European Structural and Investment Funds : Community Grants

1. European Structural and Investment Funds : Community Grants Ingrid Gardiner EU Manager Ingrid.gardiner@ncvo-vol.org.uk

2. What NCVO does Training & Capacity Building on key areas: • Governance & Leadership • Sustainable Funding • Campaigning, Collaboration & ICT • Workforce Development • Helpdesk • Pilots, knowledge sharing and new ways of working • Co-ordinates the European Funding Network

3. European Funding Network

4. 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.

5. Size of sector

6. Income and expenditure

7. Trends in funding

8. Trends in funding

9. 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

10. 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

11. Local Enterprise Partnerships

12. Proposed Delivery Arrangements

13. European Structural and Investment Funds • To re-cap, LEPs are responsible for: • coming up with an investment strategy for spending their allocation • finding projects to deliver that strategy, using a mixture of commissioning, bidding and co-financing as best meets local need • finding match funding for those projects • ensuring those projects deliver their targets • making sure their allocations are spent on time • monitoring how well they are delivering against their strategies and the programme priorities

14. European Structural Investment Fund 2014-20 • High Level Business Process • Local Enterprise Partnership • Project Implementation Investment Plan Routes into the Programme Monitor Performance against Strategy Opt-In Negotiated procedure with Opt-In organisations Open Call Seeks ideas to deliver against strategy LEP Defined Activity Commissioned investments / direct bids etc. Assess Strategic Fit Instruction to Invest Confirm strategic fit • Applicant Project Delivery Write Initial Application Develop Full Application Funding Agreement Project Close • Managing Authority Facilitation to complete full Application Form Selection into the Programme Funding Agreement Contract Management& Monitoring Closure Technical Appraisal • Reporting – All data on IT system – Reports drawn off as required • Annex to Paper to the Growth Programme Board

15. 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

16. Civil Society Active Phase 2 • Completion of Action Plan • Consultation with the European Funding Network and civil society partners • Tendering for LEP engagement activity – project awarded to Regional Voices (One East Midlands is the accountable body) • LEP engagement events • Support tools • Blogs and updates on website • Contribution to LEP events • One to one surgeries

17. Role of Partners and EFN • Following tight timescales investment strategies – sent 7 October • Information sharing • Europeanfundingnetwork.eu • One to one surgeries with LEPs • Wider information events before holidays– 10th, 11th and 12th of December

18. Civil Society and LEPs • Engagement with all stakeholders • Building meaningful strategic relationships • Help deliver social inclusion (20%!) • That is not the only offer – civil society sector comes in many different forms – CICs, social enterprises, mutuals and trade unions

19. Community Grants - ESF • ESF community grants are grants of up to £12,000 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.

20. 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

21. 2007-2013 ProgrammeCommunity Grants through Grant Co-ordinating Bodies

22. Why should LEPs considerCommunity 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%)

23. 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.

24. Tasks of LAGs • Local Action Groups (LAGs) select accountable body • Build capacity • Draw up selection criteria • Call for proposals • Selection • Monitoring and evaluation

25. 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 – end of December Operational Programme – March 2014

26. Questions? Thank you and remember that this is an opportunity for you… http://www.europeanfundingnetwork.eu Thank you!

27. Useful Resources To help think through how Community Grants might be used the following links may be useful: DWP - ESF Community Grants http://www.dwp.gov.uk/esf/funding-opportunities/community-grants/ SFA - ESF Community Grants (scroll down the page) http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/providers/programmes/esf/ European Funding Network http://europeanfundingnetwork.eu/news/Community-grants-2014-2015 Community Grants Presentation from LEP Engagement event http://europeanfundingnetwork.eu/events/engaging-with-your-leps Future of Lifelong Learning Programme https://www.lifelonglearningprogramme.org.uk/