The ASEAN Foundation, with support from GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and SAP, launches the ASEAN Social Enterprises Development Programme (ASEAN-SEDP) to offer an opportunity for social enterprises to grow and achieve sustainability by providing them with access to capacity building, mentorship, networking, funding grants and wider market across ASEAN.

ASEAN SEDP, with the theme of “Social Innovations for the Sustainable ASEAN Community,” supports social enterprises throughout the ASEAN region in their journey to harness innovation and creativity to establish the social impact that would contribute to the sustainable development agenda. The ASEAN Foundation, with the support of GIZ and SAP are inviting social enterprises from the ten ASEAN Member States with innovative projects that touch upon on the following issues to apply for the ASEAN SEDP:

1. Reducing poverty or improving the livelihood of ASEAN citizens through job creation, employment-related capacity building initiatives, sustainable agricultural practices and/or access to financial resources –SDG 1: No Poverty – Target 1.4.
2. Providing access to better health cares for ASEAN citizens, particularly disadvantaged communities –SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being – Targets 3.1., 3.2., 3.4., or 3.7.
3. Providing or improving access to quality education/capacity development programmes for ASEAN citizens, particularly disadvantaged communities (marginalised groups, women, people living in slum or rural areas, people with disability, etc.) –SDG 4: Quality Education – Targets 4.4., 4.5., or 4.7.
4. Addressing issues on gender equality in the ASEAN region –SDG 5: Gender Equality – Targets 5.6., 5.a., or 5.b.
5. Addressing environmental issues related to irresponsible exploration of the nature –SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – Targets 12.2., 12.4., 12.5., or 12.8.
6. Undertaking necessary actions to tackle climate change and its impacts –SDG 13: Climate Action – Targets 13.1. or 13.3.

ASEAN Social Enterprise Development Programme (ASEAN SEDP) has the following objectives:

1. To sustain youth entrepreneurship through structured capacity building and mentoring programmes; 
2. To empower youth-led social enterprises across the ASEAN region through (1). Promoting productivity, technology and Innovation; (2). Increasing access to finance; (3). Enhancing market access and internationalisation; and (4). Promoting entrepreneurship and human capital development;
3. To achieve SDG 1 – No Poverty, SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-Being, SDG 4 – Quality Education, SDG 5 – Gender Equality, SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 13 – Climate Action through social enterprises empowerment with specified targets detailed in the challenges Section

Process & Timeline 

Stage 1 – Call for Applications (February – May 2021)

Social enterprises express their interest and nominate their team to join the Programme through the Call for Applications.

Stage 2 – Shortlisting (June 2021)

The ASEAN Foundation team will contact the shortlisted applicants and schedule an interview.

Stage 3 – Interview and Assessment (June 2021)

All applying social enterprises will be evaluated and selected based on a set of assessment criteria. See Assessment Criteria for detail. The programme will be targeting a total of 20 selected social enterprises from ten ASEAN Countries, two for each country. Selection process will involve panellists from varied stakeholders.

Stage 4 – Capacity Building and Mentorship (July – October 2021)

In this stage,  a Regional Capacity Building and Mentorship will be conducted.

Benefits of the Programme

Comprehensive Capacity Building

Mentorship

Access the marketplaces

Access to Finance through Seed Grants

Opportunities & Visibility

“The youth community has been playing an important role in boosting ASEAN’s economy over the last 20 years. Involving the youth in economic activities in the region offers a massive potential. We believe that this pilot programme can become a successful model for future projects with regard to unleashing the economic potential of the youth.”

Martin Hansen
GIZ Country Director for Indonesia, ASEAN and Timor-Leste.

Read the press release of the launching event here and for the selected social enterprises here.