# Homelessness charities and social enterprises compete for £500k prize fund

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2008/03/14/homelessness-charities-and-social-enterprises-compete-500k-prize-fund/
- Published: 2008-03-14T12:00:31+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Fifteen homelessness charities and social enterprises have been chosen to compete
in the Spark social enterprise competition in May according to junior housing minister
Iain Write.**

The 15 will pitch their business ideas to a panel of leading entrepreneurs including
Nigel Kershaw, Big Issue Invest chief executive, at an event in May. The best organisations
will win a share of a £500,000 prize funded by communities and local government,
mentoring and a two-day ‘enterprise makeover’. All finalists will receive coaching
from Eastside Consulting to help develop their ideas to help more homeless people
into training, volunteering and jobs.

The [Spark Challenge competition](http://www.sparkchallenge.org) was launched in
December 2007 to challenge the homelessness sector to go beyond standard homeless
services such as providing food and accommodation and to offer more training and
employment opportunities for homeless people.

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The finalists are Acumen Community Enterprise Development Trust, Travelling Light,
Bikeworks, Brent Homeless [User Group](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/08/08/london-hug-event-22nd-september/),
Brighton Housing Trust, Chester and District Housing Trust, Gilead Foundations, 
Noah Enterprise, Novas Scarman Group, Plymouth Access to Housing, Stride, Shekinah
Mission, Streetshine, The Salvation Army and The Society of St James’ social enterprise
Jamie’s Computers.

 

 * **[Homelessness Transition Fund offers grants up to £150,000](https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/04/24/homelessness-transition-fund-offers/)(
   24 April 2013)**

 * **[Homelessness Transition Fund awards grants of up to £150k each](https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/11/05/final/)**(
   5 November 2013)
 * **[Focus Ireland income jumps by over 30%](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/12/19/focus-ireland-income-jumps-30/)**(
   19 December 2017)
 * **[Cardiff’s alternative giving scheme sees 502 donations](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/04/17/cardiffs-alternative-giving-scheme-sees-502-donations/)**(
   17 April 2018)

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