Overview of Applying for SOLID Funding in the UK

1. Applying for SOLID funding in the UK An OverviewLondon, 25th May 2012Andrea QuattrinEU Funding Project Liaison Manager

2. AGENDA • Overview of the Funds • Context • What does it mean in practice? • EIF & ERF in the UK • Applying • What makes a good application • Q&A?

3. 12.500.000 210.000 25.500 £154.000.000 extra-EU passengers Visas Asylum applications Allocated to the UK from ERF and EIF since 2007

4. CONTEXT • Part of the EU SOLIDARITY MECHANISM , theEU Framework Programme that provides financial support to Member States to help them deliver a consistent approach on migration issues. • Comprises 4 funds: • European Integration Fund (EIF) • European Refugee Fund III (ERF) • European Return Fund (RF) • External Border Fund (n.b. UK does not participate) • From 2014 plans to merge EIF, ERF and RF into 1: the Asylum and Migration Fund (AMF)

5. Solidarity Funds Management in the UKBrief Overview Apportionment Board DCLG, UNHCR, UKBA HR,UKREP, DWP

6. RESPONSIBLE AUTHORITY (RA) • Link between projects and Commission • Submit multi-annual and annual programmes to the Commission • Complete progress and final reports for the Commission • Organise selection and award procedures • Ensure the fund is administered correctly • Produce Grant Agreements/ Service Level Agreements • Undertake financial and non-financial monitoring of projects (both RA team members and professional auditors) • Liaise with the auditing and evaluating bodies • Maintain central records

7. WHAT DOES IT MEAN IN PRACTICE?

8. EIF and ERF: eligibility * Third Country Nationals (i.e. Non EU/EEA nationals) NB: ONLY costs that meet the eligibility rules can be match-funded by the Funds

9. IN PRACTICE:EIF projects in the UK: an overview Average funding to awarding body mode project of over £115K per annum Executing body mode - PBS and Integration for “Big Society”

10. IN PRACTICE: ERF projects in the UK: an overview Average funding to awarding body mode project of over £60K per annum Executing body mode – Gateway resettlement project, COI service and Italian Asylum Liaison Officer

11. APPLICATION PROCESS

12. SOLID calling! • Calls for proposals are NOW open for the • EUROPEAN INTEGRATION FUNDS 2011 AND 2012 • The deadline for bids: 4pm on Monday 28May 2012 • For more details go to: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsfragments/61-eif • The application pack is available via the Home Office's Emptoris e-procurement site: https://sourcing.homeoffice.gov.uk/sso/jsp/login.jsp

13. Future calls? Future calls for the ERF and EIF may be held in the Autumn, but details are not yet available. We will publicise through stakeholder letters, grantfinder.co.uk , dsc.org.uk, email signatures…Or monitor the UKBA website at: EIF: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/workingwithus/workingwithasylum/integrating_other_migrants/ ERF: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/workingwithus/workingwithasylum/integration/ Pre-application workshop are organised by the RA shortly after the call opens

14. MATCH-FUNDING: HOW DOES IT WORK? From the Funds… • Maximum of 50% of the total eligible cost of the project will be funded by the Fund • …unless you exactly match one of the specific priorities of the Fund, in which case 75% co-financing may be available The rest… • Can come from: • Beneficiary/Partners’ own reserves (balancing figure) • Third Party co-financing • Project generated income • Cannot come from any other EU source (e.g. ESF, ERDF, etc.) • Evidence of ring-fenced matched-funding must be provided • Contributions in kind are noteligible as match funding – it must be ‘hard’ cash evidenced as coming into the project

15. WHO CAN APPLY? • Central Government departments • Government Agencies • Local authorities or organisations running under their auspices • Academic institutions • Limited companies (although no profit can be made from the EU grant) • Non-Governmental Organisations • International Governmental Organisations • Partnerships of any of the above organisations • NOTE: • Organisations MUST be registered in an EU Member State • Individuals cannot apply

16. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO PROVIDE • The following documents must be submitted: • Completed application form • Scanned, signed copy of declaration (final page of application form) • Completed project business plan – all templates completed • Completed Management & Control Systems (MCS) Questionnaire including one from each partner in the case of a partnership bid • Set of last two years’ accounts • CVs/Job Descriptions of key staff • Forward Budget Toolkits – one for each year of the project • Signed partner declaration (where applicable) • If possible: • Letter from your match-funder confirming that funding is ring-fenced. If not possible, this will be requested as a pre-requisite to finalise your Grant Agreement. Indicate in the business plan (Template I) where you expect the match-funding to come from

17. WHAT MAKES A GOOD APPLICATION

18. COMPLETE THE APPLICATION YOURSELF AND BE HONEST • Complete the Bid yourself. • From experience we have had several Applications submitted by projects who have employed a professional consultant to write the bid only for the project to fold very quickly as it was clear the Organisation either didn’t understand what the consultant had committed them to or were not in a position to operate within the sometimes complex structure of EU Funding requirements. • Know what your Bid is about and exactly what you are signing up to.

19. SUITABLE TARGETS • Targets should be: • Consistent and transparent: the targets set at the beginning should be the targets reported on all the way through • Grounded in realism, evidence or logical thinking • What basis have you got for thinking the target is realistic? • What evidence can you use to back it up? • Is it measurable? • Don’t fall into the trap of thinking the RA will be more likely to support projects with high, overly ambitious targets (but don’t set the bar too low either)

20. RELEVANCEEligible actions and beneficiaries • Are the relevant target group(s) addressed? • How have you identified and how are you going to reach your target group? • Have you made realistic estimates of the number of people from within the target group you will reach? (i.e. can you provide evidence of researching an identified need?) • Are all actions identified by the project eligible? • Is the project based on a well identified researched need? • Does the project address a recognised gap in services in a known area/location? • Is the project innovative (if relevant)? • Does the project quantify how the outputs will impact the UK/EU priorities?

