1. Overview of the Ability Programme
Pobal is a not-for-profit company that manages programmes on behalf of the Irish Government and the EU
Ability is co-financed by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund as part of the ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning

2. Policy Context
Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities
National Disability Inclusion Strategy

3. Policy Context
ESF co-financing under Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL)
PEIL Priority 2-Promoting social inclusion and combating discrimination in the labour market
Exchequer funding

4. Policy context Learning from DACT 2012-2015
Significant benefits to participants in self-confidence, independence, ability to work, health
Recommendation for future programme to focus on employability with the potential to progress in the open labour market

5. Ability Programme Overview
Co-financed by European Social Fund and Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Focused on promoting the employability of young people with disabilities (15-29 years of age) and meaningful social roles
Ability will promote employment prospects and meaningful social roles for at least 1,000 PWD.

6. Ability Programme Overview
Person centred approaches/planning central to the ethos of the programme
Up to €10m available over a 3 year period
Ability will support local, county wide, regional and/or national projects of 2-3 years duration
Projects must be between €200k and €750k

7. Young People with Disabilities
Ability is targeting young people with disabilities who are between 15 and 29 years of age.
A young person may have a physical or sensory disability, acquired disability, intellectual disability, hidden disability, mental health condition or be on the autistic spectrum.

8. Young People with Disabilities
Ability participants must be either:
In receipt of disability allowance or invalidity pension; or
in receipt Illness benefit for more than 3 months; or
Be an existing disability service user/client of the applicant or partner org; or
Referred to your project by relevant orgs/services (see list of examples of p.7)

9. Who can apply?
Comm, vol and not-for-profit orgs that support PWD as part of their objectives.
Comm, vol and not-for-profit orgs that provide training, pre-employment and/or employment supports as part of their objectives
Non-statutory bodies under Sections 38 and 39 of the Health Act 2004
Employer networks or other networks of non-statutory bodies

10. Who can apply? Applicants must have a legal structure
One application per lead applicant
Local/regional branches of national orgs can only apply as a lead applicant if they have own company structure
Partnership applications are welcome
A lead applicant may be a project partner in another application
Statutory bodies and schools can participate as partners only.

11. What type of activities can be funded?
Projects with a person centred approach
Specialised vocational assessments
Development of soft skills, confidence and independence
Tailored transition programmes
Outreach, information & advice, mentoring and pre-employment supports
Work preparation initiatives
Capacity building with mainstream employment, education and training services and employers

12. What type of activities cannot be funded?
Projects that don’t provide person-centred supports for young PWD
Projects that provide training only
Projects that only fund social activities
Projects that only fund equipment or assistive technology
Other activities as set out on page 12 of Information for Applicants document

13. What costs are eligible?
Direct salary costs for workers to deliver projects (only new roles)
Sub-contractors included in direct staff costs
Employer PRSI, T&S, pension contributions
Recruitment costs

14. What costs are eligible?
Programme costs
training/facilitation/career guidance materials
accreditation fees
vocational assessments tools/packages
venue/room hire
travel costs for participants
publicity costs

15. What costs are eligible?
Equipment and Assistive technology for the following purposes….
Specialised vocational assessments
Small scale equipment/assistive technology libraries for participants
Small scale equipment to facilitate project workers (up to €1k inclusive of VAT per worker)
Total sum of equipment/assistive technology capped at €12k for local/county projects, €28k for regional projects and €63k for national projects

16. Indirect costs
Indirect staffing costs and indirect overhead costs are allowed.
Capped at max of 7% of total direct costs (excluding equipment costs)
Clear justification for indirect costs to be provided in the application

17. ESF Funding= ESF Rules
ESF Target: Minimum 1,000 participants nationally.
ESF claim will be reliant on participant data collection in accordance with ESF indicators
ESF reporting and use of central IT system
ESF audit and evaluation
ESF communications and promotion activity direct to participants
Timesheets
Fixed Asset Register (in case of equipment/assistive technology library)

18. Programme outputs and outcomes
Ability has key programme indicators to capture the numbers of young people supported (outputs)
These indicators also chart progression into education, training and employment
Applications must demonstrate how they will meet relevant programme outputs and outcomes

19. Support for Applicants Ability Helpdesk
Telephone: (01)