A social enterprise is a business that trades for a social and/or environmental purpose.
Social enterprises generally have a remit to do good in some way by solving a social or environmental problem. These organisations typically know who they are trying to help and why. One difference between social enterprises and charities is that these are organisations that aim to meet their needs for income through vending products and services. They will often not look for grants and donations to keep going. That said, they may use grants to get underway at the outset, or may look for alternative sources of financing such as debt finance (loans), equity finance or community finance. The founder of social enterprises generally launches them with a view to making a difference in the area targeted.
