The Entrepreneurship Impact Fund – Strand 2: Youth Entrepreneurship Incubators 2025
This Fund is now closed for applications
What is the The Entrepreneurship Impact Fund – Strand 2: Youth Entrepreneurship Incubators 2025/2026
Fund Overview
The Entrepreneurship Impact Fund 2023-2026 is a three-year fund, through the support of a private donor, which aims to have impact across three strands:
- Strand 1: The Social Innovation Growth and Scaling Fund (awarded)
- Strand 2: Youth Entrepreneurship Incubators
- Strand 3: The Minority Entrepreneurship Fund
Strand 2 supports up to two organisations over two years to run new or existing youth entrepreneurship incubators, supporting young people aged 16-25 to bring their social or environmental business ideas or social enterprise from concept to reality. Cash grants of up to €150,000* annually per organisation over the two year period will be awarded. 25% of the total value of each award should be made in the form of a seed fund cash grant between €5,000 and €10,000 to participating young entrepreneurs.
* The Rethink Ireland Board will decide how much money to award, which may be less than the amount requested. The final amount of the award will depend on how many organisations are selected.
This fund is now closed for applications
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT DOES THE FUND OFFER
- Cash grants of up to €150,000* per year for two years will be awarded. 25% of the total value of cash grants awarded should go towards seed fund awards of €5,000 to €10,000 for incubator participants to support the launch of their enterprises
- Capacity Building Supports delivered in the form of bespoke business and one-to-one consultancy supports delivered by experts consultants and designed in consultation with the successful projects/organisations on topics such as scaling, financial sustainability, investment readiness, organisational resilience, and impact measurement.
- Access to Rethink Ireland’s networks
* The Rethink Ireland Board will decide how much money to award, which may be less than the amount requested. The final amount of the award will depend on how many organisations are selected.
What can cash grants be spent on?
The cash grant must be spent on the project that won the award and must be ring-fenced for work you are undertaking. The specific use of the cash grant will be agreed between Rethink Ireland and the Awardee.
The funding may be used to cover operations/staff costs but you must be able to demonstrate in your application how this is facilitating you to run the project that you are applying for. Cash grants may not be used to pay off debts or for capital items such as renovations, or for vehicles, land, buildings or large equipment.
What is expected of Awardees?
Project leads will be expected to spend a minimum of two days per week working on the awarded project and working towards agreed goals. This can be discussed as part of the contracting process.
