Since 2014 we've been organising in partnership with Nova Broadcasting Group the contest for social entrepreneurs PROMYANATA (Game Changers). We have an 8 stage selection process, where employees of Nova Broadcasting Groups and Reach for Change Global, independent experts, children and the general public choose between 3 and 5 social entrepreneurs annually. They enter our Incubation program where at least for one year they receive funding, business development, media support, network and access to contacts. As part of the selection process we organise as well an Accelerator for social entrepreneurs - a three months-long free educational program which helps them improve and test their projects. In 2016 the 9 projects in our Incubator supported over 10 000 children in Bulgaria. You can learn more about them at: www.nova.bg/promyanata/
We will organise for the second time The Academy for Social Entrepreneurship together with the Business Institute. The Academy is the first of it's kind educational program in Bulgaria. It offers practical knowledge how to achieve social effect and build a sustainable financial model of your organisation at the same time. We had 58 participants and 44 experts and mentors both from the business and from the social sector in the first edition. All the participants received a scholarship discount with the support of The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and Nova Broadcasting Group, and two of the participants entered with a special scholarship which they received from us at the Sofia Municipality Innovation Hackaton. You can learn more about the Academy at www.se-academy.bg
Since 2016 we've been partnering ING Bank Bulgaria in their Social Innovation Fund. The Fund provides financial grants and business mentorship for social entrepreneurs. Our foundation assists ING with the selection of the project, them management of the funds and with trainings for the employees of the bank who become mentors of the entrepreneurs.
In 2015 and 2016 we organised a series of public events and conferences, which presented good examples for social entrepreneurship, supported by Reach for Change in Bulgaria and worldwide.
In 2017 we'll be partnering TOM (Tikkun Olam Makers) Bulgaria - a global movement of communities connecting makers, designers, developers and engineers with people with disabilities (aka - 'Need-Knowers') to develop technological solutions for everyday challenges. We'll be informing the participants about the possibilities of social entrepreneurship and providing a scholarship for a few selected projects for the Academy for Social Entrepreneurship.