Support EU networks active in the areas of social economy and social finance (3-year action grants)

The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is offering action grants under the call ESF-2025-AG, aimed at supporting EU networks involved in social economy, social enterprise finance, and microfinance. The total budget for this call is €13,300,000, and the submission deadline is June 19, 2025. Eligible applicants include legal entities from EU Member States, EEA countries, EU acceding countries, candidate countries, potential candidate countries, and specific third countries based on agreements or the EaSI work program. These entities may include public bodies, non-profit organizations, social enterprises, research institutes, and social partner organizations. Applications can be submitted either by single applicants or consortia. The focus of the projects is to enhance institutional capacity and contribute to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Expected outcomes include improved dissemination of EU policies, increased awareness of funding opportunities, and enhanced data availability on social economy and microenterprises. The application process involves electronic submission of a complete proposal package, including parts A and B, along with supporting documents, via the Funding & Tenders Portal. The call specifies that paper submissions are not accepted. There's a single-stage evaluation process, and each application is limited to 40 pages. Moreover, the grant will cover up to 90% of eligible costs, requiring a minimum of 10% co-funding from applicants or other sources. An online information session for potential applicants is scheduled for March 28, 2025, to discuss the call elements and answer questions. This grant opportunity is designed to strengthen the role of social economy entities and enhance their capabilities, supporting broader social inclusion and economic development initiatives across Europe.

The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is offering action grants to support EU networks active in the areas of social economy, social enterprise finance, and microfinance under the call ESF-2025-AG. This call for proposals, managed by the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, aims to foster the development of social economy and social finance across Europe. The deadline for submission is June 19, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time (CET).

The total budget allocated to this call is €13,300,000. The call adopts a single-stage submission process.

The expected outcomes of the projects funded under this call include:Increased dissemination of EU policies and initiatives at national and local levels, improved awareness of EU funding opportunities among network members, heightened awareness of the potential and challenges of social economy and microenterprises, and improved availability of research and data in relevant fields.

Beneficiaries are expected to support the Commission's outreach activities, increase the capacity of beneficiaries and their members to contribute to policy design, and provide expertise and data on the social economy sector.

The call emphasizes the role of social economy entities in implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights, particularly in areas such as education, gender equality, employment support, work-life balance, childcare, inclusion of people with disabilities, long-term care, and access to essential services.

An online info session is scheduled for March 28, 2025, from 14:00 to 15:30 CET. Registration is required by March 26, 2025, via a provided link. The session will cover call elements, technical aspects, and a Q&A. A recording will be available afterward.

Applications must be submitted electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System before the deadline. Paper submissions are not allowed. A complete application includes Application Form (Part A), Application Form (Part B), and annexes/supporting documents in PDF format. The lead applicant must confirm their mandate and the accuracy of the information provided. Applications are limited to 40 pages, readable, accessible, and printable.

Eligible countries include EU Member States (and their overseas territories), EEA countries, EU acceding countries, candidate countries, potential candidate countries, and certain third countries as specified in the EaSI work programme or agreements.

Further eligibility conditions, as well as details on financial and operational capacity, exclusion criteria, submission and evaluation processes, award criteria, scoring, thresholds, and the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement, are described in the call document.

The call document and annexes are available online, including the call fiche, application form templates, model grant agreements, ESF+ Annual Work Programme, ESF+ Regulation 2021/1057, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, rules for legal entity validation, and guidance on EU grants.

For questions about the Portal Submission System, applicants can contact the IT Helpdesk. Non-IT related questions can be sent to EMPL-EaSI@ec.europa.eu (general ESF+ questions) or EMPL-SOCIAL-ENTERPRISE@ec.europa.eu (call-specific questions).

The call aims to bolster EU networks involved in social economy, social enterprise finance, and microfinance. It seeks to enhance their institutional capacity and support their role in implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights. The European Commission is looking for projects that can effectively disseminate EU policies, raise awareness of funding opportunities, promote the social economy, and provide valuable research and data. The call is essentially an invitation for EU-level networks to apply for funding to strengthen their operations and contribute to the broader goals of social inclusion and economic development within the European Union.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicants are legal entities, which can be public or private bodies. The call is specifically targeted towards EU networks active in the areas of social economy, social enterprise finance, and microfinance. The beneficiaries are expected to be stakeholders delivering support to social economy actors such as cooperatives and social enterprises, as well as those supporting the development of social finance, including microfinance, social enterprise finance, and social impact investing.

Funding Type:The funding type is an action grant, specifically ESF Project Grants (ESF-PJG) and ESF Action Grant Budget-Based (ESF-AG).

Consortium Requirement:The information suggests that both single applicants and consortia are possible. The call document mentions sections in the application form that can be left blank if applying as a single applicant. It also mentions the need for the lead applicant to have a mandate to act for all applicants, suggesting that consortia are an option. The eligibility of an EU network or consortium established after the call for proposal is addressed in the Q&A section.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility includes: EU Member States and their overseas countries and territories, EEA countries in accordance with the EEA Agreement, EU acceding countries, candidate countries, and potential candidate countries in line with agreements concluded with them, and Third countries having signed an agreement to participate in the strand or a third country listed in the EaSI work programme if necessary for the achievement of the objectives of an action. The United Kingdom is explicitly stated as not being an eligible country.

Target Sector:The program targets the social economy, social finance, social enterprises, microfinance, and microenterprises. It also aims to support the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights principles, including education, training, lifelong learning, gender equality, equal opportunities, active support to employment, secure and adaptable employment, work-life balance, childcare, support to children, inclusion of people with disabilities, long-term care, and access to essential services.

Mentioned Countries:EU Member States, EEA countries, EU acceding countries, candidate countries, potential candidate countries, and Third countries participating based on specific agreements or the EaSI work programme. The United Kingdom is explicitly mentioned as not eligible.

Project Stage:The projects are expected to be at a stage where they can contribute to the dissemination of EU policies, improve capacity and awareness, increase awareness about the potential of social economy, and improve the availability of research and data. This suggests a focus on development, validation, demonstration, or scale-up stages rather than basic research or idea generation.

Funding Amount:The total budget for the ESF Project Grants (ESF-PJG) is €13,300,000. The call document indicates that the mentioned amounts were set in an effort to reflect the great variety of projects expected to be submitted.

Application Type:The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process. Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System.

Nature of Support:The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of action grants.

Application Stages:The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates:The success rates are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement:The co-funding requirement is not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

This opportunity is an action grant call under the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) program, aimed at supporting EU networks active in the areas of social economy, social enterprise finance, and microfinance. The call, titled "Action grants to support EU networks active in the areas of social economy, social enterprise finance and microfinance ESF-2025-AG," seeks to enhance the institutional capacity of stakeholders and deliver support to social economy actors, including cooperatives, social enterprises, and those involved in social finance and impact investing. The projects funded under this call are expected to contribute to increased dissemination of EU policies, improved awareness of funding opportunities, greater recognition of the potential of the social economy, and enhanced availability of relevant research and data. Eligible applicants include legal entities from EU Member States, EEA countries, EU acceding countries, candidate countries, potential candidate countries, and certain third countries. The application process involves electronic submission of a complete application package, including application forms and supporting documents, through the Funding & Tenders Portal. The total budget allocated to ESF Project Grants under this call is €13,300,000. The call emphasizes the importance of the European Pillar of Social Rights principles and aims to support projects that contribute to their implementation. An online info session is scheduled to provide further details and answer questions from potential applicants. The deadline for submission is 19 June 2025.