Maureen Walby is Project Manager at Action with Communities in Rural Kent, an independent voluntary organisation which provides advice and support to community organisations. This presentation was prepared for and delivered at one of the Eden Project's Big Lunch Extras community development events: www.biglunchextras.com

1. Maureen Walby February 2014 Kent
EUROPEAN FUNDING
2014-2020
An overview of what EU funding is
and how we can use it for our
projects.

2. Maureen Walby February 2014 Kent
Introductions
2 minutes please….
A bit about your organisation
Main client group
Past EU funding experience
Problems & pleasures you’ve had using
EU funds
Ambitions for future projects
What do you want to talk about today?

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EUROPEAN FUNDING
2014-2020
 Where does it come from?
 What can we do with it?
 Match funding?
 Transnational Partnerships?
 Local, regional, national partnerships?
 How can we get some?
 What happens then?
 Do we really want some???

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GDP Member States

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Main points to cover…
 What is European Funding and
where does it come from?
 How relevant is it for us?
 How can it help us?
 What are the different
programmes and how can we
use them?
 What do we have to do to win
some European money?
 How do we manage it once
we’ve won some?
 National (Structural) Funds
 ESF Community Grants
 Role of Local Economic
Partnerships (LEPs)
 Transnational Partnerships
 Erasmus Plus
 Creative Europe
 Other Direct from Brussels
funds

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Key Principles
Transparency
Value for Money
Added Value
Sound match-funding
Justification / analysis
Credibility
Management
Monitoring & Reporting
Equal Opportunities
Sustainability &
Environment
Environment
Inclusive - partnerships
Clear Objectives
Results
Impact
Evaluation
Mainstreaming
Policy Influence
Publicity
Clear Audit Trail

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Match Funding
 All EU funding must be
matched
 No double-funding
 Can be from any non-EU
source
 Much comes pre-matched
 Volunteer time can be used as
match
 For this notional values are
used
 Sometimes 100% funding
comes from Brussels – but
exceptionally
 Direct grants ratio match
varies.
 All match funding must be
certificated and must be real
cash (salaries count as cash
or volunteer time

10. Maureen Walby February 2014 Kent
UK Structural Funds
UK Management 2014-2020
ESF. ERDF. RDF. Agri/Fisheries
6/7 year programming periods
Negotiations with Brussels – priorities, regions,
targets etc.
Programme delivery – January 2014
Notional allocations to regions – delivery
mechanisms vary
delivered through 38 regional LEPs

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Regional Priorities & LEPs
“Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) will bring
together councils and business on an equal footing with
one voice, replacing the current Regional Development
Agencies (RDAs).
Vince Cable 2010

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Questions
 What do you know about the LEP?
 Have you had any engagement with your LEP?
 Is there a VCS rep on your LEP?
 Is there good contact with your DCLG local rep?
 Are you likely to be working across the sectors
defined by the Growth Strategy?

13. Maureen Walby February 2014 Kent
2014-2020 new 7 year programme
Began on 01.01.2014
ESF, ERDF & RDF plus Fisheries etc
Community Grants – part of ESF –
match funding by National Lottery ?
Scope for VCS, not just with Community
Grants!

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Structural Funds
 ESF is for the
development of the
workforce, raising
skills, developing
jobs & providing
training etc
 LEPs can choose to
offer integrated
funds
 ERDF is for capital
projects,
infrastructure,
business
development,
communication, etc.

15. Maureen Walby February 2014 Kent
National Priorities ESF
Economic Development
 Developing business
 Developing a skilled work-force
 Regional competitiveness
20% ring-fenced for over-coming the problems of
poverty & exclusion

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ESF Community Grants
Guidelines
The application process
The “scoring” system
The approval process
Administration
Reporting
Case Studies
Applications open now in most English regions but
examples given relate to the Surrey CA led
consortia of which Kent is part.

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Project delivery
Local action – designed for small groups
Contracted to each county with each county/area
and having its own allocation of funds and local staff
team
Local board make decisions
Capacity building cash available too
Simplified process for administration of projects
 But still top-heavy in admin!

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Progression towards work….
Can be confidence building
Can be work experience
Can be learning new skills
The aim is to reach those people farthest away
from the labour market and to make them more
work ready.
£15,000 – projects must end by April 2015
Community Grants Objectives

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Priority has been given to groups who work with:
 Lone parents
 People with disabilities / health issues
 People aged 50+
 People from ethnic minorities / diverse groups
 Women

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Other Programmes - Transnational
 Erasmus Plus
 Creative Europe
 Interreg
 Leader Plus
 Daphne
 Life
 Energy
 Social Justice
 Horizon 2020
 Enlargement
(pre-accesion)
 Social Innovation
 Progress
 Micro Finance
 Direct to Brussels
DGs – 23 DG’s!

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ERASMUS PLUS
The new Lifelong Learning
Programme

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Replaces….
 Grundtvig
 Leonardo da Vinci
 Transversal
 Comenius
 Erasmus
 Jean Monet
 Tempus
 Some changes, some parts discontinued

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Larger funds, merging programmes
The number of partners and funding will
vary depending on the project’s aims
and activities. Strategic Partnerships can
receive a maximum of 150,000 euro in
funding per year.

