CRESS GRAND EST

What CRESS GRAND EST does

CRESS Grand Est (Chambre Régionale de l'Économie Sociale et Solidaire Grand Est) is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2017 following the merger of the former CRESS Alsace, CRESS Champagne-Ardenne, and CRESS Lorraine after the 2016 regional reorganization. Officially recognized under the French Law of July 31, 2014 on the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS), it serves as the statutorily designated regional chamber representing and developing the ESS sector across the Grand Est region's 10 departments, operating from three territorial antennas in Strasbourg (headquarters), Nancy, and Reims. Its core constituency comprises approximately 15,000 ESS establishments — associations, cooperatives, mutuals, foundations, and commercial enterprises structured under ESS principles — representing over 215,000 employees and 1 million volunteers across the region.

The organization's service portfolio spans four main offerings: the DLA Grand Est (Dispositif Local d'Accompagnement) program, which provides personalized support to consolidate employment and economic models of social utility structures; the ESSOR Grand Est portal, which orients ESS structures toward accompaniment and financing; the ACHETER RESPONSABLE GRAND EST e-commerce platform, which promotes responsible purchasing from ESS enterprises; and the MADE IN ESS educational program targeting teachers and students. The underlying technology is described as a web-based platform with digital tools for ESS promotion and resource sharing, with no API or AI capabilities documented. CRESS holds QUALIOPI certification for training quality.

CRESS Grand Est does not operate a commercial pricing model. Revenue is derived from membership fees paid by ESS structures (associations, cooperatives, mutuals, foundations) and from public funding streams including the French State, Banque des Territoires, the European Union (notably the European Social Fund), and the Grand Est Regional Council. The organization is governed by a Board (Conseil d'Administration) and Bureau, with Frédéric Girard serving as Director General and Faustine Allard as Coordinator of the DLA Regional program. Strategic partnerships include ESS France, Mouvement Associatif, France Active, Lorraine Mouvement Associatif, Avise, URCA Chaire ESS, and ARCA, supporting its role as the regional convener and developer of the ESS ecosystem.

Name

CRESS GRAND EST

Legal name

CRESS GRAND EST

Website

https://cress-grandest.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CRESS Grand Est is the French regional chamber for the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) in Grand Est, providing representation, DLA accompaniment, training, and promotion to 15,000+ ESS establishments across 10 departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Strasbourg

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees and public funding: As a regional chamber for Social and Solidarity Economy, CRESS Grand Est operates primarily through membership contributions from ESS structures (associations, cooperatives, mutuelles, foundations) and public funding from regional and national government bodies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

CRESS Grand Est is a regional chamber that represents, supports, and develops the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) in the Grand Est region of France. It provides advisory support, training, networking, and advocacy services to ESS stakeholders — associations, cooperatives, mutual societies, foundations, and socially-oriented enterprises — and acts as an intermediary between these organizations and public institutions.

Product overview

CRESS Grand Est operates as a regional chamber for the Social and Solidarity Economy (Économie Sociale et Solidaire), providing a coordinated portfolio of services rather than a unified software product. The organization's offerings include the ACHETER RESPONSABLE GRAND EST platform for promoting ESS goods and services, the ESSOR portal for accompaniment and financing orientation, the DLA (Dispositif Local d'Accompagnement) for direct support to ESS structures, and the MADE IN ESS educational program. These services work together to represent, support, promote, and develop the ESS sector across the Grand Est region of France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advisory and support services for ESS organizations
• Training programs for ESS actors
• Regional networking and ESS events
• Representation and advocacy with regional institutions
• Resource and information services for the ESS ecosystem

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Lorraine Mouvement AssociatifcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Operational partnership for conducting DLA missions in proximity to ESS structures in Lorraine territory. Lorraine Mouvement Associatif collaborates with CRESS Grand Est to support the regional DLA network of 10 departmental structures.
• ESS FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational ESS confederation that CRESS Grand Est works with on nationwide initiatives including the ESS Brand launch (23 June), policy advocacy, and coordination of regional chambers.
• Mouvement AssociatifmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association movement that joined the DLA initiative alongside State and Banque des Territoires. Represents and supports associations at national level.
• Region Grand EstcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional council of Grand Est - primary institutional partner for ESS promotion and development. Co-organizer of regional ESS events and supporter of the CRESS mission.
• URCA - Chaire ESSsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerChaire ESS (Chair of Social and Solidarity Economy) at University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne conducts research on ESS territorial dynamics and collaborates with CRESS on regional conferences and studies.
• AvisesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational support organization for ESS and social economy enterprises. Collaborates on DLA national construction, professionalization initiatives, and evaluation activities.
• France ActivecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSolidary financing network providing financial and strategic accompaniment to ESS structures. Partner in the ESSOR platform and DLA ecosystem for financing solutions.
• ARCA (Association Régionale des Bailleurs Sociaux)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional association of social landlords co-organizing the Carrefour des Collectivités Territoriales with CRESS at Foire de Châlons to foster cooperation between social housing and ESS actors.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CRESS Hauts-de-France: Regional CRESS chamber for the Hauts-de-France region, performing the same statutory mission for ESS enterprises including associations, cooperatives, mutuals, and foundations. Structurally and operationally analogous.
• CRESS Île-de-France: The regional CRESS chamber for the Île-de-France region, performing the same statutory representation, observation, and accompaniment mandate for ESS structures. It is the most directly comparable organization as it operates under the same 2014 ESS Law framework.
• CRESS Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: Regional chamber for the Social and Solidarity Economy in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, with overlapping services including DLA coordination, observatoire, and regional ESS animation. Operates under the same legal framework and shares the same partnership ecosystem.
• CRESS Nouvelle-Aquitaine: Regional CRESS chamber for Nouvelle-Aquitaine, providing identical representation, accompaniment, and promotion services to ESS structures. Comparable in mandate, services, and funding model.
• CRESS Bretagne: Regional CRESS chamber for Brittany, delivering the same portfolio of ESS representation, observation, and accompaniment services. Operates an equivalent DLA regional coordination mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Avise: National support organization for ESS and social-economy enterprises that collaborates with CRESS on DLA national construction, professionalization, and evaluation. Provides national-level resources that complement regional CRESS offerings.
• ESS France: National umbrella confederation of which CRESS Grand Est is a member. Coordinates nationwide ESS initiatives including the ESS Brand launch and policy advocacy, and operates at a higher aggregation level than CRESS Grand Est.
• UDES: Union des Employeurs de l'Économie Sociale et Solidaire, the national employer federation for ESS. Offers training and HR-related services to ESS employers that overlap with CRESS's accompaniment mission at a national scale.
• Le Mouvement Associatif: National organization representing and supporting associations in France. Partners with CRESS Grand Est through the DLA initiative and offers overlapping representation, advocacy, and support services for the association segment of the ESS.
• France Active: National solidary financing network providing financial and strategic accompaniment to ESS structures. Direct partner of CRESS Grand Est in the ESSOR platform and DLA ecosystem, with overlapping service offerings to ESS entrepreneurs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRcFYyh_apccnqcCyuEojnw
• Facebookfacebook.com/cressGE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cress-grand-est
• Instagraminstagram.com/cressgrandest

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CRESS GRAND EST