I attended the launch of the 2020-2022 Social Enterprise Development Fund in Dublin this week.
The €1.6 million fund is administered by Social Innovation Fund Ireland in partnership with Local Authorities Ireland and funded by IPB Insurance and my department, the Department of Rural and Community Development.
The launch took place at We Make Good, a shop and website that sells furniture and homeware designed by Irish designers and made by social enterprises across Ireland.
The enterprise provides pathways to employment for people with a history of imprisonment or addiction.
We Make Good is using a Social Enterprise Development Fund investment of €10,000 to employ an online sales and community manager.