Evolve Disability
Enterprise Programs
Helping disability enterprises build stronger businesses and create better employment opportunities for people with disability.
Three ways to evolve
The disability enterprise sector is at a turning point. Delivering more inclusive and sustainable employment outcomes requires new thinking, new capability and, in some cases, new models.
There is no single pathway to get there. Different organisations are starting from different places, with different ambitions, capabilities and opportunities.
Evolve brings together three programs to help disability enterprises take their next step, whatever that looks like for them.
That might mean building the capability to understand and lead transformation, working alongside an organisation through significant change, or exploring an entirely new employment model.
The goal is simple: more and better jobs for people with disability.
people with disability are in the labour market
people with intellectual disability are of working age
people with disability are employed in Australian Disability Enterprises
ADEs face a critical period of transformation, with many needing to evolve over the next five years to remain viable and provide opportunities that maximise the potential of people with disability.
Evolve Capability
Building the transformation muscle.
The playbook for building the knowledge, confidence and capability to lead transformation.
Evolve Transformation
Turning transformation ambition into action.
Tailored expertise and practical support, whether you’re tackling a specific challenge or undertaking broader transformation.
Evolve Lighthouse
Creating the disability employment models of the future.
A job creation strategy for ambitious disability enterprises, exploring how established commercial businesses can be acquired and transformed into more inclusive businesses.
“For providers who are ready to go with business transformation, we will expand the intensive program run by White Box Enterprises.”
“The pilot of this program helped three providers transition, creating 30 new open employment jobs and helping 98 participants earn more. We’ll open the program to six more providers.”
– Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek at the NDS conference in Sydney in August 2026.
The Evolve playbook
Turning two years of experience into practical tools for transformation.
The Evolve pilot gave us rich insight into what transformation takes, what gets in the way and what organisations need to make change happen.
We are translating this learning into a practical playbook that can be used by disability enterprises across Australia, with the support of the Centre for Inclusive Employment and the Department of Social Services (more on the pilot further down this page).
This work is backed by real investment: the Australian Government has committed $2.5 million to the Centre for Inclusive Employment to help supported employment providers take their next steps and modernise their businesses. That investment includes support for the rollout of the Evolve playbook.
SHIFT 2026 – Bringing the sector together
In May 2026, Whitebox co-hosted SHIFT 2026, a national forum bringing together leaders from disability and social enterprises, key intermediaries, peak bodies, government, academics and people with lived experience.
The event explored the future of disability enterprise, from commercial viability and employment pathways to new models for creating jobs.
Building on the pilot
Evolve began as a two-year, philanthropically funded program working alongside three disability enterprises: genU, Intelife and Waverley Social Enterprises.
The pilot explored what it takes to transform disability enterprises from “good to great”, with a focus on wages, transitions and integration.
We worked side by side with each organisation, providing practical support across commercial performance, organisational capability and employment outcomes.
Each organisation received:
200–300 days
of pro-bono strategy and transformation consulting
$250,000–$500,000
in grant funding
Access
to impact investment, industry connections, and systems tailored to their unique needs
This combination of practical expertise, investment and support enabled each organisation to work through its own transformation priorities while continuing to operate its business.
In the first 12 months:
30 people
transitioned to mainstream employment
100+ PEOPLE
experienced a wage improvement
92 Positions
were converted into desegregated roles.
What we learnt
A shift from support to development
Disability enterprise models have traditionally been built to deliver social supports. Getting to great means a stronger focus on employment pathways, where people are supported to build skills, increase independence, and have the option to transition into open employment where possible.
Three key areas: social, commercial and organisational
Sustainable transformation requires change across social, commercial and organisational models together. The three are closely linked. Approaching them in isolation leads to incremental and short-lived change.
Expertise and investment work together
Effective transformation requires expertise and investment working in tandem. Disability enterprises can’t navigate this change alone, and are best supported through the right mix of expertise, investment and partnerships.
The pilot is being independently evaluated by CSI Swinburne, with a final report due in early 2027.
An interim report was published in December 2025.
Partner With Us
We love to collaborate. If you share in our belief that employment can change lives and that the solution lies in jobs-focused social enterprise, get in touch.
Need advisory support?
From social enterprise strategy and growth to disability enterprise transformation, our team brings hands-on experience to help you navigate change.