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Open to all…
Open to all organisations active in the
field of adult learning.
Possible to work in multi-sector
partnerships
Only one project in each Key Action per
organisation per year.

25. Maureen Walby February 2014 Kent
Just 3 Key Actions
 Key Action 1
 Mobility
 Closing date 17th
March 2014
11.00am UK time
 Individual mobility,
applications only
through
organisations
 Key Action 2
 Strategic
Partnerships
 Closing date 30th
April 2014 at
11.00am UK time.
 Key Action 3
 Policy Reform

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Two types of “activity”
 divided into main two types of activity.
 Decentralised activities for the UK are run by the
British Council, in partnership with Ecorys UK.
 Centralised activities are run by the European
Commission’s Executive Agency which is based in
Brussels.

27. Maureen Walby February 2014 Kent
Erasmus Plus Key Action 1
Learning Mobility of Individuals is all
about providing opportunities for
individuals to improve their skills,
enhance their employability and gain
cultural awareness.

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KA 1 Decentralised
UK National Agency: British Council
Mobility for
Higher Education
Vocational Education Learners and Staff
School Staff
Adult Education Staff
Young People & Youth Workers

29. Maureen Walby February 2014 Kent
Key Action 1 - Mobility
 Open to organisations only –individual mobility
 enables organisations to offer structured
study, work experience, job shadowing,
training and teaching opportunities to staff and
learners.
 2 weeks to 2 months in another country
 covers the five fields of Higher Education,
vocational education and training, schools,
adult education and youth.
 target groups and activities vary by field.

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KA 1 –Centralised (Brussels)
Joint Masters Degrees
Erasmus + Masters Loan Schemes
Large-scale European Voluntary Service
Events

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More than one destination
Several “flows” possible within each
application
Depending on field, could include staff
and Learners
Could be work shadowing, professional
development, certified courses etc.
2 weeks to 2 months duration

32. Maureen Walby February 2014 Kent
“Unit Price” budgets
 Driven by activity
 Calculated on
numbers,
destination, length of
mobility etc.
 Simplified
accounting and
reporting system
 Evidence of journey,
certificate of
attendance.

33. Maureen Walby February 2014 Kent
ERASMUS PLUS
KEY ACTION 2
Co-operation for Innovation and
Exchange of Good Practices
enabling organisations to work together
in order to improve their provision for
learners and share innovative practices

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KA 2 – National Agency: Ecorys
aims to increase the positive impact of
European activities at all levels to ensure
benefits for the individuals, organisations
and countries involved in projects.

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KA 2 – 6 fields at national level
Strategic Partnerships for…
Higher Education
Vocational Education & Training
Schools
Adult Education
Youth
More than one field

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KA 2 Centralised Activities
Direct to Brussels
Knowledge Alliances
Skills Alliances
Capacity Building in the field of Youth

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Unit Costs
 Calculated through
drop-down menu
format
 Driven by activity &
location
 Max 150,000 euros per
year x 2 or 3 years
 Lead partner applies on
behalf of whole
partnership - contracts
with other partners.
 Simplified
administration
 Minimum 3 programme
countries
 Can have 2 UK based
partners
 Deadline 30th
April
11.00am UK time for
KA2

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Who can apply?
Any UK organisation involved in adult
education
Can be lead (Coordinator) or as a
partner. Coordinator makes the
application for funding.
UK organisations leading a project must
apply to the UK National Agency on
behalf of the partnership.

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Key Action 3 – Policy Reform
covers any type of activity aimed at
supporting & facilitating the
modernisation of education and training
systems.
fields of higher education, vocational
education and training, schools, adult
learning & Youth.
supports strategic action across
European to reform systems & influence
policy.

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Inter-active forms only….
Applications must be submitted by 11am
UK time on 30 April 2014. There will
only be one deadline in 2014. Projects
will be able to start on 1 September
2014.
No paper this time!

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How to apply
www.erasmusplus.org.uk
 form will be available in February. In the meantime,
you can:
 Use the
model e-form for Strategic Partnerships for Adult Educa
as a guide to start planning your application.
 Use the Distance Calculator to calculate travel
costs for your project.
 Register your organisation on ECAS and the
Participant Portal.

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Example Projects
 Academy of
Community
Entrepreneurs (ACE)
 Compared structure,
operations & targets
of social enterprises
in each country
 2 x UK partners
 Sweden
 France
 Czech Republic

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Example projects
 Into Caring Europe
 Compared legal,
fiscal, social aspects
plus state support
available to older
people and those
with disabilities
 2 x UK partners
 France
 Spain
 Slovakia

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Greener Futures for Young People –
Progress Programme
 Direct to Brussels
 One-year project,
300,000 euros to
share with partners.
 Promoting careers in
the VCS sector for
able, keen young
people
 Social enterprise
training, creation &
progression to self
employment or set
up of new
community
enterprise.

45. Maureen Walby February 2014 Kent
Contact
Maureen Walby
Maureen.walby@ruralkent.org.uk
mawmont@gmail.com
077030 48602 or 0033 5 49 72 52 97