The School for Social Entrepreneurs receives staggering £2.55m funding from the lottery

The Big Lottery Fund has renewed its funding for social entrepreneurs with a £2.55m grant, supported by School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE).

It extends Big Lottery Fund’s commitment to the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme, partnering with School for Social Entrepreneurs, which launched in 2012.

It is said to support 2,600 social entrepreneurs in total by 2022, with the first five years of the programme having already supported 1,300 who are said to gain around 1.1m beneficiaries.

The CEO of School for Social Entrepreneurs, Alastair Wilson, said: “The renewal of our partnership with Big Lottery Fund means School for Social Entrepreneurs can deliver our mission to support the learning and growth of social entrepreneurs.

“This grant-funding will directly benefit 1,300 people who are creating tangible social and environmental impact across the UK.”

With the programme, students also attend a year-long SSE learning programme to help them start up, grow or scale their organisation and receive mentoring from a Lloyds Banking Group employee.

This announcement has followed SSE’s 20th anniversary in July 2017, when it celebrated supporting more than 1,000 leaders of social change every year through its learning programmes across 11 schools.

James Harcourt, Big Lottery Fund’s grant making director, also commented: “Thanks to National Lottery players we have been able to continue our support for the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme.

“Collaborations like this allow us to maximise the impact of our funding, and the entrepreneurial aspect of the programme aligns with our commitment to putting people in the lead and having a positive impact in communities across England.”