Although the voluntary sector in the North East has been very successful in gaining European funding, particularly ESF, this money tends to go to a small number of large organisations.

The basic nature of European funding presents the voluntary sector with a number of significant difficulties.  The eligibility criteria are complex, the application processes confusing and the administration of the programmes bureaucratic and inflexible.  In addition, the complexities and restrictions around match funding make it difficult to get some ideas off the ground and mean that some organisations are faced with even more complex arrangements for managing their funding regimes.  Another major concern for voluntary organisations around accessing European funding is the monitoring requirements which, particularly when compared to other funding regimes, are onerous.

The area of European funding that we have been most involved in is the Priority 4 - Newcastle Target Communities package which was part of the Objective 2 Programme 2000-2006 for the North East of England.  However, this programme came to an end in 2008 and will not be continued. 

The new European Funding Programmes available in the North East of England were launched in 2008 and will cover the period 2007-2013 (with projects operating until mid 2015).

The ESF Programme 2007-2013 is managed by two Co-financing organisations: the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the Department for Work and Pensions.  Although there is no requirement for match-funding, the tendering procedures and specifications of projects (most of them need to be delivered at sub-regional and regional levels) significantly limit the involvement of Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations.

The ERDF Programme 2007-2013 for the North East is managed by One North East and is focused on innovation and business support and creation.

For more information visit: www.onenortheast.co.uk/page/erdf/index.cfm

There are only a few ERDF projects of interest to the VCS.

One of them is the Newcastle Enterprise Package managed by Newcastle City Council.  The activities of the package include support to the VCS in developing business ideas and setting up social enterprises to generate income and become more sustainable.

The other ERDF project in the pipeline is a Community Engagement package, associated with Newcastle Science City, to raise awareness and aspirations around science.  It is very early days, but the Regen Forum is working closely with the City Council to develop this package.  NCVS members will be kept informed and involved as the work progresses.

For more information see the following page on the Newcastle Council website: www.newcastle.gov.uk/core.nsf/a/europrocgrant?opendocument

You could also look at ESFVON's website - a voluntary organisation that specifically aims to improve access to European funding for the voluntary sector: www.esfvon.org.uk

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