Social Impact Awards partner with TAKEOFF
The second edition of the Social Impact Awards will be taking place again this November. This initiative aims to bring the private and not-for-profit sectors together to offer opportunities for financial and non-financial support to assist in the development and success of enterprises that will have a positive, social impact on Malta.
From an overwhelming number of applications received back in June, fifteen projects have been shortlisted to better develop the necessary skills through mentoring and support for their proposals, in preparation for the judged pitching event to be held in November. The winners will be awarded both monetary and nonmonetary grants.
This innovative action aims to offer better opportunities for social purpose organisations and their projects and help enhance the development of a platform for new public-spirited initiatives. The awards will recognize notfor-profit organisations and individuals who have submitted trailblazing, social projects with the potential of solving or supporting some community based issues for Malta.
This year, TAKEOFF at the Enterprise Campus, University of Malta, is partnering with the Social Impact Awards and will be working with all of the shortlisted candidates over a three month period, to give guidance on what TAKEOFF, in association with the academic arm CEBI (Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation), do best: help ensure enterprise growth by instilling the fundamental requirements necessary for sustainable venture. Ensuring continued project sustainability, even after the first tranches of funding expire, is the only way to safeguard long-term social impact and effectiveness for the proposed projects. The fifteen projects will receive non-financial support through intensive mentoring services to be conducted at the TAKEOFF business incubator sited at the University of Malta. TAKEOFF is Malta’s first technology business incubator based within CEBI at the Enterprise Campus, University of Malta. TAKEOFF is specifically modelled to help incubatees create successful businesses, through its Start-Up, Accelerator and Catapult programmes.
The Social Impact Awards are jointly organised by the Gasan Foundation and the Inspirasia Foundation and are the outcome of a collaboration between Maltese businesses and company foundations which have collectively raised €80,000 which will be donated as grants to the best and most effective submissions. The projects cover a wide range of social issues focusing on education, health, environment, social inclusion and other areas.
“This is the second year the awards are being held and we are excited that the amount of funds to be disbursed have doubled to €80,000, and finalists will be paired up with mentors from TAKEOFF at the Enterprise Campus, University of Malta, the Academy for Chief Executives – Malta and PwC” – Louisa Attard, assistant director, Inspirasia Foundation. For more information contact Louisa on info@siamalta.org or www.siamalta.org