Social enterprises often have a difficult journey before they become successful and sustainable. It is difficult to achieve financial objectives with social objectives and it is sometimes a long journey before a social enterprise can rely on commercial contracts or commercially viable products. Many social enterprises, charities, associations are able to survive by successfully bidding or tendering for external funds, in turn often provided by larger charities, associations, national or local government or the EU.

A successful bid or tender can be a lifeline, it can provide you with the funds you need to achieve your objectives and to be innovative. Often your funding depends on supporting a larger organisation to meet their targets and objectives. Indeed, multi-player and multi-stakeholder projects will not always result in profit, but ‘capital’ can be measured in different ways such as personal and business development, social capital or foresight enabling (or innovation), for example.