In 2009, the Strategic Research and Development Center of Georgia was one of the first organizations that started working in the direction of social entrepreneurship development. Since then, social entrepreneurship is one of the important strategic directions of the organization.

The aim of the program is to develop social entrepreneurship as a new approach for social and economic inclusion of vulnerable groups in Georgia, to solve public and environmental challenges.

The program team considers social entrepreneurship as a contribution to the development of the following areas:

• Equal opportunities, inclusive society and economic systems
• Solving newly emerging social and environmental problems
• Empowering active citizens for sustainable positive change in society

The direction team constantly conducts trainings for interested organizations, provides consultations, provides financial and technical support to social enterprises, conducts research, based on the findings of which recommendations are developed for decision-makers in Georgia to better adapt social entrepreneurship to the Georgian reality.

Educational courses such as planning and evaluation of social goals and results, financial management of social enterprises and others were created within the direction. Referral services are in demand for development organizations such as DRC, ASB, Hilfswerk, OSGF and others.

Since 2010, the organization has provided more than 1,359,000 GEL of support and strengthened 57 social enterprises. In addition, the central corporation of the social entrepreneurship group subverts the funding sources of social enterprises. With the participation of the organization, one of the largest Georgian microfinance organizations, Crystal, created a new product - "social credit" tailored to social enterprises, which has already been used by 12 social enterprises.

With the active participation of CSRDG, an alliance of social enterprises was formed. Currently, it unites 35 enterprises and the number of its members is steadily growing. The Alliance is actively involved in promoting social entrepreneurship and advocating the creation of a favorable operating environment for it.

Main activities of the program:

• Promotion of economic and social integration of persons in a less competitive position in the employment market (including persons in conflict with the law, internally displaced persons, persons with disabilities and/or special needs, traditional craft masters, etc.)
• Promotion of development of social services
• Promotion of development of vulnerable regions/populated points
• Promotion of recycling and environmental protection
• Promotion of social innovation
• Other areas, such as cultural heritage protection, art, etc.

The organization made a significant contribution not only to the accumulation and sharing of knowledge related to social entrepreneurship, but also to the promotion of the concept of social entrepreneurship. In particular:

• Prepared and published social entrepreneurship manual in Georgian language
• Created the web portal www.segeorgia.org, which remains the richest resource in the field of social entrepreneurship in terms of information.
• In one of the universities of Georgia, a bachelor's program of social entrepreneurship was piloted

Unique Area of Expertise

• A tailored approach to social enterprise capacity building that combines financial support, intensive technical assistance and impact measurement
• Development and administration of thorough and comprehensive learning resources related to social entrepreneurship
• Strong strategic partnerships with leading organizations in the field to improve the enabling environment for social entrepreneurship

"First Impact Fund in Georgia - Actio"

In order to create a favorable environment for social enterprises, CSRDG started working on the promotion of social impact investing in Georgia. This approach helps to mobilize local resources to expand and increase the impact of social enterprises. For this purpose, in June 2022, CSRDG established the first impact fund in Georgia with the support of the European Commission and the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA). Actio is a new opportunity for active social enterprises to develop business and increase social impact. Furthermore, it is  a reliable mechanism for investors and supporters  to contribute to creating long-term social impact and improving the well-being of Georgian citizens.

International networks and associations

• European Venture Philanthropy Association
  
  

For more information, visit the website of the program

Actio.ge