EcoVolve

Project summary

Within the EcoVolve project (full project name: EcoVolve: Evolutionizing Ecosystems for Social Enterprises in the CEE Region) that runs from 1 December 2024 until 31 May 2027 under the ESF-2023-SUPPLY-DEMAND call (project number: 101188814) co-funded by the European Union, the consortium partners are IFUA Nonprofit Partner, SIMPACT, Erste Social Finance, Erste Group Bank and Impact Europe. Our goal is to develop innovative financial instruments and capacity-building programmes for Social Enterprises and Impact Startups – businesses that create positive social or environmental impact.

EcoVolve strives to address the needs of early-stage social finance markets in selected Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries: Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia. We are working to build a more supportive ecosystem by addressing both the supply side (through the development of new impact-linked financing tools and the setup of an impact fund) and the demand side (through tailored capacity-building programmes for social enterprises).

New innovative financing structures tailored to the needs of young social finance markets, encompassing impact-linked financial instruments and provision through newly established impact fund (supply side) and related capacity-building services for social enterprises (SEs) (demand side) will be developed.

What will be the major outcomes of EcoVolve?

  • Impact-linked financing for social enterprises
  • A new impact fund structure
  • A practical, hands-on capacity-building programme rolled out across more countries in the region.

Deliverables

  • D1. Project Definition Plan (SEN): The document describes the project objectives, scope, activities, budget, timeline, roles and responsibilities, quality assurance, risk management, and internal communication plan of the project. 
  • D4. Developed marketing/communication strategy and campaigns aimed at different audiences (PU): The document describes the communication strategy of the project including the target audiences, key messages, communication channels and action plan for communication and dissemination. 
  • D12. Capacity-building expansion plan (PU): The document describes the plan to create a common programme framework, expand to new countries, involve and strengthen local partner organisations, and improve country-level planning. It uses market research and assessments from Work Package 3 to ensure that the expansion is based on evidence, fits the local context, and meets real needs.

Case Studies

As part EcoVolve project, two in-depth case studies are being developed to highlight best practices and innovative approaches that strengthen the impact ecosystem across Europe. Both will showcase concrete examples emerging from the project’s activities and will be disseminated widely by all consortium partners.

The first case study, developed by Impact Europe, is titled “Fuelling Impact Beyond Finance,” available here. It explores how the Marc Impact Programme, a scaling programme under EcoVolve, equips social enterprises in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with the non-financial support they need to grow sustainably and attract investment. The study also compares Marc’s capacity-building approach in CEE with a similar programme from Western Europe, illustrating diverse pathways to impactful growth.

The second case study will focus on impact-linked financing in Romania, and is planned for release in September 2026.

Support & Partners

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.