On October 1st, the Cooperation Fund Foundation is launching a new pool of funds for local governments to purchase social services. Under the “Social Premium” project, a local government unit (LGU) that partners with a social economy entity (SEE) can receive a grant of up to PLN 350,000. Financial support can cover up to 70% of the cost of providing the service. Thanks to support from European Funds and the state budget, local governments will receive nearly PLN 90 million in the coming years to partially finance the outsourcing of social services to social economy entities (including PLN 38 million in the soon-to-be-launched second round of the first call for proposals). Applications can be submitted until the end of October. At least 250 grants are planned for municipalities and counties in the first round of the project.
In the first round of the first call, we have already awarded grants worth nearly PLN 1.5 million. Funds for the implementation of social services will be distributed to local governments across Poland in October. Importantly, all submitted projects received positive reviews. However, the pool of funds available for the project is much larger, so it’s worth applying for this funding. The “social premium” is an innovative mechanism supporting the development of the local social services market. Its main goal is to encourage local governments to outsource these services to social economy entities, says Daniel Prędkopowicz of the Cooperation Fund Foundation.
All municipalities and counties that decide to commission a social service to a social economy entity through a public procurement procedure or a public task assignment can apply for the funds. Local governments will decide how to spend the funds and will be responsible for selecting the entity that will implement the service.
In practice, this means that local communities will gain access to a wide range of social services, which will translate into an improved quality of life for their residents. The funds will support activities such as respite care, assistance services in family care homes, support in centers for people in need, assistance for people with disabilities, and specialized counseling.
The grant can be used to implement social services that have not previously been commissioned to social economy entities (SEEs) or to expand their scale. The condition for granting a grant is that the SEE selection process begins after the announcement of the relevant call for proposals (i.e., for the first call – after June 28, 2024) and that a contractor is selected before submitting the application (so that it can be indicated in the grant application). The application may request more than one type of social service.
The value of the pilot project, implemented until June 30, 2026, is nearly PLN 90 million. The project is co-financed by the European Union under the European Funds for Social Development 2021-2027 program, co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus.
More information can be found on the project website:
www.premiaspoleczna.pl
