Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) has opened applications for new grants to support female-led First Nations social enterprises and enterprises that focus on developing and supporting First Nations women, girls and sistergirls. Partnership grants from $50,000 up to $200,000 are available.

The Social Enterprise Grant will deliver $2.7 million of funding in 2023 through partnerships with Australian social enterprises that are, or that work with, First Nations women in business.

The grant provides opportunities to support First Nations female entrepreneurs to innovate and solve social issues facing their communities and help improve the economic security of other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their communities.

Stella de Cos, Southern Arrernte woman and IBA Director of Community and Customer Experience, says the grant program will drive positive change for Indigenous women around the country.

“This partnership brings an amazing opportunity for First Nations female entrepreneurs and female-led community organisations to continue to innovate and solve economic issues facing First Nations women and their communities,” Ms de Cos said.

“Women are the strongest pillars of many of our First Nations communities. Empowering them builds opportunities to continue the positive impact and change they drive.”

Who can apply?

According to IBA, successful applicants will drive one or several of the following outcomes:

• Develop the capabilities to First Nations women to start or grow their business.
• Build and maintain networks.
• Support the economic security of First Nations women by building skills and confidence to enter the workforce and for those already employed to progress.
• Support First Nations women to be economically empowered through coaching or mentoring programs; these may include for business, employment and leadership.
• Support First Nations women by providing access to resources that build financial management skills and confidence, including access to financial wellbeing counselling, planning for the future and money management.
• Support to manage and understand rent/housing obligations and managing household budgets.
• Wellbeing and self-care programs that support women to manage their family, work, business, and community obligations.
• Upskilling and training of enterprise First Nations staff that create an opportunity to expand social impact outcomes in communities.
• Establishing innovative platforms/systems that enhance the way the enterprise does business and impacts communities.

Applications for the Social Enterprise Grant are now open and will close on 30 August 2023 unless funds are exhausted earlier. More information and online grant applications at www.iba.gov.au/socialenterprisegrant.

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