Ottawa Social Value Fund a newly launched National Social Value Fund location is accepting applications. The deadline to apply is March 20!
What is it?
The Ottawa Social Value fund is an opportunity for Carleton students in any faculty (who have 2 years remaining of their degrees) to collaborate with other students to raise funds and invest in Social enterprises within the Ottawa community.
What is a social enterprise? “Social enterprises are social mission-driven organizations which apply market-based strategies to achieve a social purpose. The movement includes both non-profits that use business models to pursue their mission and for-profits whose primary purposes are social. Their aim is to accomplish targets that are social and/or environmental as well as financial: is often referred to as the triple bottom line. Many commercial businesses would consider themselves to have social objectives, but social enterprises are distinctive because their social or environmental purpose remains central to their operation.” – The Canadian Social Entrepreneurship Foundation (CSEF)
The fund is a cross-faculty opportunity for Carleton students in any faculty (who have 2 years remaining of their degrees) to collaborate with other students, community partners and advisors to raise funds and invest in Social enterprises within the Ottawa community. Social enterprises and Social purpose organizations whose values of equity via social innovation are at the core of the business, not the periphery. Where social/environmental impact and business work in tandem to create sustained changes in the communities that need it the most. The goal is to invest in community organizations/social enterprises that don’t qualify for traditional loans and investment funding. They require funding support to continue making a deep impact for underrepresented communities.
Students would be building the social value fund: deal sourcing (finding social enterprises to invest in), building community partnerships–investment advisors and investment committee members who guide the investing process (impact investing professionals), fundraising, while also being trained in impact investing and impact measurement frameworks. The Ottawa Social Value Fund is in the community capacity-building phase. Students would be raising funds through community investors: businesses, high-net-worth individuals, co-investing with foundations and other funders (other social funds have raised funds from Desjardin for example and United Way). They would also be sourcing social enterprises to invest in. Ideal investments would have a business model that has gained market traction, proven social and environmental impact and a financially viable track record for the investment to be successfully distributed. Previous investments have been in the form of loans, seed equity and convertible notes.
The program is 2 years, targeted to first- or second-year students who can progress through from analyst to fund manager.
The goal is to invest in community organizations/social enterprises that don’t qualify for traditional loans and investment funding. They require funding support to continue making a deep impact social and climate change impact in the Ottawa community.
Students receive training and support at every stage of the process, from learning about impact investing, accounting fundamentals, to social and environmental impact measurement frameworks. Under the guidance of the National Social Value Fund which has successfully launched 6 other locations in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Kingston, London and Montreal.
Ottawa Social Value fund members will also have access to summer internships with impact funds, social enterprises, accelerators within the Canadian impact ecosystem.
The deadline to apply is March 20.
Social Value Fund Associate Program
Registration link: http://nsvf.ca/associates2022/
Watch the Associate Program Info Session recording:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlggwgH6hWU
Who is the program for?
For students with 2 years left of their degree in any faculty who are interested in a career and making a difference within the social impact space. Entrepreneurial, team-orientated and able to take self-initiative in your own learning and personal growth to build and grow the Ottawa Social Value fund.
What are past investments in the National Social Value Fund portfolio?
Here is a link of previous investments at the first and most established fund, Vancouver Social Value Fund:
https://nsvf.ca/locations/vancouver/
At the bottom of the page are the
https://nsvf.ca/2021/06/vsvf-invests-in-eastvanroasters/
https://nsvf.ca/2021/04/behind-the-deal-save-da-sea-foods/
https://www.verygoodbutchers.com/
Connect: