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NESsT
Venture Fund Portfolio in Central Europe
After having received pre-feasibility study, feasibility study, and business plan development support during the early stage, NESsT Venture Fund later-stage portfolio members receive an individually-tailored, multi-year venture financing and capacity-building package from NESsT to help start up or expand their social enterprise.
Click on the country names below to learn more about nonprofit organizations that are receiving later-stage support from the NESsT Venture Fund in Central & Eastern Europe to develop their social enterprises:
- Croatia - Romania - Czech Republic - Slovakia - Hungary
To learn more about organizations that have exited our later stage click here.
To learn about other organizations we have worked with in Central & Eastern Europe in social enterprise planning and development click here.
1. Later-Stage Portfolio - Croatia
The following organizations are currently members of NESsT's later-stage portfolio in Croatia:
PRONI Centre for Social Education
(Osijek, Croatia)
Promoting youth education in post-war social reconstruction.
Click here to read the PRONI Investment Brief. |
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Social Mission: PRONI works to effect post-war social
reconstruction and decrease youth involvement
with drugs and alcohol in Croatia by engaging
young people in informal education and employment
opportunities. PRONI forges transnational
partnerships to improve and expand its youth and
information center networks to further promote
reconciliation.
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Social Enterprise: At Pirovac, on the Adriatic Coast,
PRONI offers commercial rental of their Residential
Centre for seminars, retreats and private recreational
use. PRONI also offers additional services such as
training and event facilitation.
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RODA – Roditelji u Akciji
(Zagreb, Croatia)
Improving health through natural childbirth and maternal care.
Click here to read the RODA Investment Brief. |
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Social Mission: Through education, political advocacy, and
active awareness campaigns, RODA works to bring
about widespread change in Croatian maternal care
and engender increased parental involvement in children’s
lives. RODA promotes a society with more
responsible attitudes towards children, future parents
and families.
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Social Enterprise: As part of its marketing strategy,
RODA educates stakeholders and the public on the
social, environmental, health, and finanical benefits of
using cloth diapers, as well as the advantages of natural
childbirth and breastfeeding. Continued workshops
and an expanded presence at parenting fairs will
allow RODA to further promote the values of active
parenthood and natural childcare.
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2. Later-Stage Portfolio - Czech Republic
The following organizations are currently members of NESsT's later-stage portfolio in the Czech Republic:
Moznosti tu jsou
(Diakonie)
(Plzen, Czech Republic)
Improving social conditions for people with disabilities.
Click here to read the Diakonie "Investment Brief." |
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Social Mission: Diakonie works to create conditions for securing social services for mentally disabled people
and people in difficult life situations, including day care programs and housing. |
Social Enterprise: Since 2005, Moznosti tu jsou (Diakonie) has operated the “Café and Tearoom Kacaba” in Plzen, which employs mentally disabled persons. The café plans to add a catering business
and transform it into a self-sustaining social enterprise in which at least 60% of the workers are mentally disabled. |
POHODA
(Prague, Czech Republic)
Improving social conditions for people with disabilities.
Click here to read the Pohoda "Investment Brief." |
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Social Mission: Pohoda works to integrate people with disabilities into society by promoting independent living. It provides social services to improve their quality of life, help them integrate more into their community, and give them the tools to manage their adult life. |
Social Enterprise: Pohoda’s social enterprise is an educational center offering gap-filling and high-quality trainings to social workers, government officials, private companies, and families of people with mental disabilities, in order to improve interaction, communication, and ultimately integration of people with disabilities into society. |
Spolek Pratel
(Plzen, Czech Republic)
Improving social conditions for people with disabilities.
Click here to read the Spolek Pratel "Investment Brief." |
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Social Mission: Spolek Prátel seeks to improve the
quality of life for low-income, at-risk youth
in Frýdek–Místek through cultural, recreational
and educational programs. |
Social Enterprise: Spolek Prátel rents
its theater and sports facilities and equipment
to community groups (including
sports teams, theater groups, families and
companies) for activities that are compatible
with the organization’s social mission.
It also runs a snack bar on its facilities that
serves refreshments and snacks to visitors
during events. |
Transitions Online (TOL)
(Czech Republic)
Promoting independent journalism.
