About the project

Supported under the INTERREG DANUBE Programme, Finance4SocialChange brings together a partnership of 14 Partners and 6 Associated Strategic Partners from 12 countries to deliver improved policy learning, and to develop practical solutions on impact investing. Starting with launching an Opening Conference, the Finance4SocialChange partnership will promote a mutual learning between social enterprises, accelerators, impact investors and relevant national and regional policymakers in the frame of interregional learning events.

PROJECT NEWS

FINANCE4SOCIALCHANGE OPENING CONFERENCE IN BUDAPEST

Official Opening Conference of Finance4SocialChange has been successfully organized by leading partner IFKA in Budapest on the 26‐27 September 2018. Invited guest speakers and all project partners delivered great presentations and shared their visions for the future social impact investment markets in the Danube region.

IFKA TEAM ‐ LEAD PARTNER

Over 25 years IFKA Public Benefit Non Profit Ltd. for the Development of the Industry has been acting as an intermediary between industry and government.

Lessons learned and nearly 1000 social enterprises met in the frame of our national priority project on social entrepreneurship (called MarketMate) inspired us to start the Finance4SocialChange project in
order to provide efficient and effective solutions to social enterprises financial needs.

Together with nearly 20 committed organizations from across the Danube region, we will work towards creating the first Social Impact Investment Community Strategy for the Danube region and will launch acceleration program and a Danube region wide competition to attract social impact investors and create „investment ready” social enterprises.

Join us and be a “changemaker” in Hungary!

FINANCE4SOCIALCHANGE ACTIVITY IN SLOVENIA

Regional development agency Gorenjska, BSC Kranj implemented regional stakeholder group meeting. Current state of art in the region in social entrepreneurship, exchange of good and bad practices, as well, in the field of social impact investment, were the main issue of the meeting.

Our Slovenian partners also talked about EU and regional planning with the focus on social innovation and social entrepreneurship.

PARTICIPATION AT THE 7TH ANNUAL FORUM OF EU STRATEGY FOR THE DANUBE REGION

IFKA team participated in the 7th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube region in Sofia on the 18‐19 October 2018. Together with nearly 1000 participants, F4SC leading partner shaped the future of the Danube region in the theme of tourism.

CCIS ‐ DIALOGUE ON SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SERBIA

At the meeting of actors involved in the improvement of social entrepreneurship, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Serbia presented the previous activities of the partners on the project, as well as the plans for the next period, which include the organization of training for social enterprises.

The trainings will be conducted in accordance with the results of the research on the shortcomings and needs of social enterprises in the Danube Region, done by a partner Austrian agency in seven countries, in December 2017. The analysis showed the biggest challenges for enterprises in Serbia are finding skilled, dedicated and motivated workers; lack of managerial, marketing and sales skills, and poor access
to funding sources.

The F4SC is a new project for CCIS which brings together 12 countries that will work together to create practical solutions aimed at establishing a better regulatory framework for financing the work of social enterprises, as well as creating the first investment strategy social impacts in the Danube Region.

STEINBEIS 2I GMBH ‐ BRINGING TOGETHER ACTORS FROM BADEN‐WÜRTTEMBERG AND FROM THE UPPER AND LOWER DANUBE

As a 100% spin‐off of Steinbeis‐Europa‐Zentrum (SEZ), Steinbeis 2i GmbH acts as a junction between economic stakeholders, policy makers on the one hand and Research and Technology Organizations on the other hand.

With the Finance4SocialChange project, S2i expects to connect with many actors in the field of social entrepreneurship throughout the Danube region. By bringing together actors from Baden‐Württemberg and from the Upper and Lower Danube, S2i hopes to contribute towards enhancing the social impact investment markets but also to facilitate the creation and development of social enterprises. Finally, S2i expects with this project to improve the framework conditions in the project regions and thereby empower social enterprises as well as social investors. Giving social enterprises and investors more opportunities and visibility will contribute to tackle Danube‐wide challenges – especially in terms of scaling down socio‐economic disparities by investing in people and skills.

DIALOGUE IN BRATISLAVA

On 23rd October 2018 Slovak Business Agency organized a Policy Learning Dialogue aimed at strengthening social entrepreneurial landscape through involving socially responsible corporate practices in entrepreneurial competences and skills enhancement in the Danube region. It was an interactive workshop on policy design and the main topic was the situation after 2020 and the position of social enterprises in the new programming period. The strategy designed as the proccess of creating the Danube region strategy was presented during the dialogue. In addition, some promising practices focused on growth and internationalisation of social enterprises were discussed. The dialogue was organized in Bratislava, Slovakia.

REGIONAL STAKEHOLDER GROUP MEETING IN BUDAPEST

We are proud to present that the first Finance4SocialChange Regional Stakeholder Group meeting was organized in Budapest by IFKA Public Benefit Nonprofit Ltd. for the Development of the Industry. On the 29 October 2018, representatives of social enterprises, social enterprise accelerators, organizations involved in the implementation of the MarketMate national priority project on social entrepreneurship as well as the Ministry of Finance. The Regional Stakeholder Group meeting was addressed to introduce the objectives of the project to regional stakeholders as well as to exchange experiences and good practices about how to improve the social impact investment readiness of Hungarian social enterprises.

FINANCE4SOCIALCHANGE CONTACTS

Finance4SocialChange Lead Partner:

IFKA Public Benefit Non-profit Ltd. for the Development of Industry

HU-1062 Budapest, Andrássy út 100.

Tel.: +36 1 312 2213

Email: info@ifka.hu

www.ifka.hu 

Contact: Mike Nagorkin

Mobil: +36 70 529 9366

E-mail: nagorkin@ifka.hu