Trading for Good: Milton Keynes

Trading for Good: Milton Keynes gives you skills, funding and a network so that you can generate more trading income and create community power in Milton Keynes. 

The support you get: 

• Transformational learning programme. 
• Up to £4,000 Match Trading™ grant. 
• Connections with local opportunities. 
• Ready-made support network. 

With a group of others like you, you will learn from the experts, and each other, to grow your enterprise’s income and impact. You will also receive a Match Trading™ Grant that combined with the learning programme will support you to develop trading income streams and build a resilient organisation. 

Quick links

“Having completed the SSE programme myself, I know how much it can help social entrepreneurs discover themselves and thrive like never before. This will be a huge boost to Milton Keynes’ social enterprise community.”

Tom Bulman, social entrepreneur and advocate for social enterprise in Milton Keynes

Who it’s for

This programme is for leaders of early-stage social enterprises, charity or social impact projects that plan to grow through trading (selling products and services).

Your project:

• Is making a social or environmental impact.
• Has a constitution, set of rules or legal structure.
• Is planning to increase its trading income by £4,000 or more in the next year.
• Has an income of less than £100,000.*
• Has likely been running for less than 5 years.*
• Is based in or has beneficiaries in the City of Milton Keynes. 

For full eligibility criteria please register interest and read the guidance notes.

*in some circumstances we will consider organisations who do not meet this criteria exactly but are arguably “early-stage”. Please contact [email protected] to find out if you should apply.

Learning and development programme

You will come together with seasoned experts, our experienced facilitators and other social enterprise leaders to develop the skills for growing resilient and impactful organisations. The programme will push you, building your confidence and skills.

Local impact, local opportunities

This programme will be tailored to help you understand and address issues that are specific to Milton Keynes. As you generate more income, you will be able to invest more into the people and environment of the local area.

You will also learn about local opportunities for generating income and impact. You will learn how you can access those opportunities and connect with the people that can make things happen.

How you learn

SSE’s learning programmes are very different to traditional teaching. We’re not about essays and academia, so expect to try new approaches and learn through doing.

	Social entrepreneurs and experts share their experiences, challenges, methods and insights.		Your group is a ready-made support network who will help you realise your ambitions.
	Specialist facilitators create space for people to share, collaborate and develop.		Coaching sets help you take the actions needed to overcome challenges.

Topics covered:

• Developing the link between your trading and your impact goals
• Understand and address the needs of Milton Keynes’ community
• Community level systems thinking
• Growing your enterprise skills
• Organisational resilience
• Testing and refining your marketing skills and growing your customer base
• Getting ready for social investment
• Financial resilience and sustainability
• Planning and management
• Improving your leadership skills
• Developing your networks

Where it takes place

There are twelve learning sessions in the 9-month programme, plus one-to-one mentoring. That includes four in-person learning days taking place in Milton Keynes. The rest will be delivered online.

Up to £4,000 Match Trading Grant

Your organisation will also receive a Match Trading Grant of up to £4,000. This grant is designed to challenge you to grow your trading income. Match Trading has been proven to increase trading income and boost an organisations’ resilience. To claim the full grant, you will need to show that your trading income has increased over the year.

How it works:

• You receive £800 at the start of the programme.
• When you increase your trading we increase your grant up to £4,000.
• Income is measured each quarter against the previous year.
• The grant is paid in instalments of up to £800 per quarter following the initial £800.

Examples:

• if you increase your income from trading by £3,000 then we give you £3,000.
• if you increase your income from trading by £4,000 then we give you £4,000.
• if you increase your income from trading by £5,000 then we give you £4,000.

Your grant can be used flexibly, helping you to attend the programme and to put your learning into practice by developing your trading and community business.

Some grants may be administered Voice 4 Change England.

Learn more about Match Trading here.

Ready-made network of support

Connect and grow with others like you. Share your burdens, help each other stimulate ideas and overcome challenges.

We bring people together who are at similar stages of their social enterprise journey because the support, insight and connections that can be gained from the group has proved invaluable on all the courses we have been running for the last 25+ years.

About School for Social Entrepreneurs

We can’t fix issues like poverty, climate change and ill-health alone. That’s why the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) exists. SSE helps more than 1,000 people a year develop the skills, strengths and networks they need to tackle society’s biggest problems. It runs courses that equip people to start, scale and strengthen organisations that make a positive difference. But it is not a traditional school.

Learning with SSE is inspiring, action-based and accessible. SSE supports people in other ways too, such as funding and mentoring. Lord Michael Young founded SSE in 1997, and it’s grown to support people who have gone on to benefit the lives of millions of people across the world. Together, SSE is changing lives and transforming communities.

About Trading for Good

Trading for Good is a five-year project, delivered by the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund – the largest community funder in the UK. Thanks to National Lottery players, almost £5 million has been awarded to provide funding, education and support to more than 650 social entrepreneurs and community businesses across England.

Trading for Good Milton Keynes is supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and local partners. The programme will equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to develop and grow social enterprises that are addressing the needs of local communities in Milton Keynes.

How to apply

1. Register your interest and when the application window opens we’ll send you the guidance notes and link to an application form.
2. Read the guidance notes.
3. Apply using the online application form.
4. Complete and submit your application by 12 noon on Wednesday 8th October.

If you have questions or need support please contact [email protected]

Register interest