Grants for social enterprises

We’re proud to invest in social enterprises with a proven model for job creation to support people facing barriers to mainstream employment.

By investing in and supporting employment-focused social enterprises, we aim to help create 10,000 jobs by 2030.

"The ripple effect of a job is powerful. When people work, we leverage all of the talent available to our country. The individual has a sense of belonging and purpose, families and communities are stronger, and so is society.” - Susan Bannigan, Westpac Foundation CEO
 

The demand for work among vulnerable groups in Australia is growing and is disproportionate to the general population, with close to two million Australians wanting more work opportunities.
 

These are the individuals at the heart of our 2030 strategy. For over a decade, the Foundation has been working with social enterprises to help them scale and create more jobs and training opportunities for people facing barriers to mainstream employment.
 

Financial support is just the beginning. We also offer a range of programs to help build the capacity of the organisations we back through access to business expertise, resources and networks through our connection to Westpac Group and many other partner organisations committed to driving social change.
 

Collaborating for impact

We can have the greatest impact by working together.
 

Our social enterprise grants are based on a collaborative funding model that brings together like-minded organisations with a vision to create long term sustainable change through job creation.
 

We believe we can create greater impact through long-term partnerships, which is why we walk alongside our social enterprise partners, supporting them with funding and non-financial support as they grow, scale and transition to financial sustainability.
 

In FY21, we awarded a total $1.95 million to nine social enterprises, including CareerSeekers, Dismantle, Free to Feed, Good Cycles, Green Collect, Green Connect, Hotel Housekeeping, The Bread & Butter Project and Worldview Foundation.
 

Social enterprise grants are by invitation only as we currently have multi-year commitments to 20 employment-based social enterprises. We welcome potential funders and organisations who are interested in helping these social enterprises scale to create more employment and training opportunities for Australians facing barriers to work.

Bread & Butter Project

A social enterprise where 100% of the profits from their artisan bread and pastries are invested back into providing training and employment pathways to refugees and asylum seekers.

CareerSeekers

Provides private sector employment opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers including students and mid-career professionals.

Good Cycles

A Melbourne-based social enterprise that uses bikes to engage, educate and employ youth at risk.

Green Connect

Creates jobs for resettled refugees and young people in the Illawarra region (NSW) through keeping waste out of landfill, composting and growing chemical-free food.

Jigsaw

Provides document and data management services to corporate and government organisations, as well as delivering social benefits through the training and employment of people with disability. 

ReNew Property Maintenance

A Perth-based social enterprise that connects at-risk young people with hands-on, entry level employment opportunities in commercial property maintenance.

STREAT

Tackles the problem of youth disadvantage and homelessness in Melbourne by using its hospitality businesses to provide young people with a supported pathway to careers in the hospitality industry and independent living.

Soft Landing

One of Australia’s largest mattress recyclers and social enterprise offering training and employment for people facing barriers to work, particularly people who have experienced long-term unemployment.

Vanguard Laundry Services

A commercial laundry based in Toowoomba, Queensland, employing people who have a lived experience of mental illness and have struggled to secure employment.

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