Sofigreen adopted a two-step selection process to identify, train, and support social enterprises in implementing an environmental transition process.

As the first step, 95 social enterprises were selected through an open call across the target territories in Italy, France, and Spain. The calls were published simultaneously in all three countries on 10 May 2024 on partners’ websites and on the EU Tender & Funding portal. To maximize outreach, project partners disseminated the calls via all social media channels and conducted direct one-on-one calls with potential beneficiaries to explain the opportunity and address any questions.
Initially, the deadline for submissions was set for 10 July 2024, but it was extended to 19 July 2024 to accommodate last-minute applicants.

The final number of applications received was:
Italy: 39
France: 37
Spain: 31
Total: 107

Following the submission deadline, local partners appointed selection committees to evaluate applications using a standardized evaluation grid, based on predefined criteria outlined in the call. The French committee convened on 23 July, while the Italian and Spanish committees met on 31 July.

The final number of selected enterprises was:
Italy: 33
France: 32
Spain: 30
Total: 95

The selection results were communicated to applicants and published on the respective websites hosting the call documents.

After selection, the 95 enterprises were divided into two cohorts per country and participated in a structured training program from September 2024 to January 2025.

Upon completing the training, a second selection phase was conducted to allocate FSTP funding. This financial support will enable selected enterprises to access specialized consultancy services necessary for implementing their environmental transition plans and improving their access to financing for sustainability initiatives. This second selection step was announced via email to all companies which attended the training. The email included:

• An invitation to apply for financial support (FSTP).
• A detailed explanation of the selection criteria and required documentation.
• A submission deadline (February 12th, 6 pm) and instructions for completing the application process.

To ensure a fair and transparent selection, the process was structured around specific eligibility criteria, required documentation, and a qualitative evaluation framework. The selection was conducted based on the following elements:

• Participation in the training program: companies were required to attend at least 80% of the training sessions to qualify for the selection process.
• Submission of required annexes, including:
  • Economic offers for the requested technical assistance to facilitate the implementation of their environmental transition plan.
  • Business plan or feasibility study (optional).
  • Reports or analyses related to ecological, social, or economic performance (optional).
• Qualitative Evaluation – applications were evaluated on four key aspects:
  • Potential social and environmental impact of the proposed transition plan.
  • Economic viability of the investment plan.
  • Capacity to attract necessary funding for implementation.
  • Technical feasibility of the proposed transition actions.

Each criterion was assigned a maximum score of 25 points, with a total possible score of 100 points. Applications needed to obtain a total score of at least 60 and, for each criterion, at least half of the maximum points.
All partners met on 21st of February 2025 to share the lists of selected companies in Italy, France and Spain, in order to check the requested amount by each company and define the common maximum FSTP amount per company.
A total of 68 applications were evaluated as part of the SOFIGREEN selection process. Of these, 65 companies were successfully selected and granted financial support.
The analysis of the amounts requested by selected companies allowed to assign a maximum subgrant of 8.700€ per company, very close to the expected maximum (the range published in the call was between 6.000€ and 9.000€). Therefore, those who requested less received what they requested, while those that requested more received 8.700€. The total requested amount across all applications was €582,304.06, while the total granted amount was €531,368.02.

Breakdown by Country:
Italy:
Applications selected: 25
Requested amount: €227,168.00
Granted amount: €204,720.00
Average scoring: 80

France:
Applications selected: 23
Requested amount: €205,053.06
Granted amount: €182,564.02
Average scoring: 80.9

Spain:
Applications selected: 17
Requested amount: €150,083.00
Granted amount: €144,084.00
Average scoring: 76,5
The results of the selection process were published on the websites of all project partners starting from March 4th.

LIST of SELECTED ENTERPRISES