The ‘Unlocking the Potential of Rural Innovation and Social Enterprise (RiSE) project’ is a cross border initiative encouraging rural communities to explore the power of social enterprise as a pathway to greater sustainability and growth.
RiSE is a project supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). RiSE seeks to create opportunities for community development, business, and economic growth.
The project received €3,971,440 from PEACEPLUS and brings together a multi stakeholder partnership comprising of Rural Action who will lead the project along with partners, Irish Rural Link, Social Enterprise Academy (Scotland) and Social Enterprise NI (SENI) with Community Finance Ireland as an associate partner.
The project has 3 strands:-
Strand 1: Social Enterprise Leadership & Development –
Building skills, confidence and capacity to engage in social enterprise activities
Strand 2: Making it Happen –
Turning ideas into action with practical support and guidance
Strand 3: Youth Social Enterprise –
Youth led programme to support young people aged 14-25 to inspire the next generation to build a sustainable future through innovation
The project is targeting rural areas in NI and the border region of Ireland. In Strands 1 & 2 the project will work with rural organisations located in areas with a settlement size of 5,000 or less (NI) and 10,000 or less (border region of Ireland). For Strand 3 schools may be located in larger settlements (of up to 18,000) and attended by rural young people.
Through networking, events and activities, RiSE will encourage and facilitate collaboration between rural communities on a cross-border and cross-community basis. Participating groups and organisations will share knowledge and receive training support on how to maximise income generation, improve sustainability and increase the amount of people accessing community services.
RiSE is now open for expressions of interest from rural organsiations wishing to be considered for participation in Strand 1, for more details see the link to the RiSE Information leaflet and if interested complete the Expression of Interest form by 27th March 2026. Please email us if you require more information.
