Social Traders, Australia’s leading social enterprise procurement advocates and enablers, announced it received a $1 million four-year grant from Gandel Foundation, in support of the Social Traders’ 2030 Vision to unlock more than $5 billion in demand for social enterprises and create 44,000 jobs.
The Gandel family have long supported a broad range of activities and initiatives across the spectrum of the social enterprise eco-system, with the view that social enterprise is an integral part of helping address the most challenging social issues in the Australian community.
Social Traders are the connector between certified social enterprises with business and government buyers, leading the charge in doing business ‘for good’. They create a range of positive impacts through jobs, community services and support for the most marginalised.
“With this support we can now scale and embed social enterprise procurement nationally, advocating for, and, driving major reforms in government and business procurement policy over the next decade” said Mike McKinstry, Social Traders CEO.
This grant will enable Social Traders to invest in social enterprise capacity building, helping the sector create over 44,000 jobs, deliver 6 million training hours, and deliver community services and donations of $128 million.
“We thank Gandel Foundation for sharing our passion for the social enterprise and for joining forces with our other key philanthropic partners, The Ian Potter Foundation and Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, who are also helping us bring our vision to reality”.
“We welcome other trailblazing philanthropists nationally to join us by investing in our Vision 2030, to scale and embed social enterprise procurement and enable a thriving social enterprise sector throughout Australia”, said Mike McKinstry.
The Gandel Foundation was established in 1978 by John and Pauline Gandel, and today achieves its vision by empowering communities to deliver programs and activities that create lasting positive impact on the quality of life of people in Australia and Jewish communities.
Established in 2008, Social Traders has been a pioneer in the growth of social enterprise sector across the country. Social Traders have certified over 450 social enterprises to date, supporting them to deliver goods and services to a network of over 120 business and government organisations.
Social Traders have a vision to create a thriving social enterprise sector to significantly contribute to a more inclusive and equitable Australia. They aim to achieve this by working collaboratively to deeply integrate social enterprises into business and government supply chains.
For media enquiries contact Bella Borello, Head of Marketing and Digital Solutions, media@socialtraders.com.au