A breakthrough year for the social economy, 2024? That’s a bold claim, but we wouldn’t mind! What’s more, we strongly believe it and have solid arguments proving that this year could be just such a breakthrough for the development of social entrepreneurship in the Radom, Ostrołęka, and Ciechanów subregions. What do we base our optimism on? Argument #1 – Many More New Jobs on New, Much Better Terms
Nothing demonstrates the development of a given sector in the economy more measurably than a steadily increasing number of employees and increasingly better employee qualifications. Therefore, since 2012, the Masovian Social Economy Support Center – run by the Cooperation Fund Foundation – has consistently supported initiatives aimed at creating new jobs in social economy entities. Over these 12 years, over 440 jobs have been created. However, 2024 offers an opportunity to significantly accelerate this process. Why?
When it comes to mOWES’s support for social economy entities in creating new jobs, we can confidently call 2024 a new beginning. Over the next three years, we plan to significantly increase our activity in this area and subsidize the creation of as many as 241 jobs. The amount of support per job created will almost double and could reach up to PLN 63,000. Moreover, social enterprises will be able to receive subsidies for a maximum of 10 jobs – up from 5 as before. The amount of so-called reintegration support will also triple – up to PLN 13,000 per employee – which employers will be able to allocate, among other things, to preparing and training employees to meet the challenges of the workplace. It’s clear that this is not just a simple adjustment, but a significant, solid change and a positive impulse to meet the demands of competing in the open market,” emphasizes Justyna Jakubiak, mOWES project manager at the Cooperation Fund Foundation.
The planned deadline for grant applications for new jobs in the Radom, Ciechanów, and Ostrołęka subregions is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024.
Argument #2 – PLN 300 Million “Social Premium” for Local Governments
Another equally key area of mOWES’s activity – besides building space for creating new jobs in social enterprises – is supporting local governments by promoting the benefits and encouraging more active outsourcing of social services to social economy entities. The goal is clear: broader access to social services outsourced by the public administration as a response to the needs and challenges facing Polish society. This also provides better prospects for development, building financial independence, and a stronger market position for social economy entities.
In this area, 2024 also has the potential to be a breakthrough, thanks to the “Social Premium” project. This project, co-financed by the European Union and the state budget, is being implemented by the Cooperation Fund Foundation.
The principle is simple – at least 250 municipalities and counties that decide to outsource social services to social economy entities will be eligible to receive grants of up to PLN 350,000. PLN (max. 25% of the service value) partially finances social service contracts outsourced to the Social Insurance Fund (PES). Subsidized services may include respite care, assistance services in family care homes, support in centers for people in need, as well as specialist counseling, and more. The project’s budget until 2025 is PLN 100 million. We hope that this will overcome certain negative stereotypes and barriers that have previously hindered the development of trust-based, lasting, and much broader cooperation between local governments and social economy entities, and in the long term, it will increase the value of services outsourced to social economy entities specializing in the provision of social services,” says Daniel Prędkopowicz, Director of the Project Management Office at the Cooperation Fund Foundation.
More about the “Social Premium” [link]
More about social services [here]
Argument No. 3 – the social economy community unites and calls for urgent change
In the second half of January, 114 signatories – including the Cooperation Fund Foundation – united and signed an open letter to Minister Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk regarding the social economy. Together with other organizations, we are identifying the greatest and urgent challenges facing the entire social economy community, as well as specific actions that we believe need to be taken to become a role model for many European countries and regain a leading position in the European debate on the social economy. Full text of the letter [link]
We hope this is the beginning of necessary, systemic changes, but the fact that so many representatives of the social economy community recognize similar barriers and problems is encouraging and encourages us to look to the future with optimism.
Ready for the challenges of 2024? We invite you to collaborate!
We hope that this year will be a good one for you – especially future and current social entrepreneurs – and at best, a breakthrough year. On behalf of the entire team of the Masovian Social Economy Support Center, we encourage you to contact our facilitators and advisors to work together to build an increasingly better space for the development of the social economy. See you soon!
Philip Zalewski
