insights

Learning from Ecwiti: Equitable support for innovation

Learning from Ecwiti: Equitable support for innovation

Written by

Jane Ryall

Social Entrepreneur Support Manager

We can unleash a new generation of diverse social entrepreneurs — but we must build an equitable system to support them.

At UnLtd, we’re driven by a central belief that everyone with an idea for a socially impactful business should be supported to succeed.

Equity and inclusion are central to achieving this ambition — and we’ve been on an important journey in recent years towards embedding these principles in our support to social entrepreneurs.

As we continue to experiment with different ways to tailor our support for social entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds, we’ve led a number of programmes including Ecwiti — a pilot project aimed at supporting social entrepreneurs from marginalised communities across Wales.

Ecwiti, named after the Welsh word for equity, was backed by the Welsh Government and delivered in partnership with Social Firms Wales — set up in line with recommendations in the Welsh Government’s Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan and the Transforming Wales through Social Enterprise vision and action plan, co-produced by the social enterprise sector in Wales.

The project provided funding totalling almost £120,000 to 18 social entrepreneurs across Wales from 2021 to 2023. It aimed to help those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis, whilst equipping social entrepreneurs with the support needed to tackle deep-rooted issues around poverty, disability, health and discrimination.

Amongst the 18 ‘award winners’ — social entrepreneurs who received funding and support through the project — eight were women, two identified as non-binary, seven came from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds, and seven were disabled. Almost a third of the awards were granted to individuals residing in the UK’s top 20% most deprived areas.

Ventures supported included a welcoming café and events space led by people with lived experience of homelessness, addiction, and disability to give people a place to feel at home, an organisation providing therapeutic support using outdoor spaces to men experiencing mental health problems; and one supporting neurodivergent people to access employment.

Through the programme, award winners received wrap-around business support including coaching, technical advice and workshops, peer networking opportunities and pro bono support in addition to financial support.

What we learnt

We took a range of steps to ensure social entrepreneurs from marginalised communities were able to access relevant and effective support through the Ecwiti programme.

Working with a wide range of local partners representing groups from different ethnic minorities, people living with disabilities, and those from communities with high levels of poverty, the Ecwiti programme was able to reach out to applicants who may not have otherwise come across the support.

Recognising that some applicants would require additional support to apply to put them on a level playing field, we also offered significant help to applicants from marginalised communities to prepare their applications and pitch.

Throughout the application process, social entrepreneurs from marginalised backgrounds were placed at the heart of decision making on assessment panels, and successful applicants received in-depth wrap-around support from UnLtd and Social Firms Wales.

In feedback gathered during the project, award winners reflected on the importance of a wide range of factors to reduce barriers for underrepresented social entrepreneurs, including simplifying application processes and using less jargon, offering funding for childcare costs and travel, and showcasing role models with lived experience to help build their confidence.

Award winners also told us they placed a high value on flexibility — favouring events held outside normal work hours, offering a mix of online and in-person support and allowing flexible budgets as their venture plans evolve.

Next steps

Building on lessons learnt through the delivery of the Ecwiti project, UnLtd recently launched a new project in Wales in partnership with the Social Business Wales — a consortium of social enterprise providers in Wales including Cwmpas, DTA Wales, Social Firms Wales and WCVA — and funded by the Welsh Government.

This new programme will focus on promoting the concept of social entrepreneurship in under-represented communities with local inclusion partners and will equip new social entrepreneurs with support to access the wider social enterprise ecosystem in Wales.

Important lessons are being learnt and shared in Wales’ social economy that can be applied to the UK’s other nations — including the value of equitable support to unleash innovation in communities across the entire UK.

Gallwn ryddhau cenhedlaeth newydd o entrepreneuriaid cymdeithasol amrywiol — ond mae'n rhaid i ni adeiladu system deg i'w cefnogi.

Yn UnLtd, rydym yn cael ein gyrru gan gred ganolog y dylai pawb sydd â syniad am fusnes sy'n cael effaith gymdeithasol gael eu cefnogi i lwyddo.

Mae ecwiti a chynhwysiant yn ganolog i gyflawni'r uchelgais hon — ac rydym wedi bod ar daith bwysig dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf tuag at ymgorffori'r egwyddorion hyn yn ein cefnogaeth i entrepreneuriaid cymdeithasol.

Wrth i ni barhau i arbrofi gyda gwahanol ffyrdd o deilwra ein cefnogaeth i entrepreneuriaid cymdeithasol o gefndiroedd sydd heb gynrychiolaeth ddigonol, rydym wedi arwain nifer o raglenni gan gynnwys Ecwiti — sef prosiect peilot gyda'r nod o gefnogi entrepreneuriaid cymdeithasol o gymunedau ymylol ledled Cymru.

Cafodd Ecwiti, a enwyd ar ôl y gair Cymraeg am degwch, ei gefnogi gan Lywodraeth Cymru a'i gyflwyno mewn partneriaeth â Social Firms Wales (Cwmnïau Cymdeithasol Cymru) — sefydlwyd yn unol ag argymhellion Llywodraeth Cymru yng Nghynllun Gweithredu Cymru Gwrth-Hiliol a'r weledigaeth a chynllun gweithredu Trawsnewid Cymru trwy Fentrau Cymdeithasol, a gyd-gynhyrchwyd gan y sector mentrau cymdeithasol yng Nghymru.

