Calls for grants for creating social economy enterprises an…

The Department of Economy, Labor and Employment of the Basque Government has called for grants to create new social economy enterprises and incorporate new partners for 2026, with a total allocation of 4,025,000 euros. The call was approved by the Order of September 9, 2026, signed by Miguel Torres Lorenzo, Second Vice President and Minister of Economy, Labor and Employment, and was published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country, number 190, on October 5, 2026 (official reference: 2026/4099). The Order takes effect from the day after its publication, and the application period is one month.

The call maintains the aid lines from the previous period, as included in the Strategic Plan for Grants of the Department of Economy, Labor and Employment for the 2025-2028 period and the 2026 budget report of the Basque Government. The 2026 general budgets, approved by Law 7/2025, of December 23, guarantee the allocation, and Decree 323/2024, of November 5 establishes the organic structure of the department. Prior to issuing the Order, the General Council of Cooperatives of the Basque Country was consulted.

Seven aid lines in three chapters

Seven aid lines are specified in the annex of the Order, divided into three chapters:

Chapter II: grants to maintain the ecosystem that facilitates the creation of social economy enterprises, in three lines (idea competition, network of prescribers, and planned territorial promotion).
Chapter III: grants to create and promote social economy enterprises, in three lines (enterprise creation, promoters aimed at creation, and feasibility studies).
Chapter IV: grants for the incorporation of partners into social economy enterprises, with a single line and four collectives.

The award will be made through a non-competitive competitive procedure, according to article 19.2 of Law 20/2023, of December 21. Management corresponds to the Directorate of Social Economy, and the resolution will be issued by the Vice President for Labor and Social Security, within a maximum period of six months.

4.025 million euros among three chapters

The total allocation is 4,025,000 euros, distributed as follows:

Chapter II: 700,000 euros (560,000 euros as a 2026 payment credit and 140,000 euros as a 2027 commitment credit).
Chapter III: 2,530,000 euros (2,024,000 euros in 2026, 1,016,000 euros de minimis and 1,008,000 euros non-de minimis; 506,000 euros as a 2027 commitment, 254,000 euros de minimis and 252,000 euros non-de minimis).
Chapter IV: 795,000 euros, all in the 2026 period.

4,000 euros per partner to create new enterprises

Chapter III, the aid for company creation is 4,000 euros per worker-member or employee-member, provided it is with an indefinite contract. This amount increases by 1,000 euros in several situations: when women are the majority of the members, persons with a disability of over 45%, third-degree inmates and those on conditional release, single-parent families, victims of gender-based violence, persons who have completed a process in social integration enterprises, victims of terrorism, and former drug addicts. The additions are cumulative, but the aid cannot exceed 6,000 euros per member, nor more than 30,000 euros per company.

For feasibility studies, on the other hand, 100% of the net cost is financed, with a limit of 5,000 euros per study. In Chapter II, idea competitions receive 75% of the cost, up to 50,000 euros; prescriber networks and planned territorial promotion receive 85% of the cost, with limits between 10,000 and 60,000 euros respectively.

Between 2,000 and 3,000 euros for the entry of new members

Chapter IV finances the entry of new members to pay the contribution to the social capital. The amounts according to the collective are as follows:

Unemployed persons: 3,000 euros.
External non-member employees: 2,000 euros.
Persons with disabilities: 2,500 euros.
Owners entering agricultural and food cooperatives: 2,000 euros.

To these amounts, 300 euros are added for each concept (being a woman, disability over 45%, being an inmate, single-parent family, victims of gender-based violence, social integration enterprises, victims of terrorism, and former drug addicts), and these additions are cumulative. The aid shall not exceed 100%, 50%, 75%, or 75% of the capital signed as a member, depending on the collective in each case.

The deadline for submitting applications is one month

Applications shall be submitted by electronic means, through the standardized instruction, within a period of one month starting from the day after the Order is published. Applications under Chapter IV may also use the in-person method. Persons who acquired member status from November 18, 2025, until the Order is published may receive the aid, and for the unemployed, three months of seniority is required, for external employees a contract of more than six months, and for those with disabilities a recognition of at least 33%.

An appeal for reversal may be filed against the Order within one month, and a direct contentious-administrative appeal within two months.

The call aims to expand the fabric of the social economy and strengthen the member base, prioritizing unemployed persons. The subsidy of 4.025 million euros seeks to promote the creation of new companies in the sector and the strengthening of existing ones, promoting employment development and the cooperation network between cooperatives and labor societies.

Source: Official Gazette of the Basque Country, no. 190, October 5, 2026, Other Provisions, pp. 1-27 (official reference: 2026/4099).