cress grand est

What cress grand est does

CRESS Grand Est is the regional chamber for the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) in the Grand Est region of France, legally mandated under Article 6 of the ESS Law of July 31, 2014 to represent, promote, and maintain the official register of ESS enterprises. The organization serves a fragmented ecosystem of approximately 15,000 ESS establishments, 215,000 salaried employees, and over 1 million volunteers across 10 departments, spanning associations, cooperatives, mutuelles, foundations, and ESS-recognized commercial companies. It operates from three regional offices (Strasbourg headquarters at Kaleidoscoop, Nancy, and Reims as administrative seat) and delivers a portfolio of programs and platforms including the DLA Régional accompaniment device, the ESSOR support and financing portal, the Acheter Responsable Grand Est marketplace platform, the annual Mois de l'ESS awareness campaign, the Prix de l'ESS competition, the MADE IN ESS education program, and the VALOR'ESS carbon footprint program.

The organization's revenue is composed of membership fees from ESS structures, public grants from the French State, Banque des Territoires, the European Social Fund, and the Grand Est Region, and fees for coordinated program services such as the DLA Régional mandate renewed for 2026-2028. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by the Foire de Châlons, Mois de l'ESS, regional ESS conferences, and direct accompaniment missions delivered through a distributed departmental operator network. CRESS also convenes corporate partners (MACIF, Up Coop, Crédit Agricole Alsace Vosges, AG2R La Mondiale, Caisse d'Epargne) to co-fund recognition programs and operates a multi-channel media presence including website, newsletter, podcast, and major social platforms. Director General Frédéric Girard leads a small technical team distributed across the three offices; the organization holds QUALIOPI certification for training activities.

Name

cress grand est

Legal name

CRESS Grand Est

Website

https://cress-grandest.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CRESS Grand Est is the statutory regional chamber for the Social and Solidarity Economy in France's Grand Est region, supporting ~15,000 ESS enterprises through representation, accompaniment programs, events, and digital platforms.

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, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: CRESS Grand Est operates as an association with membership fees from ESS organizations (associations, cooperatives, mutuelles, foundations, commercial ESS companies).
2. Public funding and institutional support: The organization receives support from public institutions including the European Union, French Republic, Grand Est Region, and local authorities for implementing regional ESS policies and programs.
3. Program coordination services: CRESS Grand Est coordinates regional programs such as the DLA Régional (Dispositif Local d'Accompagnement Régional) and the Mois de l'ESS, with funding from the French State, Banque des Territoires, and European Social Fund.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CRESS Grand Est is the regional chamber for the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) in the Grand Est region of France. It provides representation, advocacy, training, observation, and development support to ESS organizations (associations, cooperatives, mutuelles, foundations, and commercial ESS companies). The organization operates digital platforms (ESSOR, Acheter Responsable), coordinates the DLA Regional support device, organizes the annual Mois de l'ESS, and runs the Prix de l'ESS competition.

Product overview

CRESS Grand Est operates as a Chamber of Commerce for the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) in the Grand Est region of France. The organization offers a unified portfolio of services including the ESSOR portal for accompaniment and financing, the DLA Regional device for supporting social utility structures, and the Acheter Responsable platform for promoting ESS goods and services. Additional offerings include the annual Mois de l'ESS awareness campaign, the Prix de l'ESS competition, a public directory of ESS enterprises, documentary resources, and the Made in ESS educational program for teachers. The organization also coordinates the DLAR (Dispositif Local d'Accompagnement Régional) for regional support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACHETER RESPONSABLE GRAND EST: Website promoting goods and services from Social and Solidarity Economy enterprises in Grand Est
• ESSOR
• DLA Grand Est
• MADE IN ESS
• VALOR'ESS

