The School of Business and Management is very proud to have received a £55,000 grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, to support the promotion of the first student led social venture fund project.
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation provides funding towards work in support of their three main aims:
The funding has been granted to build a fairer future and meet two main goals. Firstly, the grant will aid the empowerment of young people - specifically, it will create opportunities for civic engagement through the Social Venture Fund project. Secondly, the grant will help to remove barriers to careers. Once students have finished working on the project, they will have greater access to business careers, where they would otherwise miss out or face significant barriers. By providing this funding, the foundation is contributing towards a new, inclusive generation of leaders.
What is the Queen Mary Social Venture Fund (QMSVF)?
The student led social impact venture fund focuses on 'start-ups for good'. The fund empowers students and recent graduate entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society today, such as reducing carbon emissions, sustainably managing waste, and promoting diversity and inclusion in education.
Built by students and investing in student-led social enterprises, this fund is the first such fund in the UK. It offers students opportunities to develop their entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, with support from industry mentors and faculty members. Find out more about the QM Social Venture Fund.
Director of QMSVF and Deputy Director of Education at Queen Mary School of Business and Management, Dr Joanne Zhang said: “We are thrilled to receive the grant and looking forward to working with Esmée Fairbairn. The grant will be used to develop the programme further and recruit students from backgrounds that may not have given them access to such opportunities before.”
Apply for the next round of QMSVF funding competition to receive £15,000 investment on 31st March, deadline 26th February 2022, 4pm.