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Unless an idea has a registered, incorporated identity, Deductible Gift Recipient status, or is proposed by an extremely driven, resilient and networked individual/team, it is often extremely difficult to gain credibility, volunteers, advice or financial support to get an idea ‘off the ground’. Our research shows that many grassroots initiatives quickly fail beyond the initial ‘spark’, or operate in isolation due to lack of opportunities to skills- and knowledge-share, thereby failing to capitalise upon already established Australian resources.

In the context of mapping community-based social entrepreneurship in Australia, we propose a support model for social innovation which seeks to overcome these barriers through early-stage incubation. It draws upon the case study of Project Australia, a progressive, not-for-profit social enterprise established in 2006 which has been developing a free, national online incubator for social innovation. Largely based on user-generated content, it draws together existing resources and networks to launch creative individuals and not-for-profit ideas that address Australian needs. Looking ahead to the new century, we demonstrate that these strategies and approaches are critical now, more than ever, for non-profit services. We therefore propose how a healthy and robust civil society can benefit from well-supported and supple models of social entrepreneurship which jointly utilise new technological platforms, meaningful community connections, whilst exploring a service-based model of partnership.