Social enterprise EDGE award
The Postcode Innovation Trust works in partnership with the Scottish EDGE - Scotland’s leading competition to identify and support the nation’s most promising entrepreneurial talent - to fund the Social Enterprise EDGE Award.
The EDGE Award provides blended grant and loan funding of up to £100,000 for winners of the award, which forms part of the Scottish EDGE competition. It is open to asset locked social enterprises whose work enriches communities and makes a contribution to society, tackling social and environmental problems in Scotland, nationally or abroad.
Since 2018, Postcode Innovation Trust have helped to fund nine social enterprises through this programme:
- The Turing Trust - The Turing Trust supports education in sub-Saharan Africa by reusing computers and improving teacher pedagogy. They provide skills development in the UK whilst reducing waste and contributing to an environmentally friendly society.
- GoodCall CIC - GoodCall is the only dedicated mobile phone supplier that helps charities and social enterprises to find low cost mobile phone services so that they can focus on making a positive difference to the lives of others.
- Eat, Sleep, Ride - Eat, Sleep, Ride is a social enterprise targeting people experiencing mental health problems, those that have suffered abuse, lived in areas of high deprivation and other challenges such as drug/alcohol addiction through their horse riding school.
- River Garden Enterprises - River Garden Enterprises provides a training and social enterprise development centre for people in the early stages of recovery from drug and/or alcohol addiction.
- Brave Strong Beautiful CIC – Brave Strong Beautiful is a social enterprise hairdressing salon who support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to gain employment while providing quality hairdressing.
- Well-Fed Scotland CIC – Well Fed Scotland were established in 2017 to alleviate food poverty and social isolation in the west of Glasgow. They have since grown into a thriving social enterprise that creates enormous social and economic impact with and beyond their community.
- Animalia Apparel – Animalia are a combat sports clothing company that delivers community programmes focusing on physical activity and mental resilience.
- Social Stories Club – Social Stories Club was founded by two entrepreneurs with a shared passion for social impact, gifting and storytelling. They introduce people to social enterprise products through their array of sustainable gift hampers.
- The Whisky Chairmen – The Whisky Chairmen tackles poverty and social isolation through a zero-waste manufacturing business. They source barrels that have been retired from the whisky process, save them from becoming firewood and use them to create sustainable furniture.
- KO-NEKT CIC - KO-NEKT are a childcare social enterprise that offer flexible day and night support service for children and young people who have autism spectrum disorder or special educational needs aged 5-18yrs.
- Rhyze Mushrooms - Rhyze Mushrooms are a community mushroom farm and education project. They grow mushrooms from waste and teach others the skills to do so too.
- Stitch the Gap CIC - Stitch the Gap deliver employability skills and environmental impact at the grassroots of the community by teaching the sewing skills to repair, reuse and repurpose textiles.
- Smart Gym - Smart Gym is a low-cost, family-friendly gym. They offer a free crèche service and older children can workout with their parents.