Guinness & Co has announced the application process for Arthur Guinness Fund 2012 open. The program subsidizes social enterprises in Ireland with sums between €50,000 and €100,000 to help move their ventures forward.

Photo: Arthur Guinness Fund, a snapshot from www.guinness.com

This year, an extra €500,000 of funding and support has been added to the next fund. To date, €1.65m has been awarded to numerous social entrepreneurial initiatives that work hard on improvement of communities all over Ireland.

Arthur Guinness Fund is a global initiative and since its establishment in 2009 as part of the Diageo’s flagship beer 250th celebrations, €7.4 million has been invested in the fund. Among the countries Guinness has invested in are Africa, Indonesia, the US and the UK. Guinness has recently partnered with Ashoka to enable the deployment of the funds to new social entrepreneurial projects around the world.

Applicants will be judged and selected in two categories. First category includes established projects, which have proven working models in operation for two to five years and can demonstrate the long-term impact they are having in their communities. These projects may apply to receive financial support up to €100,000. Second category includes projects that have been established in the last two years. They are invited to apply to receive up to €50,000 in funding plus the professional mentoring support over two years.

Winners in both categories will receive additional expertise and practical support from Diageo Ireland through workshops, seminars and training.

“By supporting innovative and inspiring projects, the Arthur Guinness Fund is providing a much-needed spark to bring about long-lasting positive change in our society. As we now enter the third year, it is really exciting to be able to see and be inspired by the tangible results of The Arthur Guinness Fund, especially with the projects which are now entering their second year of the programme,» said Peter O’Brien, corporate relations director, Diageo Western Europe.

The application process is open until 5 pm on November 30. The application form can be downloaded from the Arthur Guinness Fund website.