Trading for Impact: National Social Enterprise Policy (2024-27), Ireland
SOCIAL
Trading for Impact: National Social Enterprise Policy (2024–27), launched in July 2024 by the Ministry for Rural and Community Development, is the latest in a series of policies aimed at supporting and developing social enterprises in Ireland. Building on the previous National Social Enterprise Policy (2019–22), this Policy was the first Irish government initiative aimed at developing the potential of social enterprises. The main objectives of the second Policy are to foster and support social enterprises to enhance the social, environmental, and economic well-being of Irish communities., in particular: (1) building awareness of social enterprise; (2) growing and sustaining social enterprise; (3) supporting the green transition; (4) national and international engagement; and (5) impact measurement. A total of 57 concrete actions have been defined to achieve these objectives, to be implemented between 2024 and 2027.
The Policy demonstrates the government's commitment to supporting the social enterprise sector and identifying a role for it to contribute to social inclusion, environmental sustainability, job creation, and the overall well-being of the Irish community. It aims to address the challenges faced by the approximately 4 300 active social enterprises in Ireland, which employ 3% of the population and generate a combined income of EUR 2.34 billion.
The Policy's five key pillars set out several activities, including launching a nationwide awareness campaign complemented by an annual Social Enterprise Conference and Social Enterprise Awards event. The policy also includes a regular Social Enterprise Census, which aims to measure social impact. A Social Enterprise Social Finance Working Group will be established to identify and address finance gaps for social enterprises. Additionally, this policy will coordinate all governmental efforts on social enterprises at local, regional and national levels.
At the time of preparing the case study (2025), the annual monitoring reports on the National Social Enterprise Policy were unavailable, which made it impossible to assess the policy's impact.
Government of Ireland. (2024). Trading for Impact: National Social Enterprise Policy 2024-2027. Retrieved from https://dublinsouthcitypartnership.ie/enterprise-and-social-enterprise/social-enterprise/national-social-enterprise-policy-for-ireland-2024/#flipbook-df_22807/1/