National Social Enterprise Policy for Ireland 2019-2022

Social enterprises are businesses whose core objective is to achieve a social, societal or environmental impact. Like other businesses, social enterprises trade in goods or services on an ongoing basis. However, any surpluses generated by social enterprises are re-invested into achieving a social impact, rather than maximising profit for their owners. They work to support disadvantaged groups, or to address wider societal issues such as food poverty, social housing, or environmental matters. In doing, they contribute to the achievement of Government policy goals in many areas. Social enterprise is also gaining recognition as a component of the overall entrepreneurship ecosystem, as reflected in the Government’s Future Jobs Ireland strategy.