Six civil society organizations have been selected through the public call for the establishment of regional resource centres for social entrepreneurship. With programme and expert support, they will develop local centres aimed at strengthening the social entrepreneurship sector in their communities.

The regional resource centres will serve as hubs for support, networking and knowledge exchange for social enterprises, civil society organizations, informal initiatives and other stakeholders interested in developing and implementing social entrepreneurship models. Their role will be to respond to the needs of local organizations and provide them with practical resources and support for developing sustainable and socially responsible business models.

The resource centres will offer different types of support, including training, mentoring, advisory services, information on available funding opportunities and potential partnerships, as well as connections with companies, public institutions, local governments and other relevant partners. In this way, the centres will contribute to building a stronger and more connected local social entrepreneurship ecosystem.

List of Selected Civil Society Organizations to Receive Support in 2026

  • Caritas Šabac (Šabac)
  • Deli – Space for Creative Activity (Niš)
  • ENECA (Niš)
  • Business Development Center Kragujevac (Kragujevac)
  • Sombor Educational Center (Sombor)
  • Forum Of Civil Action FORCA (Požega)

Note: The selected organizations are listed in alphabetical order.

In the coming period, the selected organizations will take part in training and other activities aimed at strengthening their capacities to establish and manage resource centres. Following the completion of the training and the launch of activities, more information will be available about the supported projects, planned activities and the ways in which the resource centres will provide support to social enterprises and organizations in their local communities.

About the “Resilient Communities: Nurturing Social Enterprises for Local Development” Project

The establishment of regional resource centres is part of the “Resilient Communities: Nurturing Social Enterprises for Local Development” project, whose overall objective is to contribute to sustainable social development and strengthen the economic resilience of local communities.

The project focuses on strengthening the capacities of civil society organizations and developing stronger partnerships between the civil society, public and private sectors, with a particular focus on supporting and advancing the social entrepreneurship sector.

Social enterprises are recognized as an important driver of positive change in communities, as their business activities seek to address specific social and environmental challenges while creating economic opportunities and contributing to employment and local development.

The project envisages the establishment of a total of eight resource centres. Six will be developed with the support provided to the selected civil society organizations, while two centres will be established by the project partners. Together, the centres will contribute to building a more accessible and sustainable support system for social enterprises and organizations interested in developing this type of business model.

Through the establishment of regional resource centres, we aim to contribute to a stronger support network, greater connections among different stakeholders and the development of sustainable solutions that contribute to economic empowerment, addressing social and environmental challenges, and the long-term development of local communities.

The public call is part of the project “Resilient Communities: Nurturing Social Enterprises for Local Development” implemented by Smart Kolektiv in partnership with Evrokontakt Kruševac and the Kolping Society of Serbia, with the financial support of the European Union.

The content of this text does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.