Social enterprises in Poland are being given easier access to finances, including loans and counter-guarantees, allowing them not only to complete their vital work, but to develop themselves further.

For many social enterprises in Poland, finding suitable funding can be very difficult. They don’t always, for example, have the credit history required to borrow money from the usual financial institutions.

Now, a project developed by the state-owned Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego is making financing easier for Poland's Social Economy Entities (SEEs). It uses funds from the ESF to give SEEs access to a range of repayable financial tools, including loans and counter-guarantees, and giving them the capital they need to do their work and develop their business.

One of the beneficiaries of the project is ARTE, a social co-operative operating in a number of fields, including construction and renovation, ceramics and textiles, cleaning and, more recently, custom-made furniture.