Bradford businesses that aim to help their community are to benefit from a share of £5.8 million of funding from the regional development agency.

Yorkshire Forward has announced it is to pump the money into West Yorkshire Social Enterprise Link (SEL), which is delivered by Business Link West Yorkshire and gives advice, emergency grants and business development services to social enterprises.

Initially financed by Yorkshire Forward until March 2005, the latest funding announcement enables the service to carry on its work until at least March 2009.

Between November 2003 and last August, SEL created 38 businesses and 123 jobs and supported more than 800 West Yorkshire social entrepreneurs.

The latest funding aims to create more than 250 jobs by helping establish 120 new social enterprises. Bradford is developing a particularly strong social enterprise sector with firms like Impact Community Developments winning awards.

Susan Johnson, Yorkshire Forward executive director of business, said: "Social enterprises create jobs and help to address key social issues at the same time. The more successful these companies become the more jobs they create and the more social good they can do.

"West Yorkshire Social Enterprise Link has been helping social entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into reality, while ensuring their businesses have a long-term view that does not rely on grants. We are delighted to give them the support they need to carry on this work."

A social enterprise is recognised by the Government as a business with primarily social objectives, with surpluses principally reinvested for that purpose "rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners".

Eddie Rodgers, chief executive of The West Yorkshire Enterprise Partnership, said: "This additional funding is excellent news and is a strong endorsement of the achievements already made by Social Enterprise Link."