Click here to read the TOL "Investment Brief." |
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Social Mission: TOL is a nonprofit media
development organization
dedicated to strengthening the
professionalism, independence,
and impact of journalism in postcommunist
Central and Eastern
Europe, the Balkans, and the
former Soviet Union by working
with journalists, media outlets,
and other groups. |
Social Enterprise: NESsT is assisting TOL to derive
income from subscription sales of its
online magazine on expert analysis
and news coverage of Eastern and
Central Europe, the Balkans, and the
former Soviet Union. TOL also provides
training to young journalists in postcommunist
countries. |
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3. Later-Stage Portfolio - Hungary
The following organizations are currently members of NESsT's later-stage portfolio in Hungary:
Csoport-téka Egyesület
(Budapest, Hungary)
Enhancing the integration of people with disadvantages in the labor market. |
Click here to read the Csoport-teka "Investment Brief."
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Social Mission: Csoport-téka works for the employment and integration of people with disadvantages in the labor market, such as those who are long-term unemployed, young graduates, Roma people, people with disabilities, and young mothers. |
Social Enterprise: Csoport-téka offers high-impact, replicable employment services for individuals who often face multiple disadvantages in the labor market. |
Fruit of Care
(Budapest, Hungary)
Promoting sustainable employment of people with disabilities.
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Click here to read the Fruit of Care "Investment Brief."
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Social Mission: Fruit of care is a social brand that promotes sustainable employment for people with disabilities by marketing products made by them and by providing professional help to sheltered workshops in order to make their products more competitive and reach their full financial and social potential. |
Social Enterprise: Fruit of care currently offers over two hundreds high quality, designer gift and decoration products from 5 sheltered workshops made by people with disabilities. |
Kek Madar
(Szekszard, Hungary)
Creating economic and education opportunities to marginalized people.
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Click here to read the Kek Madar "Investment Brief."
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Social Mission: Kek Madar strives to create economic
and educational opportunities for unemployed
and marginalized people, providing
them temporary employment, job training and child care
to help them transition to full-time employment and independent
lives. |
Social Enterprise: Kek Madar runs a restaurant that
provides training and employment for
physically and mentally disabled people,
while at the same time providing a nutritious
dining alternative for families and disabled
people. The social enterprise also
demonstrates an example of successful
integration of people with disabilities, who can then go on to find employment in the open job market
after working in the restaurant. |
Vadvirág Foundation
(Kaposvár, Hungary)
Improving the life of children with disabilities
Click here to read the Vadvirag "Investment Brief."
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Social Mission: Vadvirág Foundation works to improve the life of children with physical disabilities and other special needs, primarily by providing them with special aquatic therapies, physiotherapies and support services to their families. |
Social Enterprise: Vadvirág offers special development courses for children with learning difficulties designed to increase their motivation to study by experiencing the joy of learning. |
Vöröskereszt Budapest
(Budapest, Hungary)
Creating employment opportunities for homeless
Click here to read the Vöröskereszt "Investment Brief." |
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Social Mission: Vöröskereszt works to improve health conditions and social welfare of low income and homeless individuals by providing social and health services; and by organizing fundraising campaigns and blood donations in all districts of Budapest. |
Social Enterprise:
Vöröskereszt established its “Service House” in 2008 to provide training and employment opportunities to homeless people in the fields of carpentry, cleaning and maintenance services. |
Welldorf Cooperative
(Budapest, Hungary)
Creating a more socially-consious community and society
Click here to read the Welldorf "Investment Brief." |
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Social Mission: Waldorf Schools are independent private schools dedicated to creating a more socially-conscious community and society by nurturing the creative, physical, social, and spiritual development of children. |
Social Enterprise: Welldorf - the school's social enterprise - is an online store that sells a wide array of stationery, arts and craft supplies, and special materials mainly used in Waldorf schools and preschools. |
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4. Later-Stage Portfolio - Romania
The following organizations are currently members of NESsT's later-stage portfolio in Romania:
ACSIS
(Bucharest, Romania)
Providing new parents with support and assistance.
Click here to read the ACSIS "Investment Brief." |
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Social Mission:
ACSIS works to promote children's rights to grow up in their own families, preventing child abandonment by providing new parents with support and assistance. |
Social Enterprise: ACSIS aims to empower at-risk mothers to become financially independent by means of employment and training in its textile toys production workshops. NESsT is providing support to enable ACSIS to expand its workshop activities and tap into the high-potential market of large companies that have corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.
