moving towards being a self-sustaining charity through building their own revenue streams.
In between these two types there is the fast-growing "social business" which describes an organisation that has a primary goal of trying to achieve a social or enviornmental outcome, but where the owners ensure there is a sustainable revenue stream and they allow for the possiblity that they may make some profit. These hybrid half-charity half-business organisations have provoked a wide range of responses, from praise to skepticism to criticism.
PRIME & HCP
PRIME researchers have a unique insider knowledge of the social enterprise industry, being directly involved with the sustainable charity Human Capital Project (HCP).
HCP provides financing for poor Cambodian students to go to university, and in exchange those students agree that if they find a proper job after they graduate then they will contribute to the costs of sending the next generation of poor students to university. By introducing this "pass it forward" system, HCP added an element of business thinking to create a (nearly) sustainable project.
If you would like to help out with HCP, or you have a social enterprise that needs help, or perhaps you have a new idea for a social enterprise but need advice on how to get started... then please contact us.
Three of the students HCP has funded through university