Month: December 2015

Erasmus+ calls for proposals 2016: education, training, youth and sport

Application deadlines, as well as further information on eligible activities, can be found in the 2016 Call for Proposals document and the 2016 Programme Guide.

This year’s call has seen some minor changes to the previous Erasmus+ programme, including:

  • New opportunities in Vocational Education and Training Mobility (including the possibility for organisations to apply for mobility projects with and without a VET Charter);
  • More targeted Strategic Partnerships, and a clearer distinction between projects supporting innovation and supporting exchange of best practices;
  • A revised format of Sector Skills Alliances: two strands supporting needs identification and design and delivery of VET;
  • New opportunities in sport in the form of Small Collaborative Partnerships.

Deadlines

Key Action Activity Sector Deadline
Key Action 1: Mobility of learners and staff Learning mobility of individuals Higher education, vocational education and training, schools, adult education 2 February 2016, 11am (UK time)
  Youth 2 February 2016, 11am (UK time)

26 April 2016, 11am (UK time)

4 October 2016, 11am (UK time)

Key Action 2:

Co-operation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Strategic partnerships

 

Higher education, vocational education and training, schools, adult education, and applications for strategic partnerships in more than one field including youth 31 March 2016,11am (UK time)
  Youth 2 February 2016, 11am (UK time)

26 April 2016, 11am (UK time)

4 October 2016, 11am (UK time)

Sector Skills Alliances Vocational education and training 26 February 2016, 11am (UK time)
Sport Collaborative Projects   For projects related to the 2016 European Week of Sport, applicants have to submit their grant application by 21 January at 12:00 (midday Brussels time) for projects starting between1 April and 1 September of the same year.

For projects not related to the 2016 European Week of Sport, applicants have to submit their grant application by 12 May at 12:00 (midday Brussels time) for projects starting on 1 January of the following year

Small Collaborative Projects   12 May 2016

EuropeAid: Civil Society Organisations’ contribution to governance and inclusive development in South Africa

The European Commission is seeking proposals that will strengthen the capacity of South African CSOs and networks offering young people opportunities to actively participate in governance, social development, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Objectives

  • Strengthening the enabling environment for youth organizations and youth development in South Africa
  • Increasing Youth participation in governance, accountability and public policy processes cycles
  • Promoting young people’s participation and contribution towards a more inclusive and sustainable growth

Priorities

  • Enhance efforts to promote a conducive environment for CSOs in partner countries.
  • Promote meaningful and structured participation in programming and policy processes to build stronger governance and accountability at all levels.
  • Increase local CSOs’ capacity to perform their roles as independent development actors more effectively.

Size of grant

Lot 1: Geographical location: Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern-Cape, North-West provinces: Maximum EUR 1.000.000 This lot will give priority to Actions which involve and benefit local communities from the following provinces: Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern-Cape, North-West, and for which most of the operational activities take place in one or more of these provinces.

Lot 2: Geographical location: Actions at national level and in the following provinces: Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, Western Cape: Maximum EUR 2.000.000. This lot will give priority to Actions which involve and benefit local communities from the following provinces: Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, Western Cape, and for which most of the operational activities take place in one or more of these provinces.

Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between EUR 300 000 to EUR 700.000. For grants above € 600,000, at least 10% of the grant will represent financial support to third parties.

The maximum possible rate of EU co-financing for each grant to be funded is as follows:

  • The lead applicant is established in South Africa: maximum of 90% of the total eligible costs;
  • The lead applicant is established in the EU and other eligible countries: maximum of 75% of the total eligible costs.

Location

Actions must take place in South Africa.

