Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship (ACRE)

Who we are

ACRE'S mission:
ACRE is a globally recognised social enterprise that exists to drive the renewal of Australia' s rural communities so that future generations may thrive. Our ambitions are to:

• Develop the entrepreneurial mindset, skills and behaviours in every young person across rural Australia by 2035, to reverse rural decline; and
• Equip every rural community who seeks it, with the knowledge, know-how and networks to lead and achieve a community-led future that is agile,resilient, inclusive and enterprising.

ACRE'S values:

• Be the change: We embrace our entrepreneurial spirit and take risks to achieve meaningful change.
• Connected to place: We' re proudly rural, humbly learning from First Nations ways of caring for people and place.
• Boots on: We walk alongside communities in an authentic and grounded way.
• It's a long game: We are unwavering in our pursuit of generational change, requiring tenacity and perseverance.
• Relationships matter: We take care of our people and partners, our greatest assets.

ACRE'S key team members:
Our founders and leaders are experienced entrepreneurs who understand the challenges facing rural Australia and see the potential social enterprise presents for improved rural prosperity. ACRE's co-founder and CEO is Matt Pfahlert, and the chair of ACRE's board is Lachlan Baird. Full details of the ACRE team are available here.

What we do

As an intermediary, ACRE provides capability-building learning and development programs, along with expert advice and support to individuals, enterprises, communities, and governments. Our focus is on fostering new cultures of social entrepreneurship, community led revitalisation, and community asset ownership. We take a systems and partnerships approach that builds the capacity of local people to drive community-led rejuvenation.

Essential pillars for change
Five Essential Pillars for Change, developed from findings gathered in over 100 rural communities worldwide during a 2013 Churchill Fellowship, guide our work at ACRE.

• Entrepreneurship to drive social change.
• Experiential learning, starting young and leveraging the world’s best social enterprise content.
• Building a community culture and ecosystem (not just programs) that are self-sustaining.
• Utilising community asset ownership to galvanise action.
• Cross-sector collaboration to drive place-based change.

Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem
ACRE takes a whole of community approach to building an entrepreneurial ecosystem, working across three layers;

• Building enterprise capabilities in the next generation.
• Developing current and emerging local leadership and talent.
• Accelerating a new culture of rural entrepreneurship.

Acre's products and services
As a social enterprise, ACRE trades to pursue its impact mission, offering:

• Learning and development programs
• • Understanding Social Enterprise workshop
  • Social Enterprise Schools program
  • Facilitator training
  • Community Asset Ownership workshop

• Incubators and accelerators
• • Rejuvenate (rural community-led initiatives)
  • Breakout (rural innovators)

• Consulting and project management
• • Rural Social Enterprise Development Service
  • Community Asset Ownership Consulting
  • Custom projects