At a national central level the project activities fall into two themes:

a) quality and impact and
b) business development and support.

Quality and Impact Theme

SEP-EQUAL is the leading national programme in the field of impact measurement for social enterprise.

The project is developing and promoting quality and impact tools which are easy to use and which will help social enterprises improve their performance, understand the impacts of their work, and prove their added value to others.


More information on the new economics foundation website: Quality and Impact

Business Development and Support Theme

Within this theme, there are three central projects:

Training: SEP is working with SFEDI and national training experts to develop two new professional development programmes for business advisers to the social enterprise sector and for social enterprise managers. A key element of the work is functional mapping of the sector and the production of new occupational standards. Outputs will include two new nationally accredited training courses.

A Social Enterprise Business Support Register: SEP is developing a national register of consultants for the social enterprise sector. The outputs include an on-line database of consultants and guidance notes to social enterprises on selecting, quality assuring and managing consultants.

Disincentives to Employment Research: With King’s College London, SEP is examining disincentives in the UK benefits systems (with comparative European research) for potential social enterprise employees. The outputs include research reports and policy statements.