EU ESF+ Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) strand
ESF+ EaSI strand - social economy and social innovation
Runs annual; last round closed 2026-09-02
Projected from its published cycle — not a date the funder has confirmed.
Projected from the pattern of past calls — confirm on the funder's page before planning around it.
Calls supporting social economy ecosystems, social enterprise finance and social innovation. Grants normally cover up to 80-90% of eligible costs; project sizes commonly range from a few hundred thousand to a few million euro.
You must co-fund 20%. Work out the cash you need
European Commission (DG EMPL) via EISMEA and the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation
public · supranational
Deadline: One call a year — 2026 ESF+ social economy calls: networks call 6 Mar-19 Jun 2026; Inclusive Incubation and Finance (ESF-2026-SE-INCUBATION) closed 2 Sep 2026. No open call found.
This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.
Quick — mostly identity and bank details.
You fund 20% yourself.
Who can apply
- Sectors: social
- Stage: seed and Series A
- Locally registered entity required
Applicants are usually public bodies, social economy networks or intermediaries rather than individual social enterprises; social enterprises benefit as end recipients. The InvestEU Social Investment and Skills window provides complementary guarantees to lenders.
Related reading: How grant deadlines actually work
Source. https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/programmes/esf
Last checked against the official page on 5 October 2026
Source: ec.europa.eu
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