Queen Mary’s School of Business and Management is delighted to have received a £55,000 grant from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
This gift will support the ground-breaking QM Social Venture Fund which is the first student-led social impact venture capital fund investing in student-led social ventures in the UK. We are incredibly excited to work with the Foundation to develop the programme further.The funding given to Queen Mary is helping to build a fairer future and meet two main goals. Firstly, the grant will aid the empowerment of young people - specifically, it will create opportunities for civic engagement through the Social Venture Fund project. Secondly, the grant will help to remove barriers to specific careers. Once students have finished working on the project, they will have greater knowledge of and access to business careers, where they would otherwise miss out or face significant barriers. By providing this funding, the foundation is contributing towards a new, inclusive generation of leaders.
The student led social impact venture fund focuses on 'start-ups for good'. The fund empowers students and recent graduate entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society today, such as reducing carbon emissions, sustainably managing waste, and promoting diversity and inclusion in education. Built by students and investing in student-led social enterprises, this fund is the first such fund in the UK. It offers students opportunities to develop their entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, with support from industry mentors and faculty members.