Espace Créateur de Solidarités

What Espace Créateur de Solidarités does

Espace Créateur de Solidarités (ECS) is a French non-profit association operating under Loi 1901, founded in 1986 in Saint-Fons within the Métropole de Lyon and reorganized under its current name in 2008 after gaining independence from the municipal government. Its mission is to foster the social inclusion of precarized residents and develop the 'pouvoir d'agir' (capacity to act) of inhabitants through four operational pillars: food/health, urban gardens, social support, and ecological transition/reuse. Core programs include La Casaline, a dual-tariff social and solidarity grocery selling local, organic, and bulk products; La Bricoth?èque, a free tool-lending and DIY workshop space; La Recyclerie, a low-cost second-hand boutique; the community gardens portfolio spanning four sites including a pedagogical garden and an urban nursery; La Permanence Numérique, a digital assistance service; Suivi RSA, social accompaniment for welfare recipients carried out by two social workers; and Pépini?res d'Initiatives, an incubator hosting citizen collectives such as Les Tisserines and Les Coquelicots. Services are delivered through a physical 'archipelago' of at least eight sites across Saint-Fons, with the headquarters at 1 all?ée Paul Langevin and the main third-place spaces at 14 rue du Bourrelier (La Casaline) and 51 rue Emile Zola (Casa Zola).

The organization's business model is grant-funded non-profit economics. The primary revenue base is institutional public funding from the Ville de Saint-Fons, Métropole de Lyon, ANCT, DREETS Auvergne-Rh?ne-Alpes, Région Auvergne-Rh?ne-Alpes, CAF, FDVA, and private foundations (La Poule Rouge, Fondation de France, Fondation Abbé Pierre). Secondary revenue streams include nominal membership fees (€3/year for Saint-Fons residents, €8/year for non-residents), transactional sales at La Casaline and La Recyclerie, and in-kind volunteer labor from Service Civique and ad-hoc contributors. The association is led by Sonia Abou El Hassen as Directrice de publication, with 9 salaried employees supplemented by young volunteers. ECS is a member of the UGESS national federation of social and solidarity groceries and the Gesra territorial network, and partners operationally with CCAS, the Médiath?que Roger Martin du Gard, Th??tre Jean Marais, Maison de Sant?, Secours Catholique Caritas France, Banque Alimentaire du Rh?ne, BioCoop Saint-Fons, AFEV, and ISARA-Lyon, among others.

ECS does not operate proprietary technology, APIs, or digital platforms; its technical footprint is limited to a WordPress website (asso-ecs.org), a Mailchimp newsletter, and standard social media channels. The organization serves exclusively the residents of Saint-Fons and is recognized as being of general interest with a social character. Membership is gated by an annual fee of €3-€8, and access to the social grocery, tool library, gardens, and workshops requires either beneficiary designation (e.g., RSA allocataires referred by the Métropole) or solidarity-member status.

Name

Espace Créateur de Solidarités

Legal name

Espace Créateur de Solidarités

Website

https://asso-ecs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Espace Créateur de Solidarités is a French non-profit association founded in 1986 in Saint-Fons (Métropole de Lyon) that delivers social inclusion services to precarized residents through a social grocery, tool library, community gardens, RSA welfare accompaniment, and reuse workshops, funded primarily by public institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-Fons

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Adherents pay annual membership fees: €3 for Saint-Fons residents, €8 for residents of other communes. Membership grants access to all ECS activities and is valid January–December.
2. Social grocery sales (La Casaline): The social and solidarity grocery La Casaline sells food and non-food products at reduced prices to beneficiaries, with additional access for 'solidarity members' purchasing at slightly higher but still affordable rates. Revenue from product sales contributes to operational costs.
3. Recyclerie second-hand sales: The Recyclerie at Casa Zola sells donated second-hand objects (clothing, dishes, small furniture, toys, bicycles) at minimal prices. Proceeds support the reuse and social inclusion activities.
4. Public funding and institutional grants: ECS is financed by multiple institutional funders: City of Saint-Fons, Métropole de Lyon, ANCT, DREETS Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, CAF, FDVA, and others. This constitutes the primary revenue base for social insertion activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Espace Créateur de Solidarités (ECS) is a French non-profit association under Loi 1901, founded in 1986 in Saint-Fons, that operates a portfolio of community-based social programs organized around four pillars: food/health (La Casaline social and solidarity grocery), gardens (family, shared, pedagogical, and urban nursery gardens), social (RSA welfare accompaniment and digital inclusion), and ecological transition/reuse (La Bricothèque tool library and La Recyclerie second-hand store).

