This document summarizes Poland's support for social entrepreneurship and inclusive entrepreneurship through EU regional development funds between 2007-2013. It provided grants, loans, training and advisory support to help 148,000 people start businesses, including 26,000 youth and 3,400 disabled people. For social entrepreneurship, it established social economy support centers in each region to provide services to help social cooperatives and non-profits. Over 7,700 social enterprises and 111,700 people were supported, creating 1,500 jobs. Lessons learned include the need for more sustainable support and quality standards for support centers.

1. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
ESF support for inclusive
entrepreneurship in
Human Capital
Operational Programme 2007 - 2013
Brussels, 27.06.2013

2. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
Regional support for inclusive
entrepreneurship
Priority 6. Labour market open for all
• Grants for start ups + training + advisory + bridge support
• 148 thousands of grants, 150 thousands of jobs created
• 26 thousands grants for the youth
• 3,4 thousands grants for the disabled
• 13,2 thousands grants for the elderly people (50-64)
Conclusion: low skills level, specific, additional needs, dependancy on
support causes that they fail when support stops
• Additional 115 mln Eur for the youth support

3. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
Regional support for inclusive
entrepreneurship
Priority 6. labour market open for all
• From 2012 pilot project enabling the repayable loans for the people
who wish to establish a business – 41 mln Eur allocation (loans up
to 12 000 Eur)
• Contracting financial intermediares in the regions

4. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
Regional support for social economy
Submeasure 7.2.2. Support for social economy (172 mln Eur)
• Building the support system for SE institutions on the regional
level – appointing on the way of call for proposals the institutions (at
least 2 in the region) which provide:
- legal, bookkeeping and marketing services
- Advisory centres / points, social economy incubators
- Training on how to start up and conduct social economy entity
- Building local partnerships for SE development
- Promotion SE as a source of employment
These institutions are called Social Economy Support Centres

5. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
Regional support for social economy
• Establishment of social cooperatives
Support for natural and legal persons planning to start up social
cooperative through at least 2 instruments:
- Advisory (for individuals and groups) and training in terms of starting
and conducting social cooperatives (before and after signing the
contract)
- Grants for starting up or accessing to social cooperative (up to
20 000 PLN/5 000 EUR/ per person)
- Granting bridge support for 6 / 12 months from signing a contract
(grants and advisory)

6. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
Regional support for social economy
• From 2012 pilot project enablig loans for
developing social enterprise -7,5 mln Eur
• 250 loans in 2013 – 2015 for up to 60 months
with additional consulting services
• Max ammount : 25 000 Eur, the interest was
calculated for 0,5 % of the discount rate
(currently 2 %)

7. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
Regional support for social economy
Beneficiaries:
• Ngo’s conducting trade activity
• Social cooperatives
• Religious organisations
• Public companies and companies with limited liability – running non
profit, transfering income onto statutory goals

8. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
Achieved indicators
Number of Social Enterprises established
(300)
0 131
Number of SE entities supported by SESC
(6801)
12 7700
Number of people supported within SE
entities (33 000)
305 111 700
2008 2012

9. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
Indicators
Result indicators:
•Number of jobs created in the social economy sector with support from the
ESF (aim: 7000) – 1500 (achieved in 2011),
•The share of own revenues of the social economy entities in the overall value
of their income (aim: 30%) – 45% (achieved),
•Number of SESC supported by ESF 2 years later in the business – 26/44

10. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
Development of the Measure 7.2.2.
Diagnosis:
• Number of appointed social economy support centres was bigger
than assumed output indicators
• Short life (one year in that role) of supported SESC
Changes:
• 1 SESC per subregion
• Financing will address already existing SESC and last no shorter
than 24 months
• Sustainability will be checked 2 years after closing the project

11. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
• Multidimentional and integrated support (training, grants,
advisory, partnership)
• Promotion of SE
• Influencing regional authorities, strategies, long term planning
• Building local/regional coalitions for SE development
Strengths

12. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
• Regional financial means dispersed among too many SE
entities (SESC)
• Short life of SESC – dependancy on ESF financing
• Low quality of services – the expectations of SE entities not
met
• Lack of quality standards for SESC
Weaknesses

13. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
• National Programme for Social Economy Development
(longterm policy document) enabling more effective and
coherent support of SE till 2020
• Building on up to date experience – 3 types of services
(modules)
- Local animation – public – social partnerships, social
participation
- initial training and advisory on how to establish social
enterprise (in cooperation with the local labour offices) +
incubation and tutoring
- professional services (legal, financial, marketing, management,
innovation) by acredited institutions
Future

14. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
• Revolving financial instruments
• Common monitoring system
• Quality standards
• Policy coordination
• Favourable environment for SE development
Future

15. 10.10.13Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego -
Department for ESF Management
e-mail: efs@mrr.gov.pl
Malgorzata.lublinska@mrr.gov.pl
Thank you