UnLtd
Encyclopedia
UnLtd - The Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom
set up by seven organisations that promote Social entrepreneurship
. The organisation offers cash awards, networking and mentorship opportunities for social entrepreneurs in the UK.
, Changemakers, Community Action Network (CAN), Comic Relief
, The Scarman Trust, SENSCOT and The School for Social Entrepreneurs
(SSE).
UnLtd’s awards are funded by the income generated by a £100 million endowment from the Millennium Commission
as a permanent source of grants for individuals throughout the United Kingdom to develop their skills and talents, and to contribute to the community; the income from the endowment is held by the Millennium Awards, of which UnLtd is the sole Trustee. This legacy is invested as a permanent endowment so that it generates sufficient income to fund UnLtd’s Millennium Awards in perpetuity.
In addition, UnLtd raises funds from government, foundations, companies and others. UnLtd is accountable to its Board of Trustees; trustees have a responsibility to act collectively to ensure the proper administration of the charity. They must safeguard the assets of the charity to ensure that these assets and resources are only used in furtherance of the objects of the charity.
UnLtd’s core Millennium Awards Scheme is for people:
UnLtd offers four levels of Award:
UnLtd's funding throughout the UK is divided throughout 5 regions; London, The South and the East of England, The North of England and the Midlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, with 7 regional offices http://www.unltd.org.uk/template.php?ID=7&PageName=contactus.
This is achieved by providing support through in-house resources of business consultants and experienced practitioners, as well as through partnerships with external providers of specialist services where appropriate. UnLtd Ventures also acts as a broker between ‘Venturers’ and providers of a range of different types of funding.
UnLtd Ventures also explore potential partnerships with organisations that have experience in raising and distributing investment funds, which would complement UnLtd Ventures experience in sourcing and supporting entrepreneurs. The market place for investment in Social enterprise
and social entrepreneurs is evolving rapidly and Ventures remain committed to providing an innovative approach based on the experience of the wider organisation at Level 1 and Level 2.
Alongside fostering a vibrant community, UnLtdWorld's goal is to improve the way targeted information, business intelligence and critical social and market insight are accessed and exchanged by all relevant stakeholders within the social enterprise sector and market.
This is done through the UnLtdWorld Research Lab, which graphs information fed from the UnLtdWorld platform (around community, content and trends). Through an API all the data is made accessible and dynamically usable, by anyone, everywhere.
Social enterprise
Social firm
Social business enterprise
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
set up by seven organisations that promote Social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship is the work of social entrepreneurs. A social entrepreneur recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change . While a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return, a...
. The organisation offers cash awards, networking and mentorship opportunities for social entrepreneurs in the UK.
History
UnLtd was formed in 2000 by seven leading non-profit organisations working with social entrepreneurs both across the UK and internationally: Ashoka: Innovators for the PublicAshoka: Innovators for the Public
Ashoka: Innovators for the Public is a nonprofit organization based in Arlington, VA, supporting the field of social entrepreneurship. Ashoka was founded by Bill Drayton in 1981 to identify and support leading social entrepreneurs through a Social Venture Capital approach with the goal of...
, Changemakers, Community Action Network (CAN), Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
, The Scarman Trust, SENSCOT and The School for Social Entrepreneurs
School for Social Entrepreneurs
The School for Social Entrepreneurs was founded by the British Social Entrepreneur Michael Young, also known as the Lord of Dartington, in 1997. Michael Young was a social innovator who had previously launched the Consumers' Association, the Open University and around 40 other organisations.The...
(SSE).
UnLtd’s awards are funded by the income generated by a £100 million endowment from the Millennium Commission
Millennium Commission
The Millennium Commission in the United Kingdom was set up to aid communities at the end of the 2nd millennium and the start of the 3rd millennium. It used funding raised through the UK National Lottery....
as a permanent source of grants for individuals throughout the United Kingdom to develop their skills and talents, and to contribute to the community; the income from the endowment is held by the Millennium Awards, of which UnLtd is the sole Trustee. This legacy is invested as a permanent endowment so that it generates sufficient income to fund UnLtd’s Millennium Awards in perpetuity.
In addition, UnLtd raises funds from government, foundations, companies and others. UnLtd is accountable to its Board of Trustees; trustees have a responsibility to act collectively to ensure the proper administration of the charity. They must safeguard the assets of the charity to ensure that these assets and resources are only used in furtherance of the objects of the charity.
