The Social Economy Centre (SEC) of the University of Toronto promotes and disseminates multidisciplinary research and policy analysis on issues affecting the social economy. The Centre was established in 2005 as a unit of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto.

A central feature of the Social Economy Centre is to create a bridge between the university and other community organizations, particularly nonprofits and co-operatives. To this end, the SEC has a monthly workshop series through which leaders in social economy organizations can upgrade their skills and acquire a certificate, and it also has a monthly speakers series that is webcast and archived on its website.

The Social Economy Centre has played an important role in the creation of the Association of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research (ANSER), an academic network that organizes an annual conference, normally held with the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The Centre has also played a central role in organizing the Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research, to begin publication in 2010.

Currently, the Centre administers many research projects including a $1.75-million grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) that funds over 35 projects.

The research completed through the centre is prepared in many formats, including fact sheets and backgrounders for non-academics. The SEC also disseminates information about the social economy to secondary schools and universities in an effort to create greater awareness in the curriculum.