FOR QUEENSLAND IMPACT-DRIVEN ORGANISATIONS
Ready to Launch Fund
Simple seed funding and support for early-stage impact-driven organisations in Queensland.
Access $100,000 of support, including a $50,000 repayable grant and $50,000 in capability building support.
🟠 Expressions of Interest open 19 November 2026. Register for Updates to be notified.
The Ready to Launch Fund is a Queensland Government initiative, delivered by Social Impact Hub Foundation.
Access seed capital and capability support to navigate your early development
Simple finance and support designed to help you launch and develop.
An Impact Investment Readiness Diagnostic and coaching on financial modelling (if required), at the value of $10,000 and all delivered one-to-one.
Organisations invited to apply can then access $40,000 worth of tailored advisory and capability support.
Untied funding at zero interest to help your organisation develop. Repayments generally start one year after you receive the grant, and the full amount should be repaid within three years, based on an agreed, feasible repayment schedule.
Repaying builds your track record for lenders and investors, and grants that are repaid are recycled to support another impact-driven organisation, so your success helps another impact-driven organisation get started.
Repayable grants can fund anything that helps you develop your revenue and impact.
The grant can be used for whatever your organisation needs, provided there is no personal use of the funds.
Who the Fund is for
Check your organisation against the six eligibility criteria.
Built for early stage
The Fund is designed for organisations at the early stage when commercial finance is rarely available. There is no single definition of early stage. You might be:
- a startup with a functional prototype and a plan to become a trading social enterprise
- a young organisation in startup phase
- a small organisation that has been doing limited work for longer because of resource constraints, and is now ready to grow
- a new social enterprise arm of a larger, established charity
- a sole trader who has been testing an idea successfully and is ready to incorporate and grow
Eligible impact areas
Your core social impact needs to be in one of these areas.
If your impact is in the eighth area, you need to be able to explain very clearly the social impact you create for the Queensland community.
Eligibility: Innovation or technology
The Fund focuses on innovative and technology-enabled solutions because they are often well placed to scale and reach more people. Your organisation needs to meet one of these two definitions.
You are developing and implementing a product, service or process, taking an idea from inception to impact, in one or more of these contexts:
- an innovative solution to an existing problem
- new-to-world innovation
- market expansion of innovation through innovation diffusion (including the application, adaptation or scaling of existing technologies to deliver impact in new contexts), or adoption and deployment of innovation (including the implementation, integration and uptake of proven solutions to realise benefits at scale)
- innovation in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context, grounded in culture and cultural practices to address community priorities, including approaches designed, led and adopted by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities
You provide a technology-enabled service or product. Technology is a key enabler of your scalability and impact, and is embedded in how you deliver outcomes. You can show all three of:
- a functional prototype or minimum viable product: a working, integrated solution that evidences core features in a real or near real-world context, is being or has been tested, and is able to be or has been deployed
- technology embedded in your impact model, central to how you deliver, measure or optimise your outcomes, not an adjunct
- a clear path to scale, so your solution can increase reach, reduce cost, or improve consistency or quality of outcomes as it scales
Examples include AI, automation or data-driven platforms that improve targeting, decision-making or service delivery; digital or cloud-based platforms that extend access at scale; and technology-enabled solutions in education and health.
How it works
Seven steps from Expression of Interest to repayment, with support along the way. Select a step to see what is involved.
Express your interest
Complete the Expression of Interest form. We review every Expression of Interest against the eligibility criteria, arrange a short screening call with selected organisations, and let you know the outcome.
Support to Plan
Selected organisations take part in the Impact Investment Readiness Diagnostic, which identifies the organisation’s strengths, areas for development and provides our recommendations. You can also receive financial modelling coaching to complete a financial model you can use in your application and long after the program. You receive this whether or not you go on to the repayable grant. This support has a value of $10,000.