Duration

The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 24 months nor exceed 36 months.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:

  • be a legal person and
  • be non-profit-making and
  • be specific types of organisations such as: non-governmental organisations, organisations representing indigenous peoples, community – based organisations, advocacy organisations, organisations representing national and/or ethnic minorities, diaspora organisations, migrants’ organisations in partner countries, local traders’ associations and citizens’ groups, cooperatives, employers’ associations and trade unions (social partners), organisations representing economic and social interests, organisations fighting corruption and fraud and promoting good governance, civil rights organisations and organisations combating discrimination, local organisations (including networks) involved in decentralised regional cooperation and integration, consumer organisations, women’s and youth organisations environmental, teaching, cultural, research and scientific organisations, universities, education institutions, churches and religious associations and communities, the media and any non-governmental associations and independent foundations, including independent political foundations. International Organisation14, public sector operator and local authority cannot be the applicant but can be co-applicant, and
  • be established in South Africa or in a Member State of the European Union or other eligible countries as per the relevant provisions of the DCI regulation. This obligation does not apply to international organisations and
  • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary and
  • be able to demonstrate to have regularly carried out activities in the field covered by this Call for Proposal.

The applicant must act with co-applicant(s).

Co-applicants are mandatory as follows:

  • If the lead applicant is a CSO established in a member state of the European Union and other eligible countries ( except South Africa) , a minimum of two South African co-applicants are required (i.e. the applicant and two South African co-applicants).
  • If the lead applicant is a CSO established in South Africa, a minimum of one South African co-applicant is required (i.e. the applicant and one South African co-applicant).

Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.

Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant.

Deadline

The deadline for the submission of concept notes is 23 February 2016 at 15:00 (Brussels date and time).

How to Apply

The application process consists of two phases:

  • Concept Notes
  • Full Application

In the first instance, only concept notes must be submitted. Thereafter, lead applicants who have been pre-selected will be invited to submit a full application.

For more information, please visit European Commission and download the guidelines.

ScottishPower Energy People Trust grants for projects that address fuel poverty

The ScottishPower Energy People Trust provides grants to charitable organisations that help people who are on low incomes, live in poor housing or suffer ill health. They are funded by ScottishPower and voluntary donations from independent supporters.

Who can apply

Charities registered with the Charity Commission or Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) can apply for funding from the ScottishPower Energy People Trust. Projects must aimed at alleviating fuel poverty.  Applications are particularly welcome from charities who work with children, young people and families.

Themes

All projects must address fuel poverty explicitly. Tackling fuel poverty must be the primary purpose of the project (not just as an add-on). Projects should cover the following:

  • Energy Efficiency Advice – It is a condition of funding that all projects include the provision of energy efficiency advice. Energy advisors should be trained to City and Guilds standard or equivalent.
  • Energy Efficiency Measures – improving home energy efficiency through draught proofing, insulating and or other practical measures.
  • Income Maximisation – providing funding to front line charities who carry out benefits advice to households missing out on financial help that they are entitled to through welfare benefits and tax credits.
  • Fuel Debt Assistance – Providing assistance, or funding the provision by other persons of assistance, to reduce or cancel debts for household electricity or gas supply, where such assistance is provided as part of a package of measures aimed at providing customers with long-term relief from fuel poverty.
  • Or any combination of the above.

Priority will be given to projects aimed at helping families with young children and young people.

Size of grant

Charitable organisations can apply for grants of up to £50,000. Projects may be funded for a maximum of one year, but the maximum amount of £50,000 applies, regardless of the timescale of the project.

Deadline

There will be three deadlines in 2016. The first two are 12 January 2016 and 17 May 2016. An additional deadline for the November Trustees meeting will be announced later in the year.

How to apply

Organisations can apply for funding using the online application form. For further details regarding the application process please go to the Trust’s website.

Wellcome Trust grants for research projects that secure the health and wellbeing of generations

The Wellcome Trust is an independent global charitable foundation dedicated to improving health, because good health makes life better. The trust offers a wide variety of funding schemes to support individual researchers, teams, resources, seed ideas and places. It also funds major initiatives in areas which are strategically important, by invitation, but they welcome the opportunity to discuss ideas which might fit with their strategic priorities.