Product overview

Espace Créateur de Solidarités is a social welfare association (Loi 1901) offering a portfolio of interconnected social programs rather than a technology product. The core offerings include La Casaline (social grocery), community gardens, La Bricothèque (tool library), La Recyclerie (second-hand store), digital assistance, RSA social support, and initiative incubators. These programs work together to promote food security, social inclusion, ecological transition, and citizen empowerment in Saint-Fons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Casaline: Social and solidarity grocery store - a citizen's grocery that links food issues with health and social-professional integration while favoring dignified access to quality food for all.
• Casa Zola
• La Bricothèque
• La Recyclerie
• Les Tisserines
• Les Coquelicots

Products and services

• La Casaline (Social and Solidarity Grocery) Social and solidarity grocery store offering local, organic, and bulk products at reduced prices for Saint-Fons residents facing financial difficulties, using a dual-tariff model that mixes beneficiaries and solidarity members. It also serves as a community space hosting collective workshops, digital assistance, and vegetable basket distribution.
• Les Jardins (Community Gardens) Community gardens program including family gardens, shared gardens, a pedagogical garden (Jardin Pédagogique Croizat), and an urban nursery (Pépinière Urbaine). These spaces promote urban agriculture, social links, and biodiversity in Saint-Fons.
• La Bricothèque (Tool Library) Tool lending library and DIY workshop space where residents can borrow tools free of charge, learn DIY skills, and participate in bicycle repair, sewing, and other maker activities at Casa Zola.
• La Recyclerie (Second-hand Store) Second-hand store selling low-cost reused objects (clothing, dishes, small furniture, toys, bicycles) to promote ecological transition and reduce consumption among Saint-Fons residents.
• Permanence Numérique (Digital Assistance) Digital assistance service helping residents learn to use computers, perform online administrative procedures (CAF, Pôle emploi, taxes), and gain digital autonomy.
• Suivi RSA (Welfare Accompaniment) Social support for RSA benefit recipients, providing accompaniment by social workers to help lift barriers and redefine professional projects.
• Pépinières d'Initiatives (Citizen Initiative Incubator) Initiative incubator program hosting collective projects including Les Tisserines (free service exchange network) and Les Coquelicots (sewing collective), fostering citizen initiative and skill sharing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 38+ years of continuous operation since 1986
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Métropole de LyoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor funder and institutional partner. ECS participates in the Métropole's eco-district projects (e.g., Jardin pédagogique Croizat, urban nursery). The Métropole designates RSA allocataires to ECS for accompaniment.
• Ville de Saint-FonscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe founding city of ECS (initiated in 1986 by Mayor Franck Sérusclat). Core funder and institutional anchor partner, providing legitimacy and local political support for ECS's social mission.
• UGESS (Union Générale des Épiceries Sociales et Solidaires)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECS participates in the UGESS network, a national federation of social and solidarity groceries. Part of the Gesra network. Provides peer support, knowledge sharing, and advocacy for social grocery models.
• FAGE (Fédération des Associations Générales Étudiantes)minorOthersListed among funders (FDVA). FDVA is a national fund supporting associative life and volunteer engagement.
• CCAS Saint-Fons (Centre Communal d'Action Sociale)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal social action center, a key local partner in directing residents to ECS services and co-developing social programs (e.g., inter-generational theater troupe with ECS and the CCAS).
• Médiathèque Roger Martin du Gard, Saint-FonsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for cultural activities including café-culture sessions, grainothèque initiatives, and cultural outings organized for ECS members.
• Théâtre Jean Marais, Saint-FonsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal theater partner, involved in cultural programming accessible to ECS members through the 'Billetterie Culture' scheme.
