Wells Gibson are the second sponsor for cohort 4 of The Circle Academy

April 15, 2021April 15, 2021Leave a comment

Dundee-based financial planning firm, Wells Gibson, have been announced as a second sponsor of social entrepreneurship training programme, The Circle Academy. This donation will be used towards the costs of the next cohort of candidates on the programme.

The Circle Academy is our practical education and training programme for those interested in running an organisation which has a positive social impact and has a financially sustainable business model, an approach we refer to as ‘More Than Profit’. The Academy is focused on developing skills and knowledge in mindset, business planning, legal structures, governance, finance, marketing, sales and selling, teams and culture, social impact, funding and pitching.

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£80,000 has been distributed in Dundee through the Resilient Communities programme

April 8, 2021April 8, 2021Leave a comment

A total of £80,000 has been distributed to Dundee social entrepreneurs over the past four years through a strategic partnership between The Circle and national funding body, UnLtd. This funding was awarded through UnLtd’s Resilient Communities programme, a project which aimed to support and work with social entrepreneurs to build resilient and enterprising communities in areas throughout the UK.

Through the People’s Postcode Lottery, grants have been awarded in South Wales Valleys, North Staffordshire, Brighton and Dundee. Grants were also awarded in 19 other areas of the UK through Local Trust.

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Funding from Mathew Trust to allow seven individuals to join The Circle Academy

February 24, 2021March 10, 20212 Comments

This year we were delighted to receive funding from The Mathew Trust which will allow us to provide seven individuals to participate in the next intake of The Circle Academy. Through this funding there are four free spaces on the Full Circle package and three on the Semi Circle package.

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Pitch Perfect: The Circle Academy celebrates 2020’s participating Social Entrepreneurs

December 21, 2020Leave a comment

Cohort 3 of The Circle Academy commenced on the 17th of September 2020 after 6 months of what can only be described as COVID-related chaos. It was an immense victory for us to be able to pilot the first ever fully digital Academy programme, with a brand new Academy Manager, a purpose built online learning platform and eight existing or aspiring social business leaders along for the ride.

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Hear about emerging Dundee projects at our virtual pitch event

December 1, 2020Leave a comment

We are inviting Dundee residents to find out about new projects that will benefit their community in an online pitch event. Local social entrepreneurs will be pitching for up to £5,000 to go towards start up costs for their ventures at the Resilient Communities Do It Award pitch event on Monday 7^th December at 1pm.

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Cohort 3 of The Circle Academy is underway with our new online platform

October 7, 2020Leave a comment

We recently launched the third cohort of our training programme which is now being delivered through an online platform. On Thursday 17^th September a new set of 10 candidates were welcomed onto The Circle Academy which is aimed at individuals who want to create positive social or environmental change in a sustainable and financially viable way.

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What Is The Semi Circle?

September 5, 2020March 15, 2021Leave a comment

The Semi Circle is a programme we have launched under The Circle Academy. 2020 has seen huge changes to the way we do things and brought our plans for a digital version of our in-person Academy programme right to the forefront. We’ve created a specialised digital learning platform to host our programme and populated it with new and improved content.

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You’ve heard of Social Enterprise but what does ‘More Than Profit’ mean?

September 2, 2020September 7, 20204 Comments

From pay it forward schemes to eco friendly products, to cafes that employ individuals with additional needs, chances are you’ve know of a social enterprise or interacted with one in some way.

It was around 10 years ago that Toms, the shoe brand, hit high streets with their promise to give a pair of shoes for each one that was purchased. and it was the first time in my memory at least that a big brand had social impact built into their business model.

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Applications open for the next cohort of The Circle Academy

August 24, 2020Leave a comment

The Circle Academy is an intensive learning programme that provides a mixture of expert led sessions, exclusive online content including The Academy Manual, one to one practical learning and expert consultancy time to help you deliver a well researched and credible business plan, cash flow and marketing plan worthy of investment.

Over 12 weeks, it covers 12 key elements of running a More Than Profit business including entrepreneurial mindset, business planning, legal structure, governance, finance, marketing, sales and selling, teams and culture, social impact, funding and pitching.

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Start up funding for social entrepreneurs in Dundee

August 19, 2020August 19, 2020Leave a comment

Social entrepreneurs are being invited to pitch for a share of a £20,000 funding pot towards start-up costs for their ventures. The Circle and funding body, UnLtd, are inviting people starting up organisations or projects which will benefit the Dundee community to make a pitch about their venture to a panel of judges. Following the pitches, successful entrants will be awarded up to £5,000 to cover some of their start-up costs.

Those who are interested in this opportunity should register their interest by contacting eileeninglis@unltd.org.uk or by completing an application here: https://www.unltd.org.uk/our-work/our-focus-areas/resilient-communities

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