Combining ESF+ financial instruments with grants

This factsheet describes how ESF+ financial instruments can be combined with grants. By combining grants with financial instruments, managing authorities can address market failures, stimulate investment, and create more sustainable project pipelines that align with EU policy objectives. As social challenges can vary considerably among the typical target groups of the ESF+ support, the combination of grants and financial instruments allows for the design of flexible financial solutions tailored to final recipients’ needs and expectations and for calibration of the repayable form of support in line with expected revenues or savings. The factsheet describes the combination options available under the applicable regulatory framework and includes illustrative case studies from several EU Member States, such as Malta, Poland, Czechia, and Italy, which showcase how these combinations can effectively support self-employment, social enterprises, and educational initiatives.