The introduction indicates the object of research – social entrepreneurship, which at the present stage of social development is one of the tools for solving social problems. The purpose of the study is to highlight the theoretical and practical aspects of the functioning of social entrepreneurship by analyzing its essence and experience of support using the example of France. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that the author, based on an analysis of existing interpretations of the concept of social entrepreneurship, formulated a generalized concept that reflects the main features of this phenomenon, and also identified measures to support social entrepreneurship in France. The main part contains interpretations of the concept of «social entrepreneurship», which were proposed by foreign authors depending on the field of activity and the scientific direction they represent. The analysis of the presented formulations made it possible to summarize the existing theoretical experience and propose the author’s definition, in which social entrepreneurship is considered primarily as an economic relationship. The practical aspect of social entrepreneurship is considered using the example of France, a country in which the ecosystem for the development of social entrepreneurship has a branched structure and is a part of social solidarity economy. In this context, participants in the ecosystem are presented, measures and areas of support are described that are focused on specific types of enterprises depending on their areas of activity: for all enterprises that meet certain criteria from which social enterprises can benefit; for the social economy, including social enterprises; only for social enterprises. In conclusion, the features of the development of social entrepreneurship at the present stage are outlined. The scope of application of the research results is university courses on economic theory and the fundamentals of entrepreneurship.