• Maison de Santé de Saint-FonsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal health center collaborating on health access and awareness activities for ECS beneficiaries.
• Service Civique (France)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECS recruits young volunteers through the national Service Civique program, providing civic engagement opportunities for youth while supplementing ECS staffing.
• Culture pour TousminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing free access to cultural events (theater, museum visits) for ECS members through a solidarity ticketing scheme.
• Compagnie WaaldéminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheater company co-developing an inter-generational theater troupe with ECS and CCAS, based on epistolary exchanges and theatrical workshops involving elderly residents and younger participants.
• Secours Catholique Caritas FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable organization partnering on food access research and collective action initiatives (e.g., 'Mangeurs et mangeuses saint-foniards' food access study in partnership with TàV Métropole Lyon).
• Banque Alimentaire du RhôneminorOthersFood bank supplying food products to the Casaline social grocery.
• EiseniaminorOthersListed as an associative partner of ECS, likely involved in composting, urban agriculture, or ecological transition initiatives.
• AFEV (Association de la Fondation Étudiante pour la Ville)minorOthersUniversity student volunteer association working on educational and social support in disadvantaged urban areas.
• VRAC (Vers un Réseau d'Achat en Commun)minorOthersCollective purchasing network, partnering on solidarity purchasing initiatives.
• ISARA-LyonminorOthersEngineering school in food, agriculture, and environment. Partner for urban agriculture and food system projects.
• BioCoop Saint-FonsminorOthersOrganic supermarket partner supplying or co-developing sourcing for the Casaline.
• SolvayminorOthersListed as a partner; likely involved in ecological/industrial transition or employment initiatives in the Saint-Fons area.
• Gesra networkminorOthersTerritorial network (likely a social economy/network cluster in the Rhône-Alpes region) that ECS participates in alongside UGESS.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ANDES (Association Nationale de Développement des Épiceries Solidaires): National network that federates and supports solidarity grocery stores in France. Highly comparable to La Casaline and to ECS's membership in the UGESS/Gesra network of social and solidarity groceries.
• Les Restos du Coeur: Major French non-profit providing free or low-cost food access to people in precarious situations. Direct peer to ECS's La Casaline social grocery on the food-security dimension, though operating at national scale.
• Emmaüs France: Federation of Emmaüs groups combining reuse/recyclerie activities with social insertion and accommodation services for vulnerable people. Highly comparable to ECS's Réemploy/Reuse pillar and social inclusion mission.
• Secours Catholique — Caritas France: National charity delivering social accompaniment, food access research, and emergency relief. Listed as a direct operational partner of ECS, and a peer on social accompaniment, poverty relief, and food-access advocacy.
• UGESS (Union Générale des Épiceries Sociales et Solidaires): National federation of social and solidarity groceries in which ECS participates directly. Provides peer support, knowledge sharing, and advocacy for the social grocery model that ECS operates via La Casaline.
• La Fédération des Acteurs de la Solidarité: National federation of structures working in social insertion, accommodation, and emergency aid. Comparable to ECS as a peer association delivering social accompaniment to vulnerable populations, including via the RSA reference framework.

Broad incumbents

• Croix-Rouge française: Largest French humanitarian organization delivering a wide portfolio of social, health, and emergency-relief services. Broad incumbent comparable to ECS on the social/emergency-relief pillar, though operating nationally across many verticals.

Others

• Banque Alimentaire du Rhône: Local food bank supplying La Casaline. Adjacent ecosystem participant (food supply chain upstream of ECS) rather than a direct competitor, but operates the same food-security mission in the Rhône département.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/espace.createur.de.solidarites
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecs-st-fons

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Espace Créateur de Solidarités