Firstport started work in 2007 to help social entrepreneurs bring forward their ideas and to make them happen.
Firstport’s vision is for social enterprises play a key role in society, transforming lives, communities and the economy.
Social entrepreneurs believe you can run a business and do good at the same time, and so do we.
Over the last few years, Firstport has seen an exponential increase in the demand for its services, with an average of 3-4 budding social entrepreneurs from across Scotland accessing Firstport services every day. Social enterprise is no longer confined to the periphery of the business sector or the economy, but seen as a vital partner in creating a fairer, more prosperous and inclusive Scotland.
In 2019 Firstport launched a new strategy: Increasing Social Impact through Entrepreneurship, which is available to read in our Publications section. One of the five principles of the strategy is to make more data-driven decisions. That is not to discount the anecdotal evidence or do away with telling the stories of the entrepreneurs we work with, but to make sure they are representative and that we understand what is going on deep within the network.
Firstport is committed to transparency.
In the coming months, we will be using these pages to share both our impact from previous programmes, as well as more real-time, live information, including current funding applications turnaround times and success rates.