European Funding Network Networking Event and Reception for Voluntary and Community Sector Representatives on the Local ESIF Committees Sandra Turner European Funding Network NCVO, London, 18 May 2015 sandra.turner@ncvo.org.uk

ESIF 2014-2020 European Funding Network ESIF – the 2014-2020 Programme VCSE Concerns What’s missing Any questions?

European Funding Network Expertise on EU funding ESF, ERDF, RDP, Leader, Interreg, Erasmus EFN’s membership social enterprise, cooperatives, charities, and key local infrastructure networks geographic and thematic coverage e.g. environment, youth, health, rural, social entrepreneurship, social investment Ensuring Local Reach events, supporting local partners, sharing good practice National Representation ESF England 2007-13 Programme Monitoring Committee & its sub-committees e.g. Equality, Evaluation, Transnational ESIF 2014-20 Growth Programme Board Policy Contributions consultations, briefings, reports, analysis and research secondment to BIS Partnership Team & partnership working (Mas, BIG, LEPs, LGA, NHS…) supporting Government working groups e.g. CLLD, governance, performance Communication and feedback newsletters, website, social media

How did we end up with ESIF? Europe 2020: Sustainable, Smart and Inclusive Growth Smart agenda: innovation; education; digital society. Sustainability agenda: climate, energy, and mobility. Inclusive agenda: employment and skills; promoting social inclusion & fighting poverty Targets: 20m less people at risk of poverty Education: ESL 10%, raise post secondary 40% Environment: gases, consumption -20%, efficiency +20% (20/20/20) Raise employment 75%. R&D to 3% GDP Innovations: thematic concentration results driven placed-based approaches ; reinforced partnership arrangements with civil society simplification?

Why does this matter? ESIF mean: Real money for voluntary organizations (particularly ESF) New policy priorities e.g. gender European priorities not reflected in domestic agenda Additional resources to tackle important problems Methods which can be enlightened, imaginative, effective Benefits of programmes that extend beyond lifetime of a parliament Code of conduct on partnership

…in the beginning the VCSE concerns were… A dedicated priority for social inclusion Ring-fencing for social inclusion activities Appropriate outcomes e.g. soft outcomes A strengthened focus on sustainability, gender, equalities and anti-discrimination and better monitoring mechanism (particularly ERDF) Better alignment ESF and ERDF interventions Improved and direct access to funding Partnership principle Technical Assistance and Match Funding Volunteering Time as match funding in kind A blend of funding mechanisms Suitable methods e.g. community grants, technical assistance, trans-nationality, a dedicated ‘CFO’ for social inclusion, direct bidding Local development approaches (active inclusion, fostering social innovation, regeneration of deprived urban, rural and maritime areas, community led local development) Proportionate administration/rules, simplifications

VCSE concerns met Social inclusion priority  A dedicated CFO for SI  Partnership/civil society  after a challenging start to LEP engagement… Trans nationality ? Local development  but only in a few areas Community grants  but only in a handful of LEP areas Volunteer Time as match  for ESF on exceptional basis Social Innovation  ? Social Investment  ? Technical assistance  but the issue of match funding remains Simplified administration  Improved VCS access  small organisations?

What’s missing? Operational Programmes Opt-ins’ Programmes Yet to be approved, some detail still missing e.g. targets, clld, social investment Opt-ins’ Programmes still working through the detail… Funding to projects not until 2016 some time yet before we can assess impact of interventions and access for VCSE ESIF local committees Equalities representatives missing from many committees Anything else?

Further information www.europeanfundingnetwork.eu www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/ESF Thank you for listening Any Questions? Contact us: sara.stephens@ncvo.org.uk sandra.turner@ncvo.org.uk