By Staff Reporter

The closing date for applications for Social Entrepreneurs Ireland’s (SEI) 2016 awards programme is fast approaching.

Ambitious individuals with ‘Big Ideas’ and the energy to address social problems on the island of Ireland are encouraged to apply for the funding before the deadline of 7 April. 

Former winners include Niamh Gallagher and Michelle O’Donnell Keating of Women for Election, Irene Lowry of Nurture, Seán Love of Fighting Words and Liz Waters of Virtual Community College (An Cosan) from Dublin.

The awards programme, supported by DCC plc as flagship sponsor, will provide a total of €600,000 in development funding and support to nine social entrepreneurs to accelerate the progression of their social ventures. This will bring the total funding provided by SEI to over €6.5m to date.

Previous recipients have tackled a wide range of social issues from adult education and the provision of emergency services in rural areas to voter engagement and food waste. Former winners include CoderDojo, FoodCloud, Pieta House and Smartvote.

Speaking at the launch, SEI chief executive Darren Ryan said: “Just as entrepreneurs can drive change in business, social entrepreneurs can bring about real change in society. This year we are calling on people all around Ireland to consider if their big idea has the potential to change Ireland. If so, we want to hear from them.”

DCC plc, one of Ireland’s largest public companies, has partnered with SEI for the last five years, lending its support to the organisation throughout the awards programme from initial applications to final selection. 

It was recently announced that DCC plc would be renewing its commitment to SEI for an additional four years and will increase its financial support to €700,000 over this time.

Tommy Breen, chief executive of DCC plc, commented: “We strongly believe in the work carried out by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland and we’re delighted to be supporting their awards programme again this year.

“It is a great privilege to play a role in assisting Ireland’s brightest and most ambitious entrepreneurs who are dedicated to making a positive impact on our society.”

Interested candidates can find out more about the application process at socialentrepreneurs.ie. Applications close on Thursday 7 April.