Products and services

• ACHETER RESPONSABLE GRAND EST A promotional platform for goods and services from Social and Solidarity Economy enterprises in the Grand Est region.
• ESSOR Grand Est A portal for supporting and financing ESS projects in the Grand Est region, helping structures identify resources and access suitable support mechanisms.
• DLA Grand Est A local support device for developing social utility structures, providing personalized assistance to consolidate employment and secure economic models.
• MADE IN ESS A discovery program for the ESS aimed at teachers, introducing students to social and solidarity economy concepts.
• Prix de l'ESS A national competition to discover, highlight, and reward Social and Solidarity Economy enterprises responding to societal needs, coordinated at regional level by CRESS.
• Mois de l'ESS An annual campaign during November mobilizing ESS actors to organize events and raise awareness about the Social and Solidarity Economy among citizens and professionals.
• Liste des entreprises de l'ESS An official directory of ESS enterprises in Grand Est maintained by CRESS, required by Article 6 of the ESS Law of July 31, 2014, containing company names, legal forms, addresses, and SIREN numbers.
• Ressources documentaires A documentary resource bank organized by theme, providing access to studies, guides, portraits, reports, and other materials related to the ESS.

Quantifiable outcome

• 180 events organized across Grand Est in 2025 Mois de l'ESS, engaging 68 organizers and 250+ partners
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lorraine Mouvement AssociatifcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperational partner for the DLA Régional, working together to conduct accompaniment missions in proximity across the Grand Est territory.
• ESS France (Chambre Française de l'ESS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational coordination body for CRESS, organizing the national Prix de l'ESS competition and the national Mois de l'ESS campaign.
• Radio DéclicminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal radio partner for podcast production 'L'émission sociale et solidaire' featuring ESS actor stories and initiatives.
• Grand Est RegioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional authority providing institutional support, hosting the Conference Régionale de l'ESS, and co-organizing the Foire de Châlons ESS program.
• ARCA (Association Régionale des Bailleurs Sociaux)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-organizes the Carrefour des Collectivités Territoriales at the Foire de Châlons with CRESS for social housing and ESS cooperation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CRESS Île-de-France: Regional chamber for the Social and Solidarity Economy in Île-de-France, operating under the same 2014 ESS Law framework with identical statutory missions (representation, directory publication, observation, training). Closest structural analogue, differing only by geography.
• CRESS Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: Direct peer regional ESS chamber covering the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region with parallel mandates in DLA Régional coordination, Mois de l'ESS, and ESS enterprise listing — same operating model, same funder stack, same products.
• CRESS Nouvelle-Aquitaine: Regional ESS chamber for Nouvelle-Aquitaine with the same legal status, ESS Law mandate, and program portfolio (DLA, Mois de l'ESS, observatory, training). Directly comparable in scope and operating model.
• CRESS Hauts-de-France: Regional ESS chamber for Hauts-de-France, delivering the same statutory services (representation, directory, accompaniment, training) and competing for the same national funding envelopes.
• CRESS Bretagne: Regional ESS chamber for Brittany; identical legal mandate under Article 6 of the 2014 ESS Law and comparable program portfolio including Mois de l'ESS, DLA Régional, and Prix de l'ESS.

Broad incumbents

• ESS France (Chambre Française de l'Économie Sociale et Solidaire): National coordinating chamber that federates all regional CRESS including CRESS Grand Est; operates the national Mois de l'ESS and Prix de l'ESS, and acts as the upstream convener for the regional network.
• France Active: National solidarity-finance network funding and supporting ESS and social enterprises; overlaps with CRESS on accompaniment, financing orientation (mirrors ESSOR), and ESS ecosystem representation.

Emerging players

• Le Mouvement Associatif: National federation representing600,000+ associations; a regional branch (Lorraine Mouvement Associatif) is already a CRESS Grand Est operational partner. Adjacent mandate focused on the association subset of ESS.
• UDES (Union des Employeurs de l'Économie Sociale et Solidaire): Employer-side federation of the ESS that operates training and HR-adjacent programs (including the VALOR'ESS carbon footprint program referenced by CRESS). Partial overlap on workforce and training offerings.

Others

• Banque des Territoires: Caisse des Dépôts subsidiary that co-funds the DLA Régional with CRESS Grand Est. Included as a key enabling/funder counterpart rather than a competitor — material to the operating model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about cress grand est