Apply for funding
You apply for the repayable grant and tailored capability building, and tell us how you plan to use the funds. You may need to provide evidence such as revenue and founding documents. If you need documentation, we will let you know what you need with plenty of notice.
Grant allocation
The Fund’s majority independent Investment Committee makes the decisions about who receives repayable grants, and whether the capability building needs to be completed prior to receiving the grant. We usually arrange the grant contract after the Investment Committee has approved the investment, and create a provisional repayment schedule.
Support to build
You and Social Impact Hub agree the support you need, based on what your Diagnostic identified and what was agreed as a pre-condition of receiving the grant. This could cover strategy and growth, governance, leadership, finance, impact measurement, or branding and marketing - or other areas that will build your skills and capability. This support has a value of $40,000.
Receive your grant
Once you have met the conditions in your grant agreement, we make sure we are all confident with your repayment schedule, and we pay your repayable grant of $50,000.
Repay as your revenue grows or you access new funding
Repayments generally start one year after you receive the grant, and it should be repaid within three years of receiving it, based on an agreed, feasible repayment schedule.
Support from Social Enterprise Specialists
Social Impact Hub brings established impact investing and capability building practice. Since 2014 we have worked with over a thousand social enterprises and impact leaders.
Social Impact Hub's capability building support is delivered by members of our Professional Impact Network: more than 120 experts across strategy, finance, impact measurement, governance, legal, marketing and operations.
Key dates · Round 1
Frequently asked questions
Full details are in the Program Guidelines.
What is the Ready to Launch Fund?
The Ready to Launch Fund is a $4 million Queensland Government initiative, delivered by Social Impact Hub Foundation Ltd, that supports early-stage impact-driven organisations that use innovation or technology to tackle priority social impact areas to benefit Queenslanders.
The Ready to Launch Fund combines capability building support with a repayable grant, and runs over 4 years.
What support is available?
The Ready to Launch Fund offers support in three sequential stages:
- Support to Plan: The selected organisations will receive an Insights Report following the Impact Investment Readiness Diagnostic. This will identify your strengths, areas for development, and will provide recommendations. In addition, Financial Modelling coaching is available if you need it, to support you to develop the financial model that is required to be completed. This helps us get you ready to apply for Capability Building and a Repayable Grant. Value $10,000.
- Support to Build: additional tailored capability building support to strengthen your enterprise. Completing some Capability Building may be required as a pre-condition of receiving the repayable grant. Value $40,000.
- Repayable Grant ($50,000): a cash grant paid to your enterprise to support your development. The grant is interest-free and should be repaid on agreed terms within 3 years.
Each of these stages has a ‘stage gate’ with an assessment before you reach the next. We expect most organisations to proceed to the subsequent stages.
What does Capability Building mean?
Capability Building is the development of skills and capability of the organisation to support sustainable growth.
In the ‘Support to Plan’ stage the selected organisations will receive an Insights Report following the Impact Investment Readiness Diagnostic. This will identify your strengths, areas for development, and will provide recommendations.
Knowing your business’ strengths and weaknesses is an important first step in understanding where you’re at on the investment ready journey. Having helped our clients secure several millions of dollars of impact capital in recent years, our Impact Investment Readiness Diagnostic Tool reflects our insights into what it takes to develop a sustainable model and attract impact capital.
A diagnostic involves completing a questionnaire and then undertaking a workshop with a consultant to identify your organisation's strengths and weaknesses. We will then prepare an insights report outlining areas for development in your business and recommendations as to strategy and sequencing for your impact investment readiness journey.
In addition, optional Financial Modelling coaching is available if you need it, to support you to develop the financial model that is required to be completed for the Application.
The outcome of the Diagnostic and financial modelling coaching will support your application for the Capability Building and Repayable Grant.
In the ‘Support to Build’ stage, Capability Building support will be tailored to each organisation based on the findings in the Diagnostic and through discussion with organisations.
