Social Ventures Australia (SVA) is delighted that two of its investments have been shortlisted for the Capital for Impact Award at this year’s Social Enterprise Awards: Marnin Studio and Vanguard Laundry Services.

Marnin Studio, an arts and therapeutic studio operating out of the Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre, is committed to supporting local women to turn the things they love to do into projects that provide a source of income, as well as enable skills transfer and therapeutic aid.

This year SVA’s venture portfolio welcomed them as the first venture in Western Australia, as the Studio was identified as a strong social enterprise proposition that would benefit significantly from an injection of capital and resources.

Vanguard Laundry Services is an innovative social enterprise launched by the Toowoomba Clubhouse and SVA. The project will create 30 permanent roles for people with mental illnesses as well as operating a pathways program that will provide training and job opportunities for 30 people with mental illness per year, by partnering with local businesses.

SVA’s role has been to work with the team at Toowoomba Clubhouse to develop a detailed financial model, determine the appropriate capital structure and raise the capital through a combination of philanthropic and debt sources.

Rob Koczkar, SVA’s Chief Executive Officer, commented:

“We are delighted that these two programs have been identified as innovative and productive social enterprises. The results seen in these sorts of programs validate SVA’s commitment to enabling innovative approaches to address some of Australia’s most significant social issues.”

Winners of the Social Enterprise Awards will be announced on 30 November 2016 at an event in Melbourne.