Social enterprises on the political agenda: our call to municipalities

Leading up to the 2026 municipal elections, Social Enterprise NL has sent letters to the program committees of political parties. The message is clear: make work of social enterprise.

Social enterprises offer innovative, sustainable solutions to major societal challenges such as poverty, unemployment and environmental degradation. Yet, many social entrepreneurs do not feel sufficiently seen and supported by local politicians. This needs to change.

“Social enterprises are shifting faster than policy, deliver more results than a pilot, and have more impact than most grant projects,” the letter begins. “Perhaps it is time to harness their power - or would you rather wait for a magical breakthrough?”

Why lobby (now)?
The municipal elections may seem far away, but the election programs are being written right now. So this is the time to have an influence. We aim for parties to give social enterprises a place in the election programs, and thus hopefully also in the final municipal coalition agreement.

To that end, the letter contains concrete proposals that can easily be incorporated into parties' programs. For example:

• Improved collaboration and involvement in policy development
• Improved municipal services for social entrepreneurs
• More meeting and knowledge sharing between social entrepreneurs and regular SMEs.

The letters are tailored to the different political parties so that the content fits well with their language and approach. Initial reactions to our letter have been positive. Several parties indicated that they appreciate the input and will include the suggestions in the further writing process. This is encouraging. Later this fall, we will be assessing the extent to which our input will be reflected in the final election programs.

Join us! Forward the letter
This lobbying campaign, and our communication about it, is not just to inform our members and partners. It is also an invitation to you as a social entrepreneur: strengthen the impact of the letter by sharing it with your municipality, possibly with an addition of your company's story. This will give the message even more impact and show what social entrepreneurship means in practice. 

1. Download the example letter here.
2. Interested in the party-specific letters? Mail to jorien@social-enterprise.nl
3. Add your story and send the letter to your contacts within the municipality

Together, we will ensure that social enterprise has a firm place on the municipality's political agenda of 2026.