At a Glance

Location: Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland

Impact Areas: Employment Generation, Education, Training, Food Security

People Supported:
Migrants and Refugees, People with Disabilities, Elderly, Youth

NESsT Program: Central & Eastern Europe Accelerator

Joined NESsT Portfolio:
2025

Overview

Blisko Foundation is a women-led organization that provides pre-school daycare and social inclusion services in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, a small city in central Poland – home to a rapidly growing number of elderly people and families facing economic difficulty and social exclusion. 

The first social enterprise in the area, the foundation currently runs two bilingual kindergartens and one nursery under its Baby Academy brand, providing high-quality childcare to over 100 children. At its centers, specialized therapists provide care for children with developmental disorders, supporting their well-being, learning, and assistance for families. 

Blisko Foundation also runs a community social kitchen, ‘Karmnik,’ offering fresh, home-cooked, affordable meals and catering services. Here it employs migrants and refugees, people with disabilities, and other individuals facing difficult circumstances to offer daily meals for schools, companies and associations, catering for events, and food delivery for the elderly.  

Revenue from the ‘Karmnik’ kitchen is reinvested in the enterprises’ social activities and also goes toward meals for people in need with each purchased meal. The Foundation aims to provide up to 4,000 free meals per month for senior citizens facing loneliness in the local community, as well as single parents, people experiencing homelessness, and children from low-income families. The kitchen also runs professional activation and internship programs for local residents who face poverty, low income, and unemployment. 

Blisko Foundation also runs internships, workshops, and training programs that support people with mental and physical disabilities to learn new skills and, for some, take their first steps toward independence. One example is its partnership with a local Vocational Activity Facility ‘Malwa’ that supports people with high degrees of disability. Blisko Foundation runs internships and apprenticeships for participants, assisting them to participate in social and professional activities in a supportive, safe environment. 

NESsT Investment

Blisko Foundation is an innovative social enterprise combining education, gastronomy, and social inclusion in a region where families face economic challenges and difficulty accessing dignified jobs. Given its significant social impact, the foundation has plans to grow its model and open new social kitchens in neighboring districts facing similar problems. 

NESsT’s investment to Blisko Foundation will go towards the renovation works to its social kitchen, equipping it with tools and technology. NESsT will also work alongside the foundation to support training for employees and socially excluded people, enabling them to gain professional qualifications and increase their chances of employment. 

Technical support will focus on supporting an expansion strategy to grow Blisko Foundation. During its time in the accelerator program, it plans to employ at least another 15 people from groups at risk of exclusion and offer vocational internships and training to over 100 people with physical and intellectual disabilities.