The Wellcome Trust is seeking applications for its Our Planet, Our Health funding programme to secure the health and wellbeing of present and future generations while responsibly stewarding the planet.  The foundation calls for transdisciplinary programmes that research the ways complex changes in environment affect the health of people and develop potential solutions to enhance resilience.

Themes

  • Urbanisation and health
  • The global food system and health

Size of grant

The amount of an award will depend on what the proposal can justify as necessary to fulfil its objectives. As a general guide, applicants may apply for up to £2 million per year for up to 5 years.

Support may be requested for all research costs that are attributable to the programme, including:

  • salary costs for research staff
  • consumables and small equipment costs
  • travel, conferences and research meetings
  • office support and communication costs.

They do not support:

  • capital construction or refurbishment costs
  • indirect costs
  • academic institutional overheads.

Eligibility Criteria

Participating organisations may be located in any country, and the lead applicant may be employed in any sector. The trust welcomes proposals from a broad range of disciplines and encourages applications that involve cross-sector collaborations.

All applications will require clear arrangements for the leadership and management of the programme.

How to Apply

The application process has three stages:

  • preliminary application
  • full application (if invited)
  • interview by the Our Planet, Our Health Committee.

To begin the application process, please email the trust at ourplanetourhealth@wellcome.ac.uk. They can then enable applicants to use WT Grant Tracker to submit their preliminary application.

Applicants who are shortlisted at the preliminary application stage will be awarded a planning grant of up to £30,000 to enable them to bring members of their network together to discuss and refine a full application.

Deadline

  • Deadline for preliminary applications: 29 January 2016, 17.00 GMT
  • Decision on preliminary applications: March 2016 (date to be confirmed)
  • Deadline for full applications: August 2016 (date to be confirmed)
  • Decision on full applications: October 2016 (date to be confirmed)

For more information, please visit Wellcome Trust.

LandAid grants to help young people in housing need across the UK

LandAid, the property industry charity, has opened its annual £1 million funding programme to bring empty properties across the UK into use for young people in housing need. LandAid will fund work across the UK which turns empty properties into supported accommodation for young people who are either homeless, or at severe risk of becoming homeless.

Eligibility

LandAid welcomes applications from organisations with experience in renovating empty properties. Applicants must be UK organisations with charitable objectives, including: 

  • UK registered charities
  • UK registered societies, community benefit societies, ‘pre-commencement societies’, industrial and provident societies 

They do NOT fund statutory organisations, churches or individuals.

Areas of interest

LandAid are also particularly interested in projects which include one or more of the following: 

  • On-site construction training and/or apprenticeships for unemployed young people
  • On-site volunteering opportunities for local unemployed people
  • Value for money
  • Specifications in the building work to benefit future tenants. E.g. the renovations involve energy conservation and efficiency measures, and also building work to minimise long term maintenance issues in older properties (e.g. condensation).

Size of grant

  • Applicants can apply for grants between £50,000 and £150,000. The main focus of this grant round is to provide capital funding to part fund or fully fund building work. Up to 25% of the total grant applied for can be for a contribution towards a related salary.
  • LandAid expects to award up to ten organisations grants of average £100,000, these grants will be awarded in batches from March 2016 to March 2017. The exact number and amount of grants we award depends on the applications we receive.
  • LandAid will consider building projects due to start on site within the next two years. 
  • LandAid is happy to receive applications where we will part fund a project with other funders as well as being the sole funder. In these circumstances, LandAid will normally require that all other funding is secured before releasing the grant payment.

Application process

The application process has three stages:

  • First stage: online application form;
  • Second stage: contact from the LandAid grants team – involving telephone conversations and/or a visit – an opportunity to discuss the application and find out more about your organisation;
  • Third stage: an updated and more detailed written application which will form the basis of the funding agreement if successful.

Deadline

The deadline for applications is 10.00am on Monday 16 November 2015.

For further details and to apply, please follow this link.