NFPs will be able to get the help they need with a newly launched grant fund.

Sage, a cloud accounting software, has launched Sage Foundation’s Enterprise Fund. The new $1 million fund is open to non-profits with enterprising ideas to help improve the lives of military veterans, young people or women and girls.

Every day, across Australia, inspiring non-profit leaders, volunteers and their supporters are working tirelessly to make their communities better places to live. Sage Foundation’s Enterprise Fund has been designed to support those organisations.

The $1 million will be split between two rounds of US$500,000; with the second round ready for release in July 2017. Applications for the first round are open until April 5; grants between US$5,000 and US$35,000 will then be awarded to successful applicants.

Sage Foundation is especially keen to support organisations that are currently small but have ambitions to expand, grow and deliver sustainable change. It is also hoped that the fund will support traditionally hard to fundraise needs such as; capital projects, core running costs or new ideas.

“Support groups for domestic abuse, coding youth clubs or back to work programmes for military veterans survive and thrive thanks to the dedication of staff and volunteers. But they also need funding to take action. That is why we have set up Sage Foundation’s Enterprise Fund, awarding grants up to US$35,000 to support vital local projects”, said Rebecca Harris, Regional Manager (ANZ, Asia, Middle East & Brazil), Sage Foundation.

“I’ve seen small charities with really exceptional, original ideas on the brink of delivering real change. Too often, all that is stopping them is access to funds to make an enterprising solution turn into reality. That’s what we are committed to, supporting smaller charities with big ideas.”

Sage Foundation’s Enterprise Fund was original announced at Sage Summit in Chicago in July 2016, part of a series of new initiatives to mobilise Sage colleagues, partners and customers around a common vision for change.  As part of 2017’s new Sage Summit Tour, Sage Foundation will be working with Sage’s brilliant network of business builders, to take action together.

Sage Foundation will be playing a role at the upcoming Sage Summit conference in Melbourne (March 2-3) where three entrepreneurial charities will take part in the Big Give. Each charity will ‘pitch’ to keynote attendees, whose votes will then determine which organisation gets the largest slice of an AUD$15,000 funding pool.

Sage Foundation is powered by the ‘2+2+2’ model. Through this, Sage Foundation donates: 2 per cent of employee time each year (5 volunteer days), 2 per cent of free cash flow in grants and 2 donated software licenses to eligible partners.