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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:
Organizacija za gradjanske inicijative (OGI)
(Osijek, Croatia)
Strengthening communities.
Click here to read the OSI Investment Brief. |
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Social Mission: OGI initiates and supports social
development processes in local
communities through three
programs: promotion of human
rights, community development
and support for nonprofit
organizations.
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Social Enterprise: NESsT is assisting OGI to provide
specialized accounting and
financial services to small and
medium-size nonprofit
organizations in the Slavonija
and Baranja regions, helping
them to improve the quality of
their financial
planning
and
management
capacities.
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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:
Chaloupky Environmental Education Centre
(Okríšky,
Czech Republic)
Preserving the environment in Czech Republic. |

Click here to read the Chaloupky "Investment Brief."
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Social Mission: Chaloupky is dedicated to
educating citizens about nature
conservation and environmental
issues in rural Czech Republic
while emphasizing the
importance of preserving local
cultural heritage. |
Social Enterprise: Chaloupky offers an environmentally-
friendly hotel and catering
facility for school groups and
families with children, complemented
by recreational activities
emphasizing environment and
education. |
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. |
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 the Czech Republic:
Bárka Alapitvány
(Budapest, Hungary)
Promoting integration of people with disabilities.
Click here to read the Barka "Investment Brief." |
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Social Mission: Bárka works to promote the social
integration and acceptance of people with
intellectual and combined disabilities
through community development, creative
workshops, day programs and housing
provision. |
Social Enterprise: Building on their existing
sheltered workshop, Bárka is launching a
social enterprise to develop and market a
high quality, designer product line of
unique home decoration and gift items -
such as candles - created by people with
intellectual disabilities. |
Káva Kulturális Mûhely
(Budapest, Hungary)
Educating disadvantaged youth through theatre.
Click here to read the Kava "Investment Brief." |
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Social Mission: Expert in educational theater,
Kava develops and implements workshops
to teach disadvantaged children about serious
social problems such as discrimination,
drug use, and crime. |
Social Enterprise: Kava sells interactive,
drama-based trainings to private companies
and the general public, addressing social
issues and topics such as worker burnout,
tension, conflict resolution, theft, gender,
company loyalty, and mission and vision. |
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 arestaurant 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. |
Open Garden Foundation
(Gödöllo, Hungary)
Promoting community, organic agriculture.
Click here to read the Open Garden "Investment Brief." |
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Social Mission: OGF promotes sustainable, community agricultural production and healthy lifestyles through the operation of organic farms and building a network of producers, processors and consumers of organic foods.
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Social Enterprise: NESsT guided OGF with the sale of its Real food Box social enterprise, an organic food home-delivery service, to a private entrepeneur with a guarantee royalty payment. Today, NESsT is assisting OGF to develop a new organic food catering service.
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Zold Kor
(Hajduboszormeny,
Hungary)
Promoting an environmentally sustainable future.
Click here to read the Zöld Kör "Investment Brief". |
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Social Mission: Zold Kor, or Green Circle, "Friends of the Earth Hungary"
works to establish a living,
liveable and sustainable future
through environmental and
nature protection activities. |
Social Enterprise: NESsT is helping Zold Kor to develop
its municipal paper waste selection
and recycling system. NESsT is
providing support in market analysis,
human resources management, and
financial planning. |
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4. Later-Stage Portfolio - Romania
More information coming soon on current members of NESsT's later-stage portfolio in Romania.
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4. Later-Stage Portfolio - Slovakia
The following organizations are currently members of NESsT's later-stage portfolio in Slovakia:
Bambino Mother’s Center
(Poprad, Slovakia)
Supporting mothers for healthy babies and families.
Click here to read the Bambino Mother's Center "Investment Brief." |
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Social Mission: Bambino supports families and
children by offering education and self-help
classes for pregnant women, mothers
and fathers. |
Social Enterprise: The "School of
Healthy Motherhood" provides fee-based
courses on natural child delivery and parenting,
addressing a serious need in
Slovakia. Bambino's courses provide access
to information on raising a healthy family -
essential but largely unavailable to parents
and soon-to-be parents - thereby contributing
to the improvement of obstetrics in the
region.
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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. |
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