21. EFFICIENCYValue for Money • Match funding in place and evidenced? • Ratio of target group to funding (Value for Money) • Are costs justifiable, reasonable and correctly allocated? • Did the project provide a realistic budget for the entire project? • Are the costs stated in the budget and application form consistent? • Is the project description clear (showing added value)?

22. CAPACITYCapacity to Deliver • Experience in delivering similar projects/ working with target groups/ dealing with EU funding • Is the information provided consistent throughout? • Experience / skills of staff involved • Is the organisation structure appropriate? • Is the partnership based on an existing relationship? • Is implementation plan detailed and realistic? • Have risks been identified with contingencies in place? • Are the targets realistic?

23. EFFECTIVENESSCapacity to Monitor • Relevant systems in place e.g. accounting/HR systems • Are financial and other recording systems robust? • Are project outcomes and impacts quantifiable and measurable? • Are monitoring activities specified? • Is the project sustainable? • What monitoring systems/resources are in place?

24. USEFUL LINKS • UKBA Website • EIF: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/workingwithus/workingwithasylum/integrating_other_migrants/ • ERF: • http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/workingwithus/workingwithasylum/integration/

25. ? ? ? ? Q&A ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

26. Thank you for your attention! • Andrea Quattrin • EU Funding Team: • EuropeanSolidFundsEnquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

27. …SOME ADDITIONAL USEFUL INFORMATION: WHAT EVIDENCE DO YOU NEED?

28. EXPENDITURE: WHAT ARE THE LIMITS? Expenditure must be ELIGIBLE: only costs in line with the rules and forecasted in the Budget can be co-financed by the Funds, DIRECTLY RELEVANT to the project FINANCIAL (cash) transactions – no contributions in kind justified by official invoices identifiable and verifiable recorded in accounting records incurred during project year - anything outside the project year will be ineligible Eligible costs without adequate supporting documentation = ineligible cost

29. DOCUMENT RETENTION: HOW LONG DO YOU NEED TO KEEP EVIDENCE? • “All documents regarding expenditure and audits on the programmes concerned are kept available for the Commission and the Court of Auditors for a period of five years following the closure of the programmes” • Closure of the programmes = date that the European Commission ‘signs off’ the UK’s account for the programming year. Note this may be several years after the completion of your project not simply 5 years immediately after the completion. • What does this mean for projects? • Keep all documentation regarding your project for five years after the RA informs you that the Commission has closed the programme to which the final year of your project relates • E.g. a project running from 2011-2012 would have to keep documents for five years after the closure of the 2012 programme • Likely to be retention period of at least8years • Ensure organisation’s normal document retention policies are superseded by the EU rules

30. MONITORING: WHAT DOES IT MEAN? • When?Continuous • Why?Ensure performance against targets, • Ensure solid financial and project management • Provide support • Key tools: • Monitoring forms • Interim and final reports and financial toolkit • In-year monitoring visits: Two or more per year • Desktop checks • Interim and final audit: conducted by auditors on behalf of RA. • Workshops: up to two technical workshops each year • Continuous communication

31. THE FUNDING CYCLE *To be eligible for interim payments, the beneficiary should evidence that at least 60% or 50% of the total budgeted costs (respectively for projects match-funded 50% and 75% by the Funds) has been spent on eligible actions. Interim payments will be assessed on a case by cases basis.

32. FINANCIAL MONITORING REQUIREMENTSEvidence - 1 • Staff costs • Staff working Full-time on the project • Job description or contract confirming duties and contractual hours • Evidence of total salary and on costs (eg. Salary slip or payroll) • Staff working a proportion of their time on the project • Timesheets (MUST provide details of tasks performed, signed by the member of staff and countersigned by line-manager) • Evidence supporting daily/hourly rate (eg. evidence supporting the calculation of the rate or official evidence stating the rate. • Support staff not working directly on the project (cost apportioned to project) • Evidence of total salary and on costs (eg. Salary slip or payroll) • Evidence supporting apportionment ratio

33. FINANCIAL MONITORING REQUIREMENTSEvidence - 2 • Subcontracting • Evidence of procurement exercise compliant with EU funding eligibility rules: e.g. if above €5K, then you need to show that at least 3 quotes have been considered. • Copy of the subcontracting contract stating costs, tasks required reporting and monitoring activities performed by the lead beneficiary  these should provide evidence that the subcontractors are abiding by the same eligibility rules applied to the lead beneficiary

34. FINANCIAL MONITORING REQUIREMENTSEvidence - 3 • Consumables and supplies • Invoices, receipts • Evidence to confirm the relevance to the project. • Travel and subsistence • Evidence of tickets, boarding passes confirming costs of travel, dates and destination • Evidence supporting relevance to the project (meeting notes, agendas, emails) • Evidence supporting subsistence rates and practices

35. FINANCIAL MONITORING REQUIREMENTSEvidence - 5 • Specific expenses relating to the target group • Evidence that the beneficiaries fall within the Fund eligible target group • Evidence of the support provided – invoices, receipts etc. • Evidence that the beneficiary received the assistance - e.g. signed statement, receipt