Firstport’s Build It Fund: Next Deadline

The next deadline for Firstport’s Build It fund is 12pm on Thursday 28^th September.

Build It is aimed at social entrepreneurs who have tried and tested their social enterprise idea and want to turn it into their fulltime job. The fund can grant up to £25,000 towards salaries and some essential costs.

Typical applications include requests for:

• up to £20,000 for a single salary, with a further £5,000 for additional essential costs
• up to £25,000 split between 2 or more salaries

Eligibility

Applications must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• the applicant is aged 16 years old and over
• the applicant is a permanent resident of Scotland
• the enterprise operates primarily for the benefit of people or communities within Scotland
• the enterprise and its activities do not involve political campaigning, or the advancement of religion
• the enterprise is an independent organisation, and not the project or subsidiary of an existing body
• the enterprise provides direct social benefit to individuals, communities, and/or the environment
• the enterprise has been trading for 2 years or less
• the enterprise has a track record of income generation and social impact
• profits from the enterprise are reinvested in the business and its social aims; no assets or uncapped dividends are transferred out of the organisation to private individuals or bodies

After the Deadline

After the application deadline, Firstport assesses the applications against their criteria, with the strongest applications shortlisted. All applicants will be notified about the outcome of their application within 2 – 3 weeks of the deadline date.

If an application is shortlisted, the social entrepreneur will be expected to attend “Practice Your Pitch” and “Cash Flow Challenge” sessions, in the lead up to a compulsory pitch to the funding panel; further information on these sessions is available in the Build It Guidance document (linked for your convenience).

All applicants must be available for the Panel Pitch; the pitch for the September deadline takes place on Monday 20^th November and Tuesday 21^st November.

For further information, including how to apply, please visit the Firstport website.