Over 2200 Russian social enterprises win MED grants in 2022
Over 2200 social enterprises win Ministry of Economic Development grants in 2022
Social enterprises received up to 500,000 roubles, or 1 million roubles for groups in the Arctic
11.01.2023
The economic development ministry said in a statement that entrepreneurs could use the funds to work towards various goals depending on the details of their project, from paying rent or buying office supplies to renovating buildings or settling lease payments. Businesses could also purchase medical kits and components, or prosthetics and other orthopaedic equipment, the statement noted.
“Grant-based support from the State will remain the same in 2023. The range of recipients will also be more inclusive. From now on, businesspeople with disabilities can be designated a social enterprise and access all the support that entails, even if they don’t have any employees,” said Tatyana Ilyushnikova, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Economic Development.
The most frequent recipients of the more than 2,200 grants made were businesses from the districts around Moscow, St Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Volgograd, as well as from the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Primorsky region.
Elena Bashinskaya, a businesswoman from the Primorsky region, used her grant to buy equipment to support children’s classes at her innovative technology and robotics club. The equipment included laptops, printers and machine tools that teenagers could use to learn how to make souvenirs.
“Social enterprise in the Primorsky region is developing rapidly, and it is one of the top five most successful regions in Russia’s nationwide ranking system. We’ve achieved that through our partnership with the Centre for Innovation in the Social Sector, as well as by developing financial and material support measures, and running both meaningful thematic and training events, and free business branding and promotion services. In 2023, we are planning to go digital with our financial support measures, which will also make it more straightforward for social entrepreneurs to receive their grants,” said Nikolay Stetsko, deputy head of the Primorsky regional authority.
The My business hub in your region can give you information about what support is available, and can help with getting you registered as a social enterprise.
