The PAIDAR Programme, implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and funded by the European Union, is holding a Social Sector SME Grant Outreach Event in Skardu on May 6, 2026, at Shangrila Resort. The event runs from 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM and is designed to bring together small and medium enterprise owners, entrepreneurs, and investors to explore how businesses operating in the social sector can access grant funding of up to €200,000, with matching grants ranging from 50 to 70 percent for eligible social enterprises.
The outreach event is part of PAIDAR’s broader mandate to support Pakistan’s transition toward inclusive and sustainable enterprise growth, with a particular focus on businesses that generate measurable social impact alongside commercial returns. By holding the event in Skardu, the programme is extending its reach into a region that has historically had limited access to structured grant financing and institutional investment support of this nature.
The matching grant structure is central to the programme’s design. Rather than offering full subsidies, PAIDAR requires enterprises to co-invest alongside the grant, ensuring that recipients have skin in the game and that funded ventures are commercially grounded rather than purely grant-dependent. The 50 to 70 percent matching support on grants of up to €200,000 represents a meaningful capital injection for social enterprises operating in underserved geographies where private investment rarely reaches.
Expressions of interest remain open until May 11, 2026, and entrepreneurs interested in attending the Skardu outreach session can register through the link shared in PAIDAR’s official post. Further information is available at paidar-sindh.org and through the programme’s grant team at paidar.grant@digitana.pk.
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