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Alaturi de Voi
(Iasi, Romania)
Improving the life of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Click here to read the Alaturi de Voi "Investment Brief". |
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Social Mission:
To improve the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS in Romania. |
Social Enterprise:
ADV employs youths in a protected workshop that provides photocopying and binding services, painting and computers in addition to manufacturing and selling quality hand-made crafts such as textiles, glassworks, and calendars. |
Fundatia Cartea Calatoare
(Focsani, Romania)
Increasing the social integration of people with sight-impairment.
Click here to read the Fundatia Cartea Calatoare "Investment Brief". |
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Social Mission:
FCC works to facilitate access to culture, education and employment for people with sight-impairment, and to increase their social integration through the use of modern technologies. |
Social Enterprise:
FCC employees and volunteers will capitalize on a year’s experience producing audio books in DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) format to significantly expand its selection of feature-rich, navigable recordings and sell them to public libraries and individual customers. Additionally, FCC will sell the necessary devices and software to public libraries that are required by law to accommodate disable readers. Possible future expansion of the enterprise includes the production of audio guides for museum tours. |
Fundatia Noi Orizonturi
(Hunedoara, Romania)
Enhancing the sustainable development of society.
Click here to read the Fundatia Noi Orizonturi "Investment Brief". |
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Social Mission: To promote moral values and advance social and vocational competencies amongst young people as a strategy for sustainable development of society. Noi Orizonturi’s main programs to achieve this mission are "Life" children's camps and ''Impact" youth clubs. "
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Social Enterprise: Development of a 24-person chalet property in the picturesque resort of Straja in the Meridional Carpathians for year-round tourism. The chalet provides accommodation and thus wintertime access to nearby ski resorts and a base for summer hiking excursions.
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Fundatia Romanian Angel - RAAF
(Bucharest, Romania)
Improving the life of youth and families with chronic illnesses.
Click here to read the RAAF "Investment Brief". |
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Social Mission:
RAAF works to improve the quality of life for youth and families living with chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, who face discrimination and social exclusion. It has more than 15 years of experience in public health, delivering social, medical and educational services. |
Social Enterprise: RAAF launched a non-mission related enterprise, in which they offer a course for pregnant women and couples on maternal and neonatal health care, as well as produce and sell educational DVDs to future parents.
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4. Later-Stage Portfolio - Slovakia
The following organizations are currently members of NESsT's later-stage portfolio in Slovakia:
Jablonka
(Jablonove, Slovakia)
Promoting sustainable rural development.
Click here to read the Jablonka "Investment Brief." |
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Social Mission: Jablonka is dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage and sustainable development of the Záhorie region through eco-environmental educational activities and community-building programs. |
Social Enterprise: Jablonka sells traditionally grown local seeds, plants, and trees, and offers garden design and landscaping services with natural materials. |
Vydra
(Cierny Balog, Slovakia)
Promoting sustainable rural development.
Click here to read the Vydra "Investment Brief."
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Social Mission: Vydra is committed to preserving
local traditions, culture and the
environment in the rural microregion of
Cierny Hron through education and sustainable
development. |
Social Enterprise:
Vydra operates a
tourist camp and café. Its second social
enterprise is the operation of three tourist
information centers that provide referrals,
sell tourist packages and local souvenirs.
The tourist packages offer lodging, food
services, and eco-tourism activities such as
visits to "Open Air Forest Museum", rides
on historic railroad, nature walks,
horseback riding, eco games and cultural
presentations. Vydra also plans to convert
its offices so they can be used for
accommodations and activities. |
WellGiving
(Lozorno, Slovakia)
Develop philanthropy and social entrepreneurship.
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Click here to read the Wellgiving "Investment Brief".
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Social Mission: Inspire people to do good things through unconventional philanthropic projects, which contribute to a reduction of suffering and poverty, and help create new opportunities and greater equality for disadvantaged groups. Develop philanthropy and social entrepreneurship through technology. |
Social Enterprise: WellGiving’s social enterprise is CharityShop, an online store which sells products and services offered by nonprofits, women entrepreneurs, and sheltered workshops employing people with disabilities. |
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