The
“Our Future” foundation, the All-Russian Public Organisation of Small and
Medium-Sized Businesses, and the Uralsib Bank have signed an agreement on support for social enterprise

The trilateral agreement, signed on 3 July, provides
for the support of social enterprise projects, and also the creation of a
qualitatively new support infrastructure for the social enterprise sector.  Within the framework of the agreement, the
signatories plan to formulate conditions for qualitative and quantitative
growth in social entrepreneurship in Russia. 
A joint support programme will be worked out which will open up access
for social enterprises to grants and privileged credit for business
development.  Entrepreneurs will be able
to undertake free training, receive advice on legal and financial questions,
and also get help from mentors.  The
regional social programme “Our Future” will evaluate social enterprise projects
by special criteria.  Natalia Zvereva,
director of the foundation, says: “For six years we have evaluated thousands of
projects by these criteria.  We know
precisely what social enterprise is, and how projects relate to it.  We believe that social enterprise will become
its own branch”.

http://www.asi.org.ru/ASI3/rws_asi.nsf/va_WebPages/FC32AF3E18B66E9F44257B9E00293C96Rus