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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant, 'Managementadvies subsidie voor de sociale economie', aims to help social economy enterprises improve their business operations, strengthen their organization, or facilitate growth and transformation. It does this by subsidizing the cost of external, substantiated written management advice. It is SECTOR-SPECIFIC, targeting recognized social economy organizations in Flanders, Belgium, that cannot access other funding like the 'kmo-portefeuille' due to their legal status (e.g., non-profit associations or public law entities). The primary filtering criteria are the organizational type and its inability to use other state aid mechanisms. While typically a recurring opportunity (one advice every two years), new applications for this specific grant are currently closed for 2025 due to budget limitations. The page was last updated on May 13, 2025, confirming this closure. However, ongoing projects can be completed as planned. This means, as of the latest information, it is not available for new applicants.

Financial Structure

This grant provides a subsidy that covers 50% of the total eligible cost of the management advice, excluding VAT. The maximum subsidy amount you can receive per application is €10,000 (excl. VAT). You can apply for one management advice subsidy every two calendar years. Eligible Costs: * Personnel costs of the advice bureau. * Operational costs of the advice bureau. * Travel costs of the advice bureau. These costs are only eligible if they are directly related to the advisory assignment for your enterprise and are incurred after the decision date of your subsidy application. Ineligible Costs: * VAT (Value Added Tax). * Legally mandated advice (e.g., environmental, energy, quality advice required by law). * Advice of a permanent or periodic nature (e.g., routine tax advice, regular legal services, routine advice on selection/recruitment/personnel policy). * The preparation of a business plan for a startup enterprise. * Advice that is considered 'gewone bedrijfsuitgaven' (ordinary business expenses), such as site investigations for soil remediation. * Services specifically related to obtaining subsidies. Co-financing: Since the grant covers 50% of the costs, your organization is responsible for co-financing the remaining 50%. State Aid Regulations: * For small and medium social economy enterprises, the aid falls under the 'Algemene groepsvrijstellingsverordening' (General Block Exemption Regulation - AGVV). * For large enterprises, it falls under the European 'de-minimisverordening', with a maximum of €300,000 in de minimis aid allowed over any three fiscal years.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for this subsidy, your organization must meet all of the following strict criteria:

Organization Type: You must be officially recognized as one of the following social economy enterprises:
- A 'maatwerkbedrijf' (tailor-made company)
- A 'maatwerkafdeling' (tailor-made department)
- An 'initiatief voor lokale diensteneconomie' (initiative for local service economy)
Exclusion from other support: You cannot be eligible for the 'kmo-portefeuille' program because you have:
- A VZW (non-profit association) status, OR
- A public law status.
Financial Standing: Your enterprise must not be:
- An 'onderneming in moeilijkheden' (undertaking in difficulty), as defined in Article 2, 18°, of the general block exemption regulation.
- Having overdue debts with the Rijksdienst voor Sociale Zekerheid (National Social Security Office).
- Subject to a definitive decision to reclaim previously granted state aid.
Prior Applications: You must not have submitted an admissible application for 'specifieke managementondersteuning' (specific management support) in the same calendar year.
De Minimis Aid Ceiling (for large enterprises): If your organization is classified as a 'grote onderneming' (large enterprise), you must not have received more than €300,000 in de minimis aid over the past three fiscal years.
Geographic Location: Your organization must be based and operate in Flanders, Belgium (implied by the funding body).

Additionally, the advice bureau you choose must meet specific requirements: * It must have 'rechtspersoonlijkheid' (legal personality). * Its 'maatschappelijke hoofdactiviteit' (main social activity) must be 'adviesverlening' (advice provision).

Application Process

The application process is entirely digital and requires careful preparation: 1. Pre-application step: Before applying, you must obtain a written offer from the advice bureau you intend to work with. This offer must not be older than 60 days at the time of your application submission. 2. Digital Submission: Applications are submitted digitally via the Platos online platform. You will need to access Platos and ensure your organization's 'organisatieverantwoordelijke' (organization responsible) has the necessary rights to officially submit the application. A 'projectverantwoordelijke' (project responsible) can prepare the application, but only the 'organisatieverantwoordelijke' can finalize the submission. 3. Required Documentation for Application: The primary document required for the initial application is the dated offer from your chosen advice bureau. 4. Decision Timeline: You should receive a decision on your subsidy application from the Department of Work and Social Economy within 45 calendar days after registering your application. 5. Payment Request (after advice completion): If your application is approved and the advice bureau has completed its assignment, you will then submit a payment request digitally via Platos. This request must include: * The completed management advice report. * A status update on the implementation of the advice. * A copy of the invoice from the advice bureau. * Proof of payment to the advice bureau. 6. Payment Timeline: Once your complete and admissible payment request is received, the subsidy will be paid to your enterprise within 60 calendar days. Current Status and Deadlines: Important: As of the latest information (May 13, 2025), new applications for this management advice subsidy are currently NOT possible for 2025 due to budget limitations. No new submission deadlines are provided for future periods. This means the grant is effectively closed to new applicants until further notice.

Evaluation Criteria

The grant materials describe the expected quality and content of the management advice itself, rather than a detailed scoring system for the application. The focus is on ensuring the advice is effective and relevant to improving the social economy enterprise. While not explicit evaluation criteria, a successful application would likely demonstrate that the proposed advice will:

Clearly analyze the 'probleemstelling' (problem statement) of your organization.
Provide a 'welomschreven aanbeveling' (well-defined recommendation).
Propose a 'gerichte aanpak' (targeted approach) to implement that recommendation in practice.
Align with the defined eligible management advice areas, such as strategic business management, human resources, financial-legal, communication, innovation, quality policy, stakeholder management, or feasibility studies.

The overall assessment will likely revolve around the necessity and potential impact of the proposed management advice on the enterprise's operations, growth, or transformation.

Compliance & Special Requirements

This grant operates within a specific regulatory and strategic framework, with several important compliance and special considerations:

State Aid Compliance: The subsidy is governed by European state aid rules. For small and medium social economy enterprises, it falls under the General Block Exemption Regulation (AGVV). For large enterprises, the stricter de minimis regulation applies, limiting total de minimis aid to €300,000 over three fiscal years.
Financial Health: Applicants must not be classified as 'undertakings in difficulty' and must have no overdue debts with the National Social Security Office.
Previous Aid: Organizations must not have received a definitive decision for the recovery of previous aid deemed incompatible with the internal market.
Exclusive Support: The grant is specifically designed for social economy enterprises that, due to their legal structure (VZW or public law), are excluded from accessing the more general 'kmo-portefeuille' program for similar services. This makes it a tailored solution for a niche group.
Advice Bureau Requirements: The advising entity must be a legal person whose main social activity is advice provision. This ensures professional and qualified guidance.
Nature of Advice: The advice must be specific, problem-oriented, and lead to actionable recommendations. Excluded are routine services, legally required advice, or typical business expenses.
Strategic Alignment: The grant emphasizes improving, strengthening, growing, or transforming the enterprise, aligning with broader goals for the social economy sector in Flanders.
Budgetary Limitations: A critical current limitation is the explicit statement that new applications are not possible for 2025 due to budget constraints. This means interested parties should monitor for future announcements.

Grant Details