CASES – Cooperativa António Sérgio para a Economia Social
CASES is a Portuguese public interest cooperative that represents and supports the social economy sector, including cooperatives, associations, foundations, mutual associations and Misericórdias. Based in Lisbon, it runs national programmes on microcredit, training and cooperative support.
CASES, the Cooperativa António Sérgio para a Economia Social, is a public interest cooperative based in Olaias, Lisbon. It brings together the main representative structures of Portugal's social economy: the Confederação Cooperativa Portuguesa, the Confederação Nacional das Instituições de Solidariedade, the União das Misericórdias Portuguesas and the União das Mutualidades Portuguesas.
Its work spans recognition, promotion, dynamisation, strengthening and qualification of the social economy sector. CASES runs several national programmes, including Social Investe, Sou Mais, Y.ES, Geração COOP and Cooperativa na Hora, alongside a National Microcredit Programme (Programa Nacional de Microcrédito) that has processed around 4,000 applications for business creation and development across mainland Portugal since it began.
The cooperative also maintains a documentation and information centre, the Casa António Sérgio, dedicated to the history of cooperativism and associativism in Portugal, dating back to 19th-century movements and, in the case of the Misericórdias, five centuries earlier. It publishes legal and statistical information on associations, cooperatives, foundations, Misericórdias, mutual associations, IPSS and other social economy legal forms, plus practical guides on setting up each type of entity.
CASES organises events such as the Prémio Cooperação e Solidariedade António Sérgio award and periodic gatherings at the Casa António Sérgio to discuss cooperativism's role in the future of work, capital and the economy. It also shares international social economy news and supports academic initiatives, such as a Summer University on the social economy run with scientific support from CEEPS (CIRIEC Portugal). Its office is located at Rua Américo Durão 12-A, near the Olaias metro station in Lisbon.
Our Goal
CASES works to recognise, promote and strengthen the social economy sector in Portugal, covering cooperatives, associations, foundations, mutual associations and Misericórdias.
Our Wishes
The organisation invites cooperatives, associations and other social economy entities across Portugal to engage with its programmes, training and support schemes.
