The ‘Financing Social Enterprise in Ireland – Models of Impact Investing and Readiness’ was launched this morning 14th July 2021.

This short 30 mins presentation aimed to give the background to the project, the overall aims and how anyone can get involved.

We would encourage everyone to share our important survey on experiences of social finance so that the project can better focus on opportunities for social enterprises to grow and thrive. 

Do you have something to say about how Social Enterprise in Ireland is financed?

Please give us 15 mins of your time to share your knowledge, experience and challenges.

A chance to win a €250 One4All Voucher (Sponsored by Community Finance Ireland)

Survey will remain live until 28th July 2021 @ 12:00

You can find the survey here: https://socialfinance.ie/survey/

Speaker Bios

Eoghan Ryan: Eoghan Ryan is Head of Social Enterprise for Rethink Ireland and has managed a portfolio of funds to the value of €10m from start-up to scaling stages of social enterprise development.

Nicholas Costello: Nicholas Costello is Deputy Head of Unit in the Social and Inclusive Entrepreneurship unit, within the Directorate-General for Employment of the European Commission. He works among other things on the taxonomy for sustainable finance. He has worked on the Social Investment Package, and before that on development, including eight years in Nigeria and China. He is an economist by training.

Deiric O Broin: Deiric Ó Broin is Professor of Public Policy Practice in the School of Law and Government in Dublin City University where he lectures in Irish politics and public policy. His research is mainly on Irish politics and public policy particularly the area of local and urban governance. He also works in the areas of public participation and deliberation, civil society involvement in public policy formulation, with a particular focus on the social economy. He is also Chairperson of the Board of Pobal which works on behalf of the Government of Ireland to support communities and local agencies toward achieving social inclusion and development, and Chairperson of the Social Economy Research Network of Ireland, a research network of established higher education institutions and individual academics and graduate students researching in the social economy, including the areas of social and solidarity economy, social enterprise, social entrepreneurship, social finance and social innovation

Donal Traynor: Dónal Traynor joined Community Finance Ireland (then known as UCIT) in 2004 to set up its social financing proposition in the Republic of Ireland. Today he is CEO of the Community Finance Ireland Group responsible for managing the island of Ireland’s largest Social Finance provider, incorporating a group of companies dedicated to the provision of finance responsibly, with an ambition to Enable Communities Enable Themselves, and ensure Social Impact is Felt, rather than simply Dreamt. Dónal holds a degree in Economics & Geography from UCD, Grad. Dip. in Business Studies from UL, an MBS in Co-operative and Social Enterprise from UCC, and is QFA accredited from the Institute of Banking