A publication presenting the results of research on available financial instruments for entrepreneurship development with a focus on the employment of persons with disabilities and social enterprises, conducted by Smart Kolektiv, was released as part of the “Job Fit: Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities project.
As part of the project to map available sources of financing, Smart Kolektiv conducted research among selected actors on the supply and demand sides at the beginning of the year. The research results show that the supply of sources of financing for the target group of enterprises/organizations is very limited, with state forms of support dominating. When it comes to the private sector and foreign sources of financing, apart from three business banks, one foreign agency for international development, and still relatively unknown and established crowdsourcing initiatives, there are currently no other providers of financial instruments in the market.
The survey was primarily conducted among entrepreneurs, micro, and small enterprises. The research reveals the expectations of those surveyed regarding the availability of future sources of financing, how often they monitor calls and public tenders dedicated to entrepreneurship and their target group, as well as their self-assessment of the internal capacities of enterprises/organizations to independently respond to calls and public tenders. Additionally, information was obtained about additional forms of support, sources of information on current calls and public tenders, and the transparency and visibility of public tenders.
Download the publication here!
The results of the conducted mapping have led to specific conclusions that can be used to define advocacy goals for the program to improve the availability of sources of financing for entrepreneurs, enterprises for professional rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities, and social enterprises. The data will be updated annually.
The publication was released as part of the Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities project, funded by USAID and implemented by the Youth with Disability Forum. Other project partners include Caritas Serbia, the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, Smart Kolektiv, and the Center for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities in Serbia.
