Social enterprises directory

Art-ish is a social enterprise combining art and community building while supporting artists to pursue their passions and share their creations while earning a living doing what they love. Artists engage in community art projects, commission artworks and host various paint parties and activities for team buildings, corporate events, private events. They also facilitate kids collaborative art projects and sessions for older people. Based in Mernda, Art-ish fosters a welcoming and inclusive space for people to brush and bond, get creative, relax and unwind.

Contact: Castein Chimanya, artist in residence

Email: casteinc@art-ish.com.au

Visit the Art-ish website

Big Group Hug is a grassroots non-profit providing items ranging from newborn nappies to schoolbooks, and from emergency packs for displaced children to clothes for kids facing daily disadvantages.Its business plan proposes identifying and developing a social enterprise to support the delivery of some of its services. The Thomastown organisation helps vulnerable children who are living in crisis by seeking and then distributing essential items in times of need. They are committed to supporting every young family who asks for help while ensuring that the child remains the focus of everything they do.

Contact: Bernadene Voss, CEO

Email: bernadene@biggrouphug.org

Visit the Big Group Hug website

Araluen disability services runs the custom-built Chancez Cafe at Mill Park Library to provide local NDIS participants with opportunities to learn job skills and gain experience. Working at the cafe helps people develop confidence and learn customer service and hospitality skills. Participants play a large role in running the cafe and take responsibility for daily tasks. Team supervision is shared between participants and Araluen staff. The cafe aims to prepare participants to take the next step on their future employment path with greater self-confidence and belief in their abilities.

Contact: Helen Ryan, general manager

Email: HelenR@araluen.org or tamarac@araluen.org

Visit the Chancez website

A registered NDIS provider, Connecting 2 Australia (C2A) employs people with disability. C2A's social traders accredited commercial operations deliver professional results, on brief, on budget and on time. They specialise in:

• timber furniture making for indoor, outdoor, commercial and retail
• grounds keeping and garden maintenance
• fleet vehicle cleaning and washing
• assembly and packaging. 

The more business they secure, the more employment opportunities they can provide that can help bring financial independence, choice and inclusion for people with disability.

49 Latitude Boulevard, Thomastown

3 Wimpole Crescent, Bellfield

Contact: Terry Pieper, sales and marketing manager

Email: tpieper@c2a.org.au

Founded by Nadia Azizabadi in February 2017, From Zero to Hero is about empowering adult migrants through water safety knowledge. Based in Bundoora, it's a transformative access model of social entrepreneurship dedicated to addressing a social gap by providing adult migrants with essential swimming skills, cultivating water confidence and promoting water safety. Their range of courses caters to individuals of all backgrounds and abilities. From beginners to advanced swimmers, they offer programs designed to instil confidence, safety and a lifelong love of water. They teach swimming and train swim teachers.

Contact: Nadia Azizabadi

Email: info@fromzerotoheroaustralia.com.au

Visit the From Zero to Hero website

The Brotherhood of St Laurence Given the Chance program is a registered labour hire company and certified social enterprise supporting job-ready disadvantaged jobseekers into paid employment. They do this by partnering with a variety of businesses across different industries.

We recognise that disadvantaged jobseekers need extra support and supervision. Our long history of working with this group of jobseekers means we are one of the best in the field when it comes to supporting our participants and employers.

We offer traineeships and fixed term labour hire, using the experience and expertise of the Brotherhood to maximise positive employment outcomes.

As an employer you can access practical advice to develop your own sustainable social impact employment program. The program enables you to meet your social procurement contractual requirements while creating opportunity and a loyal future workforce.

See the program in action in this video with ANZ, Western Program Alliance and Citywide.

Contact: Simon Gray

Email: simon.gray@bsl.org.au

gtc@bsl.org.au

Phone: 0427 258 521

03 9288 9904

Visit the Given the Chance website

LINK is a community-based organisation helping people live well in their own home, while staying connected to services and community. LINK services all of metropolitan Melbourne and select regional areas providing an extensive range of home care and social support services. The organisation operates Melbourne’s largest fleet of easy-access vehicles and drivers, helping older people, people with disability and other vulnerable Victorians live their best lives at home and in community.

Contact: Maurice Thaung - Manager Partner Engagements

Email: mthaung@lct.org.au

Phone: 0425 809 880

Visit LINK's website

Red Tops is a new inclusive enterprise providing barista services at the Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre (PRACC). Using a specially-designed coffee cart Red Tops gives people who use wheelchairs the opportunity to work as baristas. By using modified carts, people who use a wheelchair can more readily develop the necessary skills to work as coffee baristas in the hospitality industry. This South Morang-based enterprise is also keen to explore the manufacturing of these carts.

