The TOUCH project, approved within the 2024-2026 ESF “Actions to boost the development of finance markets for social enterprises” call, has the ambition of creating the first outcome fund in the Piedmont region, in Italy, with the plan of replicating it in other Italian and European regions.

As outcome-based finance is considered to be a pivotal approach in addressing societal challenges with tangible impact and fostering access to finance for social enterprises, the project consortium aims at structuring an outcome fund while targeting work integration and skilling to support NEET, with a specific focus on women and migrants within this group.

Following past discussion held between Torino Social Impact and relevant local stakeholders, the TOUCH project represents the start of Italy’s journey towards becoming an adopter of outcome-based social finance, with the support of a comprehensive consortium composed by 9 partners located in 3 different European countries (Italy, Belgium and Netherlands): Associazione Torino per la Finanza e l’Innovazione Sociale; Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo; Cottino Social Impact Campus S.r.l.; Human Foundation Do & Think Tank for social innovation; Social Finance NL; Politecnico di Milano – Tiresia; Finpiemonte S.p.A.; Diesis Network;; Social Impact Agenda per l’Italia (Associated Partner).

The project started in December 2024 and is currently conducting the first project activities foreseen. The first milestone of the project was the Project Kick-Off meeting, held on January 22, 2025. This event brought together consortium partners to discuss the initial steps of the project, align on its objectives, and set the foundation for future activities.