This might include:
- Governance review
- Further Financial Modelling support
- Business planning
- Impact measurement
- Marketing strategy
- Growth planning
It may be a condition of receiving the Repayable Grant that you complete some specific capability building and can demonstrate the uplift resulting.
What are the timeframes for the Ready to Launch Fund?
Expressions of Interest will open in November 2026.
Early in 2027 organisations will be invited to Support to Plan stage which will take place in the first quarter of 2027. The first round of the Support to Build and Repayable Grants will be provided between March and July 2027.
Further round dates are yet to be confirmed.
Does my organisation need to be based in Queensland? And what if I'm in a regional or remote area?
The organisation does not need to be based in Queensland. However, to be eligible, there must be social impact generated to benefit Queenslanders as the target focus of your business model.
Applicants from regional and remote Queensland are encouraged to apply.
What counts as innovative/tech-focused and impact-driven organisation for this program?
Your organisation must have an innovation focus or technology focus (i.e. providing a technology-enabled service or product), as described below.
Innovation focus
Your organisation is developing and putting into practice a product, service or process – taking an idea from first concept through to real impact – in one or more of these ways:
- innovative solutions to existing problems
- new-to-world (world-first) innovation
- expanding the reach of an innovation – for example, applying, adapting or scaling existing technologies to deliver impact in new settings, or putting proven solutions into practice and integrating them so their benefits are realised at scale
- innovation in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context – an approach you identify as innovative that is grounded in culture and cultural practices to address community priorities, including approaches designed, led and adopted by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities. For example, products, services or processes that strengthen capability and deliver sustainable social and economic outcomes in community, by community.
Technology focus, i.e. providing a technology-enabled service or product
Technology is a key driver of your organisation’s ability to grow and create impact, and is built into how you deliver outcomes.
Your organisation can demonstrate all three of the following:
- a working prototype or minimum viable product (MVP) – a working, integrated solution that shows its core features in a real or near real-world setting, is being tested, and can be rolled out; and
- technology built into your impact model – technology is central to how you deliver, measure or improve your outcomes, not an add-on; and
- a clear path to scale – as the solution grows, it can reach more people, reduce costs, or make outcomes more consistent or higher quality.
Examples may include:
- AI, automation or data-driven platforms that improve targeting, decision-making or service delivery
- digital or cloud-based platforms that extend access and participation at scale
- technology-enabled solutions in areas such as:
- education – improving learning, skills and engagement in teaching and learning settings
- health technology – improving access to services and efficiency, and supporting clinical or service decisions
What does ‘early stage’ mean?
Early stage means that your organisation is still in a stage of developing your business model and impact.
We don't have one single definition of early stage as we know that it can show up in different forms. For example you may be:
- a young and new organisation in startup phase in first three years of operation
- a small organisation that has been doing limited work for longer, but now ready to take a step for leaders to focus on the business and grow
- a new social enterprise arm of a larger established charity
- a Sole Trader who has been testing an idea successfully, and is planning to incorporate and grow
You do need to demonstrate at least a functional prototype, and demonstrated social impact within the criteria of being innovative or technology focused and the 8 impact areas.
Reach out to us if you are not sure, and we can work this through with you.
What can the grant be spent on?
The grant funds are untied. While the funding can be flexibly used to support development, it must be applied to the purposes of the organisation and cannot be used for private benefit. Examples of private benefit include excessive remuneration or dividends, purchase, or improvement of assets for primarily private use, or the use of funds to increase private business value.
How will applications be assessed, and who makes the decisions?
Every Expression of Interest will be assessed through the same consistent process outlined in the Guidelines. Repayable grant and capability building support decisions will be made by the Fund's independent Investment Committee.
I am not a not-for-profit – do I need to be certified by Social Traders or verified by People and Planet First?
No, you do not need to be certified or verified. We know that many early social enterprises haven't had the opportunity to go through these processes yet.
Eligible organisations are those that can demonstrate that social impact is central to their purpose, not a side benefit.