Contact: Graham Haupt

Email: graham.haupt@red-tops.com.au

Visit the Red Tops website

Shared Cup is a not-for-profit social enterprise cafe in Donnybrook that provides a place and space for the community to connect and meet. The cafe is run by We Love Olivine Ltd; a charity set up by locals committed to supporting the community flourish. Shared Cup is part of the Now and Not Yet network, which also operates social enterprise cafes in Warrandyte and Rosanna. 

995 Donnybrook Rd, Donnybrook (View map)

Contact: Caroline McDonald

Email: caroline@sharedcup.com.au

Now and Not Yet contact: Derek Bradshaw: Derek.bradshaw@nowandnotyet.com.au

Visit Shared Cup's website

Social Living is a growing enterprise manufacturing recyclable beds and mattresses. The Thomastown business focuses on providing beds to the charity sector, servicing vulnerable groups, including welfare and social housing providers. Social Living designs bed furniture and mattresses that are not only built to last, but that can easily be repaired, returned and recycled. This creates a circular market that keeps more furniture waste off the streets and out of landfill. 

40/42 Mercedes Dr, Thomastown

Contact: Benjamin Armstrong

Email: ben@socialliving.com.au

Visit Social Living's website

Social Outcomes Security (SOS) is Australia’s first security social enterprise providing ethical security services, including security guards, mobile patrols, CCTV monitoring and temporary fencing hire. The business creates jobs and establishes employment pathways for people facing barriers engaging in mainstream employment. SOS focuses on supporting people who are unemployed or under employed due to disadvantage, with a specific focus on newly arrived migrants and women. 

Contact: Sam Giacomin, director

Email: sam@sossecurity.com.au

Phone: 1300 310 106

Visit Social Outcomes Security's website

Since 2006, Boots For All has collected new and near-new sporting goods for redistribution to children and adults in need across Australia to increase their fitness and active participation in sport. Boots For All also operates Australia's first social enterprise sports store, Sport for All, that provides training and employment pathways for people with barriers to employment.

30 Janefield Dr, Bundoora (View map)

Contact: Joanne Rockwell, CEO

Email: info@bootsforall.org.au

Visit the Boots For All website

This mobile childcare service provides care for children of all ages at workplaces and venues. It provides employment pathways into the childcare industry for recently arrived migrant and refugee women, increasing their economic participation and equitable life outcomes. In addition, this unique service enables inclusion and participation of parents iin events, programs, appointments, and training and education activities. Clients include family violence service providers, member-based organisations, education and training providers, child and family services. Women in Work has Social Trader certification.

DriverED is a multilingual professional driving school operating in Melbourne's northern suburbs. It services mainly migrant, refugee and humanitarian entrants who require driving lessons for employment, economic empowerment and connection. It also provides employment pathways for migrant and refugee people (mainly women) to start their own business as certified driving instructors, as well as training, work experience and employment pathways into the transport industry. DriverED has Social Trader certification.

This bus hire service for community organisations enables access to community services, programs and appointments for vulnerable community members experiencing transport disadvantage. Community organisations using this service include youth, disability and settlement services, and older community members.

nugal biik is a wholesale production nursery located in Wollert. It specialises in indigenous flora for revegetation works in Melbourne's north, as well as hardy native cultivars. The nursery’s primary purpose is to generate a surplus in order to support First Nations, Connection to Country, revegetation and conservation activities at the Wollert Community Farm. The nursery has Social Traders certification.

A fresh produce market that sells locally sourced and culturally appropriate fruit, veggies and local produce to Melbourne Polytechnic students and staff. The collective market provides food access to people living, working and studying in the City of Whittlesea. It is looking to expand into food box deliveries for a broader audience. 

WCC is currently developing a business plan for a catering social enterprise to operate from the Melbourne Polytechnic Epping Campus.

This resource recovery hub in the City of Whittlesea creates access and opportunities for local residents to repair, reuse, recycle and upcycle, supporting them to live more sustainably and economically. The hub willincludea repair centre and second-hand store, and will deliver an annual calendar of workshops and events. It seeks to create a more climate resilient community while supporting City of Whittlesearesidents on low incomes, from culturally diverse backgrounds and First Nations people.