Cluster 2 – Financing Strategies for Social Enterprise Development

Last Updated on September 14th, 2011

Funding, and in particular long-term funding, is one of the key challenges for most social enterprises. In this respect, Cluster 2 will look to examine the mechanisms already in place for organizations to access funds; identify existing gaps between the funding available and the needs of organizations; and determine more effective alternatives that can deliver the required funding for social enterprises. The cluster also aims to have a better understanding of the regulatory environment and policy implications surrounding financing in the social economy.

Co-lead, Wanda Wuttunee, is Associate Professor and acting Department Head of Native Studies at the University of Manitoba. She studies economic development strategies of Canadian Aboriginal communities.

Co-lead, Martin Chicilo, Director of Community Adjustment and Development at Western Economic Diversification Canada and a board member/treasurer for the Community First Development Fund (co-applicant), regularly presents on the co-operative development business model.

The following is a list of co-applicants and collaborators working with Cluster 2:

Thomas S. Carter, University of Winnipeg, Canada Research Chair in Urban Change and Adaptation in the Institute of Urban Studies (co-applicant), is also director of the Winnipeg Inner-City Research Alliance.
Peter Ferguson, University of Saskatchewan (collaborator), is a political scientist studying policy, research methods, and data manipulation and analysis.
Murray Fulton, University of Saskatchewan (co-applicant), is an agricultural economist and a leading authority on current changes in agricultural co-operatives.
Roger Herman, University of Saskatchewan (collaborator), is a research officer with Centre for the Study of Co-operatives specializing in co-operative education and diffusion of innovation.

The following is a list of community partners working with Cluster 2:

Arctic Co-operatives Ltd. (ACL)
Assiniboine Credit Union, Winnipeg (ACU)
Community Action Co-operative Regina Ltd. (CACRL)
Co-operatives Secretariat, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Co-ops Sect)
Caisse Provencher Ltée., St. Agathe (CPL)
Credit Union Central of Manitoba (CUCM)
Credit Union Central of Saskatchewan (SaskCentral)
Saskatchewan Council for Community Development (SCCD)
Saskatchewan Industry and Resources (SIR)
Spruce River Research (SRR)
Saskatchewan Rural Development (SRD)
Saskatoon Credit Union, Saskatoon (SCU)
VanCity Savings Credit Union and its Group of Companies (VanCity)

The following is a list of research projects being conducted under Cluster 2:

An Economic Analysis of Microcredit Lending (CL2-03) | Completed
Financing Aboriginal Enterprise Development: The Potential of Using Co-operative Models (CL2-04) | Completed
Sustainable Financing for the Social Economy, Phase 1 (CL2-01-MB) | Completed
Sustainable Financing for the Social Economy, Phase 2 (CL2-02) | Completed

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Cluster 2 – Financing Strategies for Social Enterprise Development