Applying for European funding can be an extremely complex process. Despite this, it is one of the most successful sources of funding for community organisations in the UK and one of the most under-used.
If you do take the time to apply you will find a source of funding that could transform your activity. It is most useful if you are interested in transforming general campaigning into a concrete proposal, especially if it can be proven to be of some benefit to the local economy and community. Here are some examples from the Charities Information Bureau of the kind of ideas that attract European funding:
Training projects for the disadvantaged
Training for staff and volunteers
Employing community development workers
Confidence building for communities
Doing local surveys to find out what your community needs
Encouraging volunteering
Improving community buildings and regenerating derelict land
Research projects
Job search advice and counselling
Tackling discrimination and inequality
Support for 14 to 16-year-olds excluded from school
Your first port of call should always be the regional European Funding Advice Office.
For European Regional Development Funds, the first stage is an "expression of interest" submitted to and assessed by the appropriate partnership. This is a preliminary proposal that sets out an outline of your project.
Groups called Area Partnerships (APs) then assess these initial outline bids for what they call a "strategic fit" with the Area Partnership strategy. If your bid is successful you will be encouraged to move onto the full application stage. Projects that are successful will be seen to be of strategic relevance, offering value for money, and meeting technical requirements.
European Social Fund bids are made on a formal application form.
The Structural Funds are easier to access and if you are a small organisation you may be particularly interested in a kind of fund called Global Grants.
Getting your hands on this money is less straightforward. Most European funding is not paid by the European Commission directly but through national and regional authorities in each of the member states.
When applying for funding you should start with your regional European Funding Advice Office. Your European Funding Advice Office is part of the Third Sector European Network, an umbrella organisation of groups and policy units and is there to help voluntary organisations understand and access European funding.
Contacts for European Funding Advice Offices in the UK are regional and here are their websites:
European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF)
Financial Instruments for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG)
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
European Social Fund (ESF)
Cornwall's Eden Project received EU funding
The European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund are the funds most likely to be relevant to you, as a small community organisation. The ERDF aims to reduce the socio-economic inequality between the regions of the EU, and is aimed mainly at economic regeneration. The ESF aims to put people back into work by developing skills and training opportunities.
These funds are allocated according to pre-set criteria called Objectives and Community Initiatives. Proposals will have to meet these to qualify for funding and they will sometimes have to be able to prove ‘match funding’. That means they will have to prove they can raise an equivalent amount of funding from other sources.
Objectives
There are three Objectives for allocating money from the Structural Funds and they are primarily defined by regions:
Objective One Applies in regions where development is lagging behind. In the UK, it covers South Yorkshire, West Wales and The Valleys, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly and Merseyside. Funded by the ERDF.
Objective Two Applies to areas facing structural problems including rural areas in decline and industrial and urban areas with problems. The money generally comes from the ERDF and the ESF.
Objective Three Funds training and skill development. It covers all areas outside of Objective One areas. Recently the terms of this have been changed. Most importantly, from 2004 match funding will not be needed anymore and funds will come from independent organisations called Co-Financing Organisations rather than directly from government offices. The money comes from the ESF.
Community Initiatives These are similar to Objectives and also act as criteria for the allocation of European Structural Funds. Between 2000 and 2006 over £900m will be available through these funds:
INTERREG promotes international co-operative projects. For example, in 2002, £40m was awarded under this scheme to encourage closer trade links between Wales and Ireland
URBAN is concerned with urban regeneration in deprived areas
EQUAL is a human resources initiative and is concerned with issues such as helping people into work or updating computer skills
LEADER+ is an initiative for assisting rural communities in improving their quality of life and economic prosperity
Global Grants
You don't have to apply for millions of euros
Global Grants are suited for small organisations and proposals. They provide small amounts of money for organisations without the ability to bid for the main Structural Funds. These are usually for sums between £500 and £10,000.
Crucially, Global Grants do not need match funding to acorganization the European grant, ie. you do not need to prove that the equivalent amount of money could be raised from other sources. Global Grants recognise that there are small organisations well placed to respond to social problems but not necessarily well equipped to deal with the financial and administrative demands that Structural Fund rules place on applications.
For more information on this contact your regional European Funding Advice Office.
Budget Lines Budget Lines are funds accessible to voluntary organisations. Budget Lines provide funding for projects in areas such as education, training, the environment, consumer protection and information. They are distributed directly from the European Commission. Generally, they require applicants to form trans-national partnerships with organisations from at least two other member states.
5. Criteria : What fund and what chance of success?
Deciding which European fund you should apply for and the likelihood of receiving funds depends on a number of criteria:
The nature of your project Think about whether your project is in line with the criteria set out in the Objectives and whether it is line with the aims of the regional European government office.
The region you are bidding from The fund you apply for depends on what region you are bidding from. Check the Objectives and contact your local European Funding Office for advice to find out their priorities and who the target communities are.
Size of organisation The size of your organisation might make a difference. Quite often you are required to prove that you have a sound infrastructure able to handle the complex financial and administrative demands of European funding. Do you have the resources to manage the funds?
Match funding It is important to remember that for the structural funds you sometimes need match funding. European funding is not likely to cover the entire cost of your project so you have to make sure match funding is available.
The funding can come from private sources such as bank loans or from non-profit organisations, commercial sponsorship, investment or government funding. A useful tip is that match funding does not always need to be in the form of financial contributions. It can include "in-kind" support such as voluntary work, the free supply of raw materials, and the supply of land, equipment and accommodation.
Match funding is compulsory for most Structural Fund applications, although Global Grants, which are more small-scale, do not need it. Most Objective Three proposals will now not need to provide match funding.
Writing an application form can be time-consuming and complex. One of the most common reasons for funding bids being turned down is an incomplete application form or applications missing the deadline.
There are some simple yet obvious tips for writing application forms:
Give yourself plenty of time to apply and write several drafts of the application form
Follow the guidance notes carefully. They will provide a clear indication of the kind of language and content expected by the funder
Make your proposal succinct and absolutely clear. A well-thought-through and clearly-articulated proposal is much more likely to convince funders
Provide all the accessory information requested by funding authority
Answer the questions directly and honestly. Funders will know if you are trying to dodge a question
Fill the form in clearly and make sure you keep a copy of it
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