Darparodd y prosiect gyllid gwerth cyfanswm o bron i £120,000 i 18 o entrepreneuriaid cymdeithasol ledled Cymru rhwng 2021 a 2023. Ei nod oedd helpu'r rhai yr effeithir arnynt fwyaf gan bandemig COVID-19 a'r argyfwng costau byw, gan arfogi entrepreneuriaid cymdeithasol gyda'r cymorth sydd ei angen i fynd i'r afael â materion sydd wedi'u gwreiddio'n ddwfn ac sy’n ymwneud â thlodi, anabledd, iechyd a gwahaniaethu.

Ymhlith y 18 'enillwyr gwobrau' — entrepreneuriaid cymdeithasol a dderbyniodd gyllid a chefnogaeth drwy'r prosiect — roedd wyth ohonynt yn fenywod, dau a nodwyd fel rhai anneuaidd, saith yn dod o gefndiroedd Du, Asiaidd neu leiafrifoedd ethnig, a saith yn anabl. Rhoddwyd bron i draean o'r gwobrau i unigolion sy'n byw yn yr 20% uchaf o ardaloedd mwyaf difreintiedig y DU.

Ymhlith y mentrau a gefnogwyd roedd caffi croeso a gofod digwyddiadau dan arweiniad pobl â phrofiad byw o ddigartrefedd, caethiwed ac anabledd i roi lle i bobl deimlo'n gartrefol, sefydliad sy'n darparu cymorth therapiwtig gan ddefnyddio mannau awyr agored i ddynion sy'n profi problemau iechyd meddwl; ac un sy'n cefnogi pobl niwroamrywiol i gael gwaith.

Drwy'r rhaglen, derbyniodd enillwyr y gwobrau gefnogaeth fusnes cofleidiol gan gynnwys hyfforddiant, cyngor technegol a gweithdai, cyfleoedd rhwydweithio cymheiriaid a chefnogaeth pro bono yn ogystal â chymorth ariannol.

Yr hyn wnaethom ei ddysgu

Gwnaethom gymryd amrywiaeth o gamau i sicrhau bod entrepreneuriaid cymdeithasol o gymunedau ymylol yn gallu cael gafael ar gymorth perthnasol ac effeithiol trwy’r rhaglen Ecwiti.

Gan weithio gydag ystod eang o bartneriaid lleol yn cynrychioli grwpiau o wahanol leiafrifoedd ethnig, pobl sy'n byw ag anableddau, a'r rhai o gymunedau â lefelau uchel o dlodi, llwyddodd rhaglen Ecwiti i estyn allan at ymgeiswyr na fyddent efallai wedi dod ar draws y gefnogaeth fel arall.

Gan gydnabod y byddai angen cymorth ychwanegol ar rai ymgeiswyr i wneud cais i'w rhoi ar lefel gyfartal, fe wnaethom hefyd gynnig cymorth sylweddol i ymgeiswyr o gymunedau ymylol i baratoi eu ceisiadau a'u cyflwyniadau.

Trwy gydol y broses ymgeisio, rhoddwyd entrepreneuriaid cymdeithasol o gefndiroedd ymylol wrth wraidd gwneud penderfyniadau ar baneli asesu, a derbyniodd ymgeiswyr llwyddiannus gefnogaeth fanwl gan UnLtd a Chwmnïau Cymdeithasol Cymru.

Mewn adborth a gasglwyd yn ystod y prosiect, myfyriodd enillwyr gwobrau ar bwysigrwydd ystod eang o ffactorau i leihau rhwystrau i entrepreneuriaid cymdeithasol sydd heb gynrychiolaeth ddigonol, gan gynnwys symleiddio prosesau ymgeisio a defnyddio llai o jargon, cynnig cyllid ar gyfer costau gofal plant a theithio, ac arddangos modelau rôl sydd â phrofiad byw i helpu i fagu hyder.

Dywedodd enillwyr y gwobrau hefyd wrthym eu bod yn rhoi gwerth uchel ar hyblygrwydd — ffafrio digwyddiadau a gynhelir y tu allan i oriau gwaith arferol, gan gynnig cymysgedd o gefnogaeth ar-lein ac wyneb yn wyneb a chaniatáu cyllidebau hyblyg wrth i'w cynlluniau menter esblygu.

Camau nesaf

Gan adeiladu ar y gwersi a ddysgwyd drwy gyflawni prosiect Ecwiti, lansiodd UnLtd brosiect newydd yng Nghymru yn ddiweddar mewn partneriaeth â Busnes Cymdeithasol Cymru — consortiwm o ddarparwyr mentrau cymdeithasol yng Nghymru gan gynnwys Cwmpas, DTA Cymru, Cwmnïau Cymdeithasol Cymru a WCVA — a ariannwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru.

Bydd y rhaglen newydd hon yn canolbwyntio ar hyrwyddo'r cysyniad o entrepreneuriaeth gymdeithasol mewn cymunedau sydd heb gynrychiolaeth ddigonol â phartneriaid cynhwysiant lleol a bydd yn rhoi cymorth i entrepreneuriaid cymdeithasol newydd gael mynediad at ecosystem mentrau cymdeithasol ehangach yng Nghymru.

Mae gwersi pwysig yn cael eu dysgu a'u rhannu yn economi gymdeithasol Cymru y gellir eu cymhwyso i genhedloedd eraill y DU — gan gynnwys gwerth cymorth teg i ryddhau arloesedd mewn cymunedau ledled y DU gyfan.