Social Enterprise Development
Social Enterprise Portfolio makes 8 strategic investments in 2012
In 2012, Vancity Community Foundation and Vancity Credit Union approved Social Enterprise Portfolio grants for eight deserving social enterprises in our community. The Portfolio Program Committee selected the recipients based on the strength of their business plan and impact potential. We work closely with these groups as they continue to develop their social enterprises and deliver high social and environmental impacts to our communities.
EMBERS Green Renovations provides energy efficient solutions and home renovations to a variety of clients, including homeowners, retail, and commercial customers. The company, given its green expertise, has a unique opportunity to become a market leader and help the city of Vancouver minimize its environmental footprint, creating a number of new jobs in the process. This grant will help strengthen the organization's capacity to manage an increasing number of projects, certify and train staff in best practices, and expand existing sales and marketing efforts.
Street Youth Job Action (SYJA) and Directions Youth Services Centre (Family Services of Greater Vancouver) are launching a new social enterprise -- a mobile steam car washing service at corporate parking lots and for car sharing companies. Steam car washing is a unique technology, as it uses a fraction of the water required for other car washes and no harsh products. Profits from this social enterprise will be used to support SYJA's pre-employment and skill development program for homeless and at-risk youth. This grant will support the pilot phase of the mobile steam car washing business.
Museum of Vancouver (MOV) holds a mirror to the city and leads provocative conversations about its past, present, and future. MOV plays multiple roles in fulfilling this mission, as an educator, collaborator, community gathering space, curator, and conserver of Vancouver's history. MOV will use this grant to support revenue expansion plans, including a focus on their rental facilities and a new retail revenue stream.
JustRenos is a Vancouver-based painting and renovations services company that offers professional services with added value at competitive rates. Central to their services is the social value of providing work opportunities to people with some kind of mental disability or working barrier. Just Renos is a growing social enterprise with much promise for scaling to a point where significant employment and financially sustainability. This grant will provide additional management to foster and manage the growth.
MP Maintenance is a property maintenance business offering a range of services to residential and commercial property owners and managers. Through this social enterprise Mission Possible offers people challenged by homelessness and poverty a renewed sense of dignity and purpose through meaningful work. MP Maintenance will use these funds to build out its management team, allowing them to focus on sales, customer relations, and operations.
Green Challenge Waste Management (GCWM) is a high growth, high social impact enterprise that provides specialized, sustainable waste management services and delivers social and environmental outcomes in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) and communities across Metro Vancouver. GCWM aims to provide flexible employment and social support for marginalized persons, working with other social enterprises to help clean up the DTES, while reinvesting items of value back into the community. GCWM secured funds to assist with its growth strategy.
The Community Carbon Marketplace (CCM) is a community-based carbon exchange initiative to enable local governments, businesses and individuals to meet carbon-neutral objectives by purchasing carbon offsets from community-based projects that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and build community resilience. By directing offsetting dollars back to the communities where they originate and monetizing locally-generated carbon credits, the CCM will create additional value for GHG reducing initiatives and create a multiplier effect that supports ongoing growth of the local low-carbon economy into the future. This grant will support the geographic expansion of CCM.
Previous SE grant recipients
EMBERS Green Renovations provides energy efficient solutions and home renovations to a variety of clients, including homeowners, retail, and commercial customers. The company, given its green expertise, has a unique opportunity to become a market leader and help the city of Vancouver minimize its environmental footprint, creating a number of new jobs in the process. This grant will help strengthen the organization's capacity to manage an increasing number of projects, certify and train staff in best practices, and expand existing sales and marketing efforts.
Street Youth Job Action (SYJA) and Directions Youth Services Centre (Family Services of Greater Vancouver) are launching a new social enterprise -- a mobile steam car washing service at corporate parking lots and for car sharing companies. Steam car washing is a unique technology, as it uses a fraction of the water required for other car washes and no harsh products. Profits from this social enterprise will be used to support SYJA's pre-employment and skill development program for homeless and at-risk youth. This grant will support the pilot phase of the mobile steam car washing business.
Museum of Vancouver (MOV) holds a mirror to the city and leads provocative conversations about its past, present, and future. MOV plays multiple roles in fulfilling this mission, as an educator, collaborator, community gathering space, curator, and conserver of Vancouver's history. MOV will use this grant to support revenue expansion plans, including a focus on their rental facilities and a new retail revenue stream.
JustRenos is a Vancouver-based painting and renovations services company that offers professional services with added value at competitive rates. Central to their services is the social value of providing work opportunities to people with some kind of mental disability or working barrier. Just Renos is a growing social enterprise with much promise for scaling to a point where significant employment and financially sustainability. This grant will provide additional management to foster and manage the growth.
MP Maintenance is a property maintenance business offering a range of services to residential and commercial property owners and managers. Through this social enterprise Mission Possible offers people challenged by homelessness and poverty a renewed sense of dignity and purpose through meaningful work. MP Maintenance will use these funds to build out its management team, allowing them to focus on sales, customer relations, and operations.
Green Challenge Waste Management (GCWM) is a high growth, high social impact enterprise that provides specialized, sustainable waste management services and delivers social and environmental outcomes in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) and communities across Metro Vancouver. GCWM aims to provide flexible employment and social support for marginalized persons, working with other social enterprises to help clean up the DTES, while reinvesting items of value back into the community. GCWM secured funds to assist with its growth strategy.
The Community Carbon Marketplace (CCM) is a community-based carbon exchange initiative to enable local governments, businesses and individuals to meet carbon-neutral objectives by purchasing carbon offsets from community-based projects that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and build community resilience. By directing offsetting dollars back to the communities where they originate and monetizing locally-generated carbon credits, the CCM will create additional value for GHG reducing initiatives and create a multiplier effect that supports ongoing growth of the local low-carbon economy into the future. This grant will support the geographic expansion of CCM.
Previous SE grant recipients