Group of people gathered around in an industrial style room at a table

Photo credits: Homie

Guide to the Australian social enterprise sector

A starting point for understanding the areas of activity, types of actors, and their role in the sector in driving positive change.

Add your organisation to the sector guide. This will help others find and connect with your organisation.

Social enterprise

A social enterprise is a business that puts people and planet first. They trade like any other business but exist specifically to make the world a better place. While they work across industries and have different legal structures, they all:

Exist to solve a social or environmental problem.
Prioritise people, planet, and their purpose over profit in operational decisions.
Have a self-sustaining revenue model.
Reinvest most of any surplus in their purpose.
Choose legal structures and financing that protect and lock in purpose long-term.

Together, they contribute to the Social Enterprise National Strategy, a shared roadmap owned and delivered by Australia's social enterprise ecosystem and coordinated by Social Enterprise Australia.

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