Позитивные изменения. Том 2, №4 (2022). Positive changes. Volume 2, Issue 4 (2022)

Within the framework of the pilot testing, it is recommended that the constituent entities of the Russian Federation engage VEB.RF as the operator. The operator's participation allows the constituent entities of the Russian Federation to “fine-tune” the tools of social impact projects, while VEB.RF, as the operator, can gather best practices of their implementation for the further development of the tool. The operator also monitors projects and takes measures to curb detected risks. At the end of the project implementation period, the operator engages an organization to conduct an independent assessment of the social effect achieved, which is the prerequisite for paying the subsidy to the project organizer.

WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY THE END OF 2022?

By the end of 2022, social impact projects were 2/3 of the way through pilot testing scheduled to start from 2019 through the end of 2024. By this point, ten constituent entities of the Russian Federation became actively involved in the design, launch, and implementation of social impact projects, and almost half of the constituent entities expressed an interest in implementing such projects.

Summarizing the results of almost 4 years, the following key achievements can be noted:

• Regulations on the Organization of the Pilot Testing of Social Impact Projects by the Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation in 2019–2024 (Government Resolution No. 1491) were approved, which streamlined the basic requirements for the implementation of social impact projects and launched the pilot testing;

• ten projects were launched in seven constituent entities of the Russian Federation, in five social sectors (education, social services, social protection, health, and employment), with the total investment of 385 million rubles; 419 million rubles were allocated as subsidies from the regional budgets;

• three projects were completed in 2022: one in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), in the field of education; and two more in Primorsky Krai, in healthcare and social protection. The total investment in these projects was 106 million rubles, with grants amounting to 114 million rubles. All the projects were deemed a success, as the intended social effect had been achieved;

• social impact projects have gained international recognition: VEB.RF received two ADFIAP awards[53] in 2020 and 2022 for the implementation of social impact projects in education in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and in social protection in Primorsky Krai;

• the methodological support for the implementation of social impact projects was actively developing in 2022, including a redesign and amendments to the VEB.RF website page[54] dedicated to the projects (adding Q&A, information on existing projects, presenting VEB.RF-approved project monitoring procedure and standard forms for launching and implementing social impact projects);

• the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation provides methodological support of the social impact projects' implementation, explaining to the constituent entities of the Russian Federation the application of budget legislation during the project implementation.

Diagram 2. Key achievements of social impact projects in 2019–2022

* project numbers determined by the number of project passports approved by the supreme executive authorities of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation as of the end of the respective year

Key achievements of social impact projects broken down by year are shown in Diagram 2.

Behind the dry numbers and facts are tangible social transformations and changes in the quality of life of the citizens of our country. As an example, let's look at the results of three completed projects.

RESULTS OF THE FIRST THREE COMPLETED PROJECTS

The greatest milestone of 2022 was an independent evaluation and the completion of the first three social impact projects. The independent evaluation results act as the basis for the decision to pay the subsidy to the project organizer that was investing in the project in the course of its implementation for it to achieve the social effect. The independent evaluation is also intended to determine the social and economic effects of a project, identify the relationship between project activities and the social effects achieved, and therefore to assess the potential for project scaling.