18.8 million in grants for the social economy and cooperativism

The Department of Enterprise and Work of the Generalitat de Catalunya has opened the 2026 call for grants for singular projects in the social and solidarity economy (SSE) and cooperativism, with a maximum allocation of 18,860,000 euros. The call is published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC) no. 9743, of September 2, 2026, through Resolution EMT/3075/2026, of August 26, signed by the Minister Miquel Sàmper i Rodríguez.

The resolution, with official reference CVE-DOGC-A-26240017-2026, develops the call derived from Order EMT/127/2026, of June 29, which approved the regulatory bases (DOGC no. 9698, of July 2). The procedure is processed via the urgency route, meaning that the deadlines for instruction, resolution, and notification are reduced by half.

An allocation divided into seven lines

The maximum amount of the call is 18,860,000 euros, distributed among seven lines of action covering everything from the creation of new initiatives to large strategic projects:

• GerminESS (€1,110,000): support for new business ideas in the research, validation, or planning phase.
• ArrelESS (€8,700,000): projects in the stability and expansion phase to gain productivity and competitiveness.
• LiderESS (€6,700,000): large strategic projects of cooperativism, with axis A) global impact (€5,150,000) and axis B) rural impact (€1,550,000).
• HabitatgESS (€1,200,000): cooperative housing developments for non-profit use assignment.
• EnergètiquESS (€1,000,000): energy transition projects.
• Technical Office (€150,000): current expenses for technical support.

The amount is financed with the Generalitat’s own funds and with the programs agreed upon at the LXXXVII Sectoral Conference on Employment and Labor Affairs of May 27, 2026, and has the multi-year expenditure authorization of the Government Agreement of July 28, 2026.

Who can apply for the grants and how

Beneficiaries may be the social and solidarity economy entities and cooperatives provided for in base 6 of annex 1 of Order EMT/127/2026. Applications must be submitted electronically, according to the models of the Electronic Office, and the deadline runs from 9:00 AM on the first business day following publication until 2:00 PM on the tenth business day.

The HabitatgESS and EnergètiquESS lines are considered de minimis aid and are subject to the corresponding community regulations, with limits of 750,000 and 300,000 euros per entity over three years, respectively. The remaining lines fall outside the scope of application of Article 107.1 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

Urgency procedure and impact

The resolution declares the application of the urgency procedure, in accordance with Article 33 of Law 39/2015, to ensure that the grants are awarded and paid within the 2026 budgetary year. This reduces the deadlines for processing, resolution, and notification by half, except for those relating to the submission of applications and the filing of appeals.

The call, with code BDNS 926643, aims to strengthen the viability and employment of social economy entities and steer the sector toward a more plural, democratic, and person-centered model, with attention to access to decent housing, the energy transition, and rural development. For cooperatives and SSE entities throughout Catalonia, this is a key opportunity to finance strategic projects before the end of the year.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya, no. 9743, September 2, 2026, Other provisions section (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26240017-2026).