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Strengthening Social Economy Networks for Impact and Resilience

Across Europe, people and organisations are finding new ways to build stronger, fairer and more resilient economies. This initiative connects these efforts, helping ideas, knowledge and experience travel across borders and create greater impact.

Strengthening Social Economy Networks for Impact and Resilience is a 3-year European initiative funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), coordinated by Diesis Network together with a strategic consortium composed of Social Economy Europe (SEE), EURICSE and REVES – European Network of Cities and Regions for the Social Economy.

The initiative aims to strengthen the capacity, visibility and connectivity of social economy networks across Europe, enabling them to address today’s social, economic and territorial challenges.

It also promotes stronger engagement among stakeholders and creates connections across social economy ecosystems, enabling organisations, networks and other actors to exchange knowledge, build partnerships and collaborate more effectively.

It seeks to bridge the gap between EU policy and real local impact by providing concrete support, cooperation spaces and capacity-building opportunities tailored to the realities of social economy ecosystems across different European territories.

Our Objectives:

Strengthen network capacity  

Foster transnational cooperation  

Enable peer learning

Strengthen public–social economy dialogue

Build connected and innovative ecosystems

Raise the social economy’s visibility

How we Support
Networks and Ecosystems

Micro-grants for Social Economy Networks

We will provide €140,000 in grants to support local and regional social economy networks. The funding will help organisations work together, build stronger connections, and develop the skills and resources they need to grow their impact.

Training & Peer Learning

A series of 20 training sessions (online and in person) and 10 peer-learning exchanges will give social economy organisations and networks practical opportunities to learn, share experiences, and strengthen their work together.

Policy labs

The project will develop 10 thematic policy labs designed to foster direct dialogue between local and regional authorities social economy actors support organisations and networks. The objective is to co-create solutions and policy recommendations rooted in the real needs of territories and communities.

Macro-regional Clusters

We will establish coordination and cooperation structures across 5 European wider regions, fostering cross-border collaboration, trust-building and long-term ecosystem connections among social economy stakeholders.

Blog

Stronger Networks, Stronger Regions: Why Systemic Change Matters for Europe’s Social Economy

Strong social economy organisations need strong connections around them. When networks are fragmented, local knowledge can remain isolated, opportunities for cooperation can be missed, and the link between policy and practice becomes harder to build. That is why Strengthening Social Economy Networks for Impact and Resilience looks beyond individual organisations to the wider ecosystem: connecting people, networks, policies and territories so they can reinforce one another. Over the next three years, the initiative will bring together macroregional cooperation, capacity building, financial support, policy dialogue and awareness campaigns to strengthen the social economy across Europe.

Strengthening Social Economy Networks: Diesis Joins European Commission Kick-Off Meeting

On 16 June 2026, we participated in the European Commission’s kick-off meeting for EU networks funded under the ESF-2025-AG-MF-SE call for proposals. The event brought together European networks active in the fields of social economy, social enterprise finance and microfinance, alongside representatives of the European Commission, to discuss policy priorities, share planned activities and explore opportunities for stronger collaboration across Europe.

United for a Stronger Social Economy

This campaign highlights how people and organisations across Europe are building stronger local economies, creating opportunities and shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future. It brings their stories and impact to a wider audience, inspiring awareness, engagement and collaboration.

Knowledge
for Stronger Ecosystems

Throughout the initiative, we will develop practical resources, research and tools to help organisations and communities learn, connect and take action.

These will include: 

  • Research, ecosystem assessment and stakeholder mapping
  • Tools and methods for building stronger ecosystems
  • Policy and thematic insights
  • Training materials
  • Peer-learning resources
  • Communication materials and publications

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the EU Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them

This website is funded under the call ESF-2025-AG-NETW-MF-SE, topic ESF-2025-AG-NETW-MF-SE, type of action ESF Project Grants.
Granting authority: European Commission-EU
Project number: 101261604