About Us

About Korea Social Value and Solidarity Foundation

Korea Social Value and Solidarity Foundation (SVS) was established in January 2019 as a part of the Korean government’s ‘Social Finance Promotion Strategy (announced on February 2018)’ with the design of wholesale finance institution exclusively for the social economy in South Korea.

The foundation’s theory of change is building more sustainable and equitable society in Korea by providing patient capital for businesses with social values, including social enterprises, cooperatives, self-help, and community-based enterprises.

We also support to build social finance ecosystem by identifying and fostering social finance intermediaries (SFIs), encouraging and expanding the spectrum of social investors, and advocating and researching for more vibrant Korean social finance market.

As an active social investor and ecosystem builder, SVS will continuously work with all partners and actors trying to make a valuable change in their communities and the world.

Our Mission
Mission Statement
Maximizing social values by catalyzing social investments from public and private social investors to social value creating organizations/enterprises and building social finance ecosystem through social finance intermediaries
Five strategies to achieve our mission
  • Provide social finance to social economy enterprises in the form of investment, loans, guarantees, etc. through social finance intermediaries
  • Support socially valuable projects by providing investments, loans, guarantees, or mixed form of finance
  • Foster social finance intermediaries through training, consulting, mentoring, investing, etc.
  • Research and advocate for strengthening Korean social finance ecosystem
  • Raise awareness on social value and social economy through various events, forum, etc.
What is Social Finance?
Social Finance includes all financial actions with mission of creating social values while pursuing financial returns.* SVS focuses on the financial activities to provide funds to social and solidarity economy organizations/enterprises or projects with social purposes in the form of investment, loans, and/or guarantees. We also values activities such as philanthropic grants and socially responsible investments to commercial businesses in a broader spectrum of social finance.

* This definition is based on the Korean Government’s “Social Finance Promotion Strategy (announced in February 2018)”.
Our Impact
(As of 2023)
Investment and loans pledged
17,914 billion KRW
Number of investment and loans pledged
37 deals
Number of Social Finance Intermediaries partnered
20 SFIs
Number of Social Economy Organizations financed
280 SEOs
Annual Reports
Partnership
SVS cooperates with international organizations that are involved in the global promotion of social economy and impact investing.
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