European Social Fund (ESF)

What European Social Fund (ESF) does

European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is the European Union's principal funding instrument for investing in people and implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights across employment, social inclusion, education, and skills. Administered by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) and headquartered in Brussels, ESF+ was launched in 2021 by merging the original European Social Fund (est. 1957), the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), and the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) programme. It operates with a €142.7 billion budget for the 2021-2027 programming period, reaching all 27 EU member states plus Ukraine (participating) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (associated).

The program's core "products" are the funding streams themselves — shared management with national managing authorities and direct management via the EaSI strand — supported by an infrastructure stack of European-Commission platforms: EU Login with MFA for authentication, eTranslation services in 24 EU official languages, the Kohesio project database for tracking funded projects, the Social Innovation Match (SIM) platform, the ESF+ Support Centre, simplified reimbursement tools, the ALMA mutual-learning initiative, and the REGIOSTARS awards programme.

ESF+ does not generate commercial revenue; it allocates public grants drawn from the EU Multiannual Financial Framework, with member-state co-financing under shared management and direct EU-grants for transnational and social-innovation activities. Its customers/mission beneficiaries are national managing authorities, training and education organizations, NGOs (e.g., Fundación Secretariado Gitano, Spanish Red Cross, Tôt ou t'art), public-sector childcare and youth programmes, EU-level networks in the social economy, and ultimately end beneficiaries including unemployed persons, NEETs, Roma communities, migrants, people with disabilities, and families at risk of poverty.

Name

European Social Fund (ESF)

Legal name

European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) - European Union

Website

https://european-social-fund-plus.ec.europa.eu

Company type

Public

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The EU's primary funding instrument for implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights, allocating €142.7 billion across 27 member states and Ukraine/Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2021-2027 to support employment, social inclusion, skills training, youth employment, and social innovation through grants to public agencies and NGOs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Grant Programmes

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Government Student Financial Aid Agencies (EDADAHAA), International Student Funding & Mobility Grants Administration (EDADAHAL), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM), Economic Growth, Trade & Private Sector Development Programs (BPADABAF), Loans & Financing for International Study (EDAIAOAL)

Keywords

• EU social funding
• Employment programs
• Skills training
• Social inclusion
• Cohesion policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. EU Budget Allocation: ESF+ is funded through the EU Multiannual Financial Framework and distributes funds as grants to member states (shared management) and direct funding for EU-level initiatives. It does not generate commercial revenue but allocates public funds for social policy objectives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ESF+ distributes EU budget grants to support employment, social inclusion, education, skills development, and social innovation across EU member states and participating countries. Through shared management with national authorities and the directly managed EaSI strand, it funds programmes for unemployed persons, NEETs, vulnerable populations, workers seeking retraining, and organisations implementing social projects. With €142.7 billion for 2021-2027, it is the EU's largest social investment instrument and the principal vehicle for implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Product overview

European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is the EU's primary funding instrument for investing in people, implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights across employment, social affairs, education and skills. The programme operates through shared management with member states and direct management via the EaSI strand. Key components include the Social Innovation Match platform for connecting innovators, the Kohesio projects database, simplified reimbursement tools, the ESF+ Support Centre, and the REGIOSTARS awards programme. The ESF+ has a budget of €142.7 billion for 2021-2027, available in 24 EU official languages through the web platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) The EU's main funding instrument for investing in people and implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights, with a budget of €142.7 billion for 2021-2027. Provides grants through shared management with EU member states to support employment, skills training, social inclusion, and education policies.
• EaSI (Employment and Social Innovation) strand

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 million people benefited from ESF in Spain 2014-2020
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• UkrainemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026Ukraine joined ESF+ as a participating country, allowing Ukrainian organizations to take part in projects funded under the ESF+ Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) strand. This enables Ukrainian NGOs, public authorities, and social economy actors to access ESF+ funding for employment and social inclusion initiatives.
• Bosnia and HerzegovinamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Bosnia and Herzegovina joined ESF+ as an associated country, permitting organizations from the country to engage in projects funded by the ESF+ Employment and Social Innovation strand.
• Ukraine Recovery ConferenceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 July 2025Collaboration framework for stepped-up EU support for Ukraine in combating poverty and homelessness, with Ukraine welcomed to the EaSI strand of ESF+.
• EuronewscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership for the 'Make It Work' video series exploring how ESF+ funding makes a difference across Europe. Episodes cover vocational training, social economy, housing, quality jobs, and social services. Content is produced by Euronews in collaboration with European Commission's DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.
• Fundación Secretariado GitanocoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementation partner for #EmpleandoDigital+ programme providing specialized sales training for digital and technological products to young Roma in Spain. The foundation co-implements the program with the Spanish Red Cross.
• Spanish Red CrosscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerJoint implementing partner with Fundación Secretariado Gitano for #EmpleandoDigital+ programme. Receives ESF+ funding to work on digital inclusion and employment for Roma youth.
• Accenture FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides additional support to the #EmpleandoDigital+ programme alongside ESF+ co-financing, contributing to breaking down barriers and opening real opportunities for inclusion and growth in the digital age.
• Rugby No Limit Association (France)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFeatured in ESF+ Tour de France campaign, using sports as a lever for employment and social integration by teaming up employers and future employees through play.
• OECDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew OECD report highlights how ESF has supported the growth of social innovation across Europe, providing research and analysis on fund effectiveness.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Horizon Europe: EU's €95.5B research and innovation framework programme. Overlaps with ESF+ on skills development and social innovation, particularly through the European Innovation Council and Skills agenda.
• Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB): Multilateral development bank with 43 member states across Europe financing social projects in education, health, and employment. Comparable funding model and social-investment mandate, though at a smaller, pan-European scale rather than EU-only.
• European Investment Fund (EIF): EU-based provider of risk finance to SMEs and micro-credit providers across Europe. Overlaps with ESF+'s microfinance and social enterprise support under EaSI and operates as a complementary facility within the EU institutional framework.
• InvestEU Fund: EU programme mobilizing €372B in public and private investment, including a social investment window that funds microfinance and social enterprises. Directly competes with and complements ESF+'s microfinance and social-economy activities under the EaSI strand.
• Erasmus+: EU programme for education, training, youth, and sport with a budget of €26.2B for 2021-2027. Overlaps with ESF+ on education, vocational training, and youth mobility, but is specialized in education rather than employment/social inclusion.
• World Bank Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice: World Bank's global lending and advisory arm for social protection, labor markets, and jobs. Comparable mandate on employment and social inclusion, but operates globally through sovereign lending rather than EU grant-based shared management.

Direct peers

• European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): Another EU structural fund managed by the European Commission, allocating grants to member states for regional development. ERDF and ESF+ are co-implemented under the same Cohesion Policy framework and share shared-management distribution, making it the most direct operational peer.
• Cohesion Fund: EU fund targeting member states with GDP below 90% of the EU average for transport and environmental infrastructure. Shares the same MFF, shared management architecture, and recipient countries as ESF+.
• EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (NextGenerationEU): EU's €806.9B temporary recovery instrument channeling grants and loans to member states for post-COVID reforms. Operates through similar shared-management mechanisms with member states and is increasingly tapped for social-policy objectives overlapping with ESF+.

Others

• OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs: OECD's policy directorate producing analysis, benchmarks, and country reviews on employment, social policy, and skills. Already collaborates with ESF+ (a featured OECD report highlighted ESF+ effectiveness) and is a thematic policy partner rather than a direct funding competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/EU_social
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/europesocial
• Facebookfacebook.com/socialeurope
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-commission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments11 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about European Social Fund (ESF)