Social Enterprises are businesses that deliver goods and services in the pursuit of social and community objectives, reinvesting financial surpluses for the purpose of these social objectives. They are frequently characterised by their ownership structures.

Unlike most private enterprises, where ownership is determined by shareholder investment in the business, social enterprises can be owned by their users or customers, their employees, the wider community, trustees, public and private bodies, or a combination of different stakeholder groups. Surpluses are reinvested back into the community.

Community ventures have similar principles to social enterprises. Community ventures are joint ventures between a number of stakeholders enabling them to pool resources in the provision of a new facility and in the way services are delivered.

A community venture will be run as a commercial business but need not be for-profit based. Investors and partners could include a combination of the wider public sector, including local authorities, the NHS (either acute or PCT), the third sector, social enterprises, as well as the independent sector.