fi-compass is raising awareness on the possibilities offered by combining crowdfunding and European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF or ESI Funds), with emphasis on the European Social Fund (ESF). In the realm of alternative finance, crowdfunding is now established as a reliable funding source for small and micro undertakings, often catering to ESF-type target groups, including young entrepreneurs, socially oriented businesses and vulnerable categories.

Three new fi-compass studies have been published that are designed to support ERDF managing authorities and their partners preparing proposals for financial instruments under their 2021-2027 Operational Programmes.

Based on the feedback of 7,600 farmers and 2,200 agri-food companies across the EU, 24 country-specific fi-compass reports, present the main challenges faced by these two groups when it comes to access to finance. The reports also estimate the financing gap for agriculture in the EU between €19.8 and €46.6 billion, while for the agri-food sector the estimated gap is more than €12.8 billion.