Image: Clothing the Gaps
Social enterprise in Australia
Social enterprise is business at its best. They combine the head of business with the heart of charity and deliver the impact of both. There are over 12,000 social enterprises in Australia and they prove that doing good and doing business are not mutually exclusive.
Social enterprises must do three things:
- Have a defined primary social, cultural or environmental purpose consistent with a public or community benefit, and
- Derive a substantial portion of their income from trade, and
- Invest efforts and resources into their purpose such that public/community benefit outweighs private benefit.
Social Traders is the national certifier of social enterprises. Our certification framework is world-leading in its depth and adaptability. In Australia, we have 650+ certified social enterprises and this community is growing.
Want to get certified? Learn more about the process and see if you could be a social enterprise with our quick-check tool.
Interactive sector dashboard
Learn about the size, location and impact of social enterprises across Australia with our Social Enterprise Identifier. This interactive tool is updated daily, collating data from some of the nation's largest datasets on social enterprise, including Social Traders own certification process.
Image: Trade Mutt
Collaborating and innovating for a thriving sector
We work collaboratively to foster a deeper understanding of social enterprises operating across Australia to drive informed decision making for a thriving sector.
We hope the data we collect and share openly will empower policymakers, researchers, investors, philanthropists, intermediaries and the public to better understand and support the vital contributions of social enterprises.
We invite partners, peak bodies, government, philanthropy, intermediaries and data holders to join us in this ongoing initiative, publishing insights that will help drive the growth and development of the sector. Let’s work together to build a more inclusive, sustainable and equitable future for all Australians.