Fuelling Impact Beyond Finance
The Role of Non-Financial Support in CEE
From Western Europe's capacity-building experience to Marc in Central and Eastern Europe - advancing best practices in Non-Financial Support for sustainable impact
In Central and Eastern Europe, many social enterprises are showing that creating lasting impact requires more than funding - it takes guidance, skills, and collaboration. This case study explores how Marc equips entrepreneurs in the region with tailored non-financial support to strengthen their organisations, refine their business models, and scale sustainably, helping build a more resilient and investment-ready impact ecosystem across the CEE region.
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About the EcoVolve Project
The EcoVolve project - "Evolutionizing Ecosystems for Social Enterprises in the CEE Region" - is a multistakeholder initiative co-funded by the European Union. It brings together a consortium of leading institutions including Erste Foundation, Erste Social Finance, Erste Group Bank, IFUA Nonprofit Partner, SIMPACT, and Impact Europe, under the shared mission to strengthen the social finance infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe.
The project focuses in addressing the persistent gaps faced by early-stage social enterprises in the region by developing innovative financial instruments and tailored capacity-building solutions. One of its flagship deliverables is Marc - a high-impact scaling programme designed to equip social enterprises and impact startups with the strategic tools and non-financial support needed to grow sustainably and attract investment.
As part of its contribution to EcoVolve, Impact Europe is producing two case studies that capture best practices and actionable insights for ecosystem development. This is the first of these, exploring the strategic role of Non-Financial Support (NFS) in Western Europe and the CEE region.
