Applications for the tenth annual SAB Foundation Social Innovation Awards and fifth annual Disability Empowerment Awards are now open and local social innovators who are committed to addressing social issues are encouraged to apply. The winning innovation stands the chance of receiving up to R1.3 million in funding, as well as business development support.
In Gauteng, the SAB Foundation has provided over R35 million in grant funding and business support to 168 entrepreneurs to date. This has helped them grow their collective turnover from R51 million to over R132 million, an increase of 160%. They also employ a total of 623 people, of which 408 are new jobs.
Gauteng has already produced a number of winning social innovators, including last year’s third place win Disability Empowerment Award winner, XeldaRohrbeck, founder of ShowerBath. This is a combination of a shower and bathtub allows for the easy bathing of individuals with profound intellectual and physical disabilities.
“ShowerBath is a low-cost maintenance free and lifelong product. It can be easily installed and requires no specialised skills, as compared to competing products. The combination of a shower and bathtub enables easy bathing for individuals with profound intellectual and physical disabilities, who are unable to bath themselves.”, explains Xelda.
Through the awards, the SAB Foundation aims to empower innovative thinkers like Xelda to develop products and services which help the country’s most vulnerable communities, while also empowering them as entrepreneurs. Prizes awarded range from R200 000- R1.3 million and are used as an investment in the innovation. In addition to the prize money, the winners also receive business development support.
The Social Innovation Awards are aimed at innovators, social entrepreneurs, institutions and social enterprises with prototypes or early-stage businesses that can solve social problems. These products, services, business models and processes should directly address the challenges faced by low-income women, youth, people living with disabilities, or people living in rural areas.
The Disability Empowerment Awards seek and award social enterprises, which have come up with innovative solutions, which improve access to the economy, and/or solutions for disabled people, while generating enough revenue to become sustainable over time. People with disabilities are some of the most marginalised members of society with a high unemployment rate.
Online applications are now open and can be completed by visiting www.sabfoundation.co.za, before the closing date of 23 March 2020.
