The Cooperation Fund Foundation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy, is implementing the "Social Premium" project, the aim of which is to use the potential of the social economy sector to provide social services while generating a number of benefits for local communities.
The project is a response to a number of challenges faced by local governments, including ensuring high-quality social services, supporting the elderly and people with disabilities, and combating social exclusion.
The project plans to provide grants to municipalities and counties (ranging from 50 to 90% of the service value, but no more than PLN 500,000) to partially finance social service contracts outsourced to Social Economy Entities (PES). These will include respite care, assistance services in family care homes, support in centers for those in need, and specialist counseling.
Applications can be submitted by eligible local governments that plan to expand the scope of existing social services or commission new ones. Importantly, only social economy entities can provide these services. The value of the pilot project, which will run until the end of March 2027, is nearly PLN 100 million.
Funding for the project comes from the European Funds for Social Development 2021-2027 program, co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus and the state budget. This will allow local governments to receive approximately PLN 300 million in the coming years to commission social services from social economy entities.
The main objective of the project: to increase the procurement by local government units for the provision of social services by social economy entities.
Specific objective: increasing equal and timely access to good quality, sustainable and affordable support services, including access to housing; person-centred care, including healthcare; modernising social protection systems, including access to social protection (taking into account children and disadvantaged groups); improving accessibility, including for people with disabilities, the effectiveness and resilience of health systems and long-term care services
Result: increase in the value of social services outsourced by local government units to PES
Target group: all local government units (municipalities, poviats and cities with poviat rights) in Poland, as well as their subordinate units that are directly responsible for commissioning the implementation of social services
Implementation period: 01/09/2023 – 31/03/2027
Project value: PLN 99,999,999.99
Amount of funding from European funds: PLN 82,519,999.99