Current practice
UnLtd provides an individually tailored combination of cash funding, practical support and networking opportunities. In addition to funding support, it provides dedicated Development Managers offering business and mentoring support, networking opportunities, training and development opportunities and access to wider support and pro bono services.UnLtd’s core Millennium Awards Scheme is for people:
- Over the age of 16
- Resident in the approved territories (essentially the UK)
- Who are applying as an individual or informal group
- Who want to run projects:
- that benefit the public or a community in the UK
- that need an UnLtd Award to ensure its success
- that offer a learning opportunity for the applicant(s)
- that are a new initiative
UnLtd offers four levels of Award:
- Level 0 Awards of up to £1,000 which are aimed at potential social entrepreneurs - individuals who are developing ideas for the first time or who may lack confidence or skills to apply for a Level 1 Award straight away.
- Level 1 Awards range from £500 to £5,000. Level 1 Awards are designed for people who have ideas that they wish to develop into real projects.
- Level 2 Awards range from £5,000 to £20,000. Level 2 Awards are designed for people with previous social entrepreneurial experience, who have started a project and are looking for a way to make it sustainable.
- Level 3 Awards, of up to £60,000 spread over up to three years, are intended for high potential social entrepreneurs whose work could be transformative but who require sustained support to achieve their full value. Up to three such Awards are to be made in each of three years commencing in 2006/7 to test what can be achieved with a high level programme.
UnLtd's funding throughout the UK is divided throughout 5 regions; London, The South and the East of England, The North of England and the Midlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, with 7 regional offices http://www.unltd.org.uk/template.php?ID=7&PageName=contactus.
UnLtd Ventures
UnLtd Ventures provides consultancy support to a number of outstanding social entrepreneurs, helping them to scale up or replicate their projects. These are individuals who have already established themselves as successful social entrepreneurs, either through the UnLtd Level 1 and Level 2 Awards or independently of UnLtd.This is achieved by providing support through in-house resources of business consultants and experienced practitioners, as well as through partnerships with external providers of specialist services where appropriate. UnLtd Ventures also acts as a broker between ‘Venturers’ and providers of a range of different types of funding.
UnLtd Ventures also explore potential partnerships with organisations that have experience in raising and distributing investment funds, which would complement UnLtd Ventures experience in sourcing and supporting entrepreneurs. The market place for investment in Social enterprise
Social enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies business strategies to achieving philanthropic goals. Social enterprises can be structured as a for-profit or non-profit....
and social entrepreneurs is evolving rapidly and Ventures remain committed to providing an innovative approach based on the experience of the wider organisation at Level 1 and Level 2.
UnLtd Research
UnLtd Research studies the impact of the support UnLtd gives to early start social entrepreneurs, and the impact they have on the worlds in which they live. UnLtd believes that in-depth research into the individuals they support, their learning, needs and impact is the best way to improve the work of UnLtd to enhance the contribution which early start social entrepreneurs make to the world. UnLtd has partnerships with academic institutions UCL, Open University, Middlesex University, University of Birmingham.Unltd India
UnLtd supports Unltd India which funds and supports social entrepreneurs. Unltd India is based in Mumbai and also runs The Bombay Hub. Other initiatives of UnLtd India are Bootcamp, Journeys for Change and Social Mashup.UnLtdWorld
On March 4, 2008, UnLtd launched UnLtdWorld, an online community for socially minded people. UnLtdWorld is an online platform that connects social entrepreneurs attempts to empower the way insight and information are shared, and exchanged, within the social enterprise sector and market. UnLtdWorld aims to provide social entrepreneurs with the most powerful possible platform to dynamically connect, and through a community share knowledge and find the tools they need to succeed.Alongside fostering a vibrant community, UnLtdWorld's goal is to improve the way targeted information, business intelligence and critical social and market insight are accessed and exchanged by all relevant stakeholders within the social enterprise sector and market.
This is done through the UnLtdWorld Research Lab, which graphs information fed from the UnLtdWorld platform (around community, content and trends). Through an API all the data is made accessible and dynamically usable, by anyone, everywhere.
See also
Social entrepreneurshipSocial entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship is the work of social entrepreneurs. A social entrepreneur recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change . While a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return, a...
Social enterprise
Social enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies business strategies to achieving philanthropic goals. Social enterprises can be structured as a for-profit or non-profit....
Social firm
Social firm
Social Firm is the British term for a work integration social enterprise , a business created to employ people who have a disability or are otherwise disadvantaged in the labour market. Its commercial and production activities are undertaken in the context of a social mission, with profits going...
Social business enterprise