Accessing European Structural Funds

Ingrid Gardiner

EU Manager

Ingrid.gardiner@ncvo-vol.org.uk

www.europeanfundingnetwork.eu

European Funding Network

Size of sector

Income and expenditure

Trends in funding

Trends in funding

Funding & Finance

• Major reductions in public spending (20%) still coming through

• Shift from grants to contracts

• EU funds 2014-2020

• Move towards social investment, eg. bonds and loans

• Need to find ways to link public sector funds with foundations and corporate partners

European Structural and Investment Funds

Introduction to the European Structural and Investment Funds

• The Structural and Cohesion Funds are the European Union’s main funding programmes for reducing social and economic disparities across the EU. In England, these funds comprise the:

• European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which supports research, innovation, business development and infrastructure investment

• European Social Fund (ESF) which supports training, enhancing access to employment and social inclusion.

• It will also include part of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), and will be aligned with the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). This funding should begin to come on stream in mid-2014.

European Structural and Investment Funds

2007-2013 Programme

DWP’s European Social Fund Division (ESFD) is the Managing Authority

of the ESF Programme in England and funding is ‘matched’ with UK

Government funding. You can also access ESF through one of the Co-

financing organisations, including NOMS, and Skills Funding Agency,

Department for Work and Pensions More information on the European

Social Fund in England is available at www.dwp.gov.uk/esf. For

information on ESF and civil society, please go to our dedicated

European Funding Network website.

Above opportunities tendered through PQQ and ITT

Community Grants through Grant Co-ordinating Bodies

e.g. Engage, WEA, Surrey Community Action

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Proposed Delivery Arrangements

Local focus new opportunities

• Opt in (e.g. Big Lottery Fund) to complement Growth Programme and social inclusion

• Community Led Local Development

• Community Grants

• Volunteer time

• Social innovation

• Social investment

• Technical assistance

Role of Partners and EFN

• LEP engagement provider

• Following tight timescales investment strategies – sent 31st of January

• Information sharing

• Europeanfundingnetwork.eu

• Blogs and updates on website

• One to one surgeries with LEPs and contribution to LEP events

• Wider information events 28th of February in Ely and 27th of March in York

Community Grants - ESF • ESF community grants are grants of up to £15,000 which

enable small VCS organisations to work with most disadvantaged and excluded people.

• The grants have a local focus and seek to move people closer to the labour market.

They support a wide range of activities including:

• initial help with basic skills

• taster work experience, including voluntary work

• training, advice and counselling

• confidence building.

Community Grants - ESF • People with disabilities or health conditions (inc. those with

learning difficulties, mental health issues or drug and alcohol dependency problems)

• People aged 50 or over and seeking employment

• People from ethnic minorities

• Women

• Lone parents

• Case Studies

Why should LEPs consider Community Grants?

• Flexible programme that encourages innovative practices to support a wide range of employment focused activity

• Targets those furthest away from the labour market

• High volume of soft outcomes

• Builds organisational capacity

• Contributes to LEP priorities and social inclusion targets (20%)

Local focus new opportunities?

• What is CLLD?

• Modelled on previous Leader approaches (RDPE)

• An optional tool for territorial development

• Focussed on sub-regional areas (10-150,000 population)

• Driven by local communities

• Multi-sectoral (public, private and civil society)

• Integrated approach single or multi-fund options possible e.g. ESF + ERDF; Leader + ESF + ERDF; EMFF + ESF etc.

Tasks of LAGs

• Local Action Groups (LAGs) select accountable body

• Build capacity

• Draw up selection criteria

• Call for proposals

• Selection

• Monitoring and evaluation

•Routes into the Programme

•Write Initial

Application

•Assess Strategic Fit

•Instruction to

Invest

•Selection into the

Programme

•Develop Full

Application

•Confirm strategic

fit

•Funding Agreeme

nt

•Investment Plan

•Opt-In •Negotiated procedure with Opt-In

organisations

•Open Call Seeks ideas to deliver against

strategy

•LEP Defined Activity

•Commissioned investments /

direct bids etc.

•Local Enterprise Partnership

•Facilitation to complete full Application

Form

•Technical

Appraisal

•Funding Agreemen

t

•Project

Delivery

•Project

Close

•Contract Management&

Monitoring

•Applicant

•Managing Authority •Closu

re

•European Structural Investment Fund 2014-20 •High Level Business Process

•Reporting – All data on IT system – Reports drawn off as required

•Annex to Paper to the Growth Programme Board

•Monitor Performance

against Strategy

•Project Implementation

Useful Resources

European Funding Network

www.europeanfundingnetwork.eu

LEP network

http://www.lepnetwork.org.uk/

Prospectus European Funding

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/european-structural-and-investment-

funds-strategies-supplementary-guidance-to-local-enterprise-partnerships

Toolkits

http://europeanfundingnetwork.eu/policy/cohesion-policy-2014-2020/local-

enterprise-partnerships

Timetable

Domestic timetable Spring 2013 – Guidance to LEPs on EU Investment Strategies issued; UK Partnership Agreement out to formal consultation July 2013 – Final Guidance issued to LEPs October 2013 – Investment Strategies to BIS – final strategies to be submitted by the end of January 2014 October – November – feedback to LEPs Partnership Agreement –early 2014 Operational Programme – early 2014

Exercise

15 minutes

In groups could you outline what opportunities you see for your organisation in the next programme?

Focus on the following themes in the new programme

• Big Lottery match funding and social inclusion thematic objective

• Community Grants

• Community led local development

• ICT, research & innovation, support to business, low carbon

• Technical assistance