A new bursary fund has been announced to finance the attendance of social enterprise leaders at the 2017 Social Enterprise World Forum, set to be held in Christchurch this year.

The fund by Social Traders, the English Family Foundation, Philanthropy Australia and New Zealand's Ākina Foundation will provide successful social enterprise applicants with assistance to the approximate value of AU$1,700 for flights, accommodation and conference tickets.

The financial assistance aims to enable diverse participation and increase the connection of Australian social enterprise practitioners with each other along with their New Zealand and global counterparts.

The selected Australian cohort will attend facilitated networking events before and after the Forum.

“This is a unique opportunity for Australian social enterprises to participate and contribute to a global movement,” Social Traders managing director David Brookes says.

“It hopefully provides a valuable professional development and networking experience for these individuals to play a leadership role in the further development of the Australian social enterprise sector,” says.

English Family Foundation founder Allan English noted the timing of this opportunity for Australian social enterprise.

“At such a critical stage in the development of the social enterprise sector in Australia, it is important to foster opportunities for our social entrepreneurs to gain access to global best practice and learnings.

Hosted between the 27-29 September, the annual international Social Enterprise World Forum invites the best and brightest social enterprises from around the world to come together, share wisdom, build networks and discuss how to create a more socially inclusive future through the vehicle of social enterprise.

The Australian Bursary Fund opens on 26 April and the successful applicants will be announced at the Social Enterprise Conference on 21 June in Melbourne.