What is the SECBP?

The Social Enterprise Capacity Building Programme (SECBP) is funded by the Scottish Government to build social enterprise capacity in the ethnic minority voluntary/ third sector.

Since 2006, CEMVO Scotland has worked with over 40 ethnic minority voluntary/ third organisations to help them develop social enterprise initiatives and secure over £1.5 million worth of funding and business premises, and to access mainstream social enterprise support.

What is the aim of the SECBP?

The SECBP works with Scotland’s ethnic minority voluntary/ third sector organisations to make the most out of their existing skills and develop new knowledge so that they can build their own income streams through social enterprising initiatives.  This makes organisations less dependent on grant funding, makes it easier to plan services for the future, and increase the confidence, skills and employment chances of volunteers and service users.
Together, the Social Enterprise Capacity Building Programme and Capacity Building Programme form the Capacity Building Team and the Capacity Building Officers (CBO) on both programmes work closely together to provide support that does not only take into account the changing landscape of the voluntary/ third sector, but also the potential and aspirations of ethnic minority voluntary/ third sector organisations in Scotland.

Who is the SECBP for?

It is for ethnic minority voluntary/ third organisations and social enterprises operating in Scotland for the benefit of Scotland’s communities.

How does it work?

Social enterprises trade in goods or services for a social, community or environmental purpose.  Any surplus income is invested back into the organisation or the community. This “more-than-profit” approach generates skills, jobs and income for organisations whilst achieving social impact.
The kind of support that organisations need varies enormously and they can take different routes to become social enterprises. Working with a designated Social Enterprise CBO over a sustained period of time, participating organisations benefit from an assessment of their social enterprise capacity and aspirations, followed by tailored support to meet their specific requirements.

The SECBP focuses on the following areas:

• Funding support and securing grants and loans for development
• Social enterprise models including co-operatives and community interest companies
• Business planning and feasibility studies
• Marketing and promotion
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Accounting for small businesses
• VAT, HMRC and OSCR advice and guidance
• Procurement, tenders and sales opportunities
• Accessing support from mainstream service providers

How much does it cost?

It is free of charge to all participating ethnic minority voluntary/third sector organisations and social enterprises in Scotland.

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