Organisations that can demonstrate they are registered on at least one recognised Social Enterprise business directory (e.g. Social Traders or Qld Social Enterprise Council) are automatically considered to have demonstrated they are impact-driven.
If I already have a financial model, do I need to do the Financial modelling coaching?
We will review your financial model and discuss it with you to decide if your model is sufficient to support your full application and demonstrate a path to sustainability.
If my Expression of Interest is accepted, will I receive the grant?
If your Expression of Interest is successful, you may be offered initial Support to Plan.
The outcome of the Impact Investment Readiness Diagnostic and financial modelling coaching will support your full application for the Capability Building and Repayable Grant.
Decision on outcomes of applications will be made by an independent Investment Committee, and those successful organisations will be invited to the Support to Build and Repayable Grant stage.
We expect most applicants who receive Capability Building grants to also receive the Repayable Grant but it is likely that successful completion of the Capability Building will be a precondition to receiving the grants.
Can I apply for only capability building?
The Ready to Launch Fund is focused on the development journey to being ready for a Repayable Grant in order to build the organisation. Applicants are advised that capability building is part of this journey, and so not generally available on its own.
If you are only interested in securing grant funds, we recommend you identify another source of funding. Social Impact Hub and other intermediaries can help you with this.
I don't need early stage capability building – I need the grant. Can I just receive this?
All organisations must take part in an Impact Investment Readiness Diagnostic as this helps identify what an organisation's needs are. If this identifies you are ready for the grant, you do not need to do further capability building. However if this identifies a critical need, you must do this before being provided the grant.
Do I have to access the Capability Building from the Social Impact Hub?
Social Impact Hub is an experienced provider of capability building, with over 12 years of experience and over 100 consultants across Queensland and Australia with wide and deep expertise. It is expected that Social Impact Hub will be able to meet most capability building needs. If there is another service you require, we are open to discussing this.
What terms and over what timeframe will the grant repayment require?
Repayment terms will be designed to be tailored and manageable for early-stage enterprises, with first repayment generally after one year, and further payments over a maximum of three years. Early repayments will be possible.
What happens if my organisation can’t repay the grant?
We expect that the financial modelling work completed in the Support to Plan stage, and capability building work will create the best chance for organisations to be able to repay the grant within the three years.
We won’t expect any repayment for at least a year, and will work with each organisation to support the best chance of repayment.
If an organisation is having trouble with repayment, we will work together with the organisation to reach the best outcome.
My organisation works for a climate cause – can I apply?
You have to address one of the 8 social impact areas to be eligible.
We are a for-profit but developing a social impact program – can we apply?
You need to be able to demonstrate that the entity that applies has social impact as core to its business.
Can I apply for both the Ready to Launch Fund and the Financing Growth Fund?
Yes, however you can’t participate in both funds at the same time.
The Ready to Launch Fund is designed for early stage organisations, and Financing Growth Fund is designed for growth stage organisations. If you are early stage, you should apply for the Ready to Launch Fund. In future you may be able to access funds from the Financing Growth Fund when you have successfully navigated the early stage development. If you are a growth stage enterprise, you should apply for the Financing Growth Fund.
You do not have to have participated in the Ready to Launch Fund to be able to access loan funding from the Financing Growth Fund.
If you are not sure which fund is right for you, please contact Social Impact Hub or Sefa to discuss your situation, and we can help advise.
If you do apply for both, you must check the relevant box in the Expression of Interest of each fund to advise that you are applying for both.
How do I account for the repayable grant in my books? Is it a loan?
We recommend you seek your own accounting advice.
I have already undertaken an Impact Investment Readiness Diagnostic. Do I need to do it again?
If you have undertaken a Diagnostic with the support of our co-investors the Snow Foundation or QBE Foundation in the last 18 months, you will likely be eligible to be fast tracked through to Step 3 - the formal application process.