Updated 13 May 2013
2007-2013 ESF Funding Opportunities
ESF funding opportunities comprise:
- Co-financing Organisations funding
This makes up the majority of ESF funding and details of funding opportunities are on this page - Technical assistance
Funding for preparatory, management, monitoring, evaluation, information and control activities of the ESF Operational Programme, together with activities to reinforce the administrative capacity for implementing the funds, at national and local levels. These funds are predominantly used to support ESF delivery by Co-Financing Organisations (CFOs).
- Community Grants
Community Grants are grants of up to £12,000 which enable small voluntary and community organisations to reach out to some of the most disadvantaged and excluded people and engage them in activities that can help them move closer to the labour market.
Co-financing Organisations
ESF funds are distributed through 'Co-financing Organisations' (CFOs). CFOs are public bodies which bring together ESF and domestic funding for employment and skills so that ESF complements national programmes. The Skills Funding Agency, the Department for Work and Pensions Delivery Directorate and the National Offender Management Service are CFOs across the whole of England. A few local authorities are also CFOs.
CFOs contract with the providers that deliver ESF projects on the ground. Providers can be from the private, public or voluntary sectors. CFOs make ESF available through a process of open and competitive tendering. Successful providers do not have to find their own 'match funding', as CFOs are responsible for both the ESF money and match funding.
Details of any current, recent or planned CFO tendering rounds are provided below.
- Department for Work and Pensions
- National Offender Management Service
- Skills Funding Agency
- Central Bedfordshire and Bedfordshire Borough Council
- East Midlands Local Authority Consortium
- London Councils
- Greater London Authority
- Luton Borough Council
Details of previous tendering rounds under the first half of the programme (2007 – 2010) can be viewed via the National Archives website.
- Projects funded so far under the 2007-2013 ESF programme are available on this website.
Department for Work and Pensions
There are no funding opportunities at the present time.
The Invitation to Tender for the Day One Support for Young People Trailblazer provision in England has closed. This was made available to eligible organisations on the Framework for the Provision of Employment Related Support Services.
Contracts have been awarded to successful bidders and the provision went live in North and South London in December 2012.
In line with Cabinet Office Guidance details of all live public sector opportunities to tender and contract information is published on Contracts Finder on the Business Link website. The published information relates to contracts with a value of £10,000 and above.
National Offender Management Service (NOMS)
There are no funding opportunities at the present time.
- NOMS – European Social Fund (Ministry of Justice website)
Please email cfo-social enterprise@noms.gsi.gov.uk with any queries.
Skills Funding Agency
There are no funding opportunities at the present time.
Central Bedfordshire Council
There are no funding opportunities at the present time.
Website: www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/esf
East Midlands Local Authority Consortium
There are no funding opportunities at the present time.
London Councils
Borough co-financing programme 2013-15
Seven tender specifications have been designed in partnership with the boroughs of Brent, Enfield, Hackney, Havering, Islington, Redbridge and Sutton.
Working with the European Socal Fund these boroughs have created a £1.3 million programme to support people into employment through local projects. Project delivery is expected to commence in July 2013 and finish in June 2015
The deadline for applications is 12 noon on 24 May 2013.
Full details and how to apply:
Greater London Authority (GLA)
Programme name: Day One Support for Young People (see Department for Work and Pensions above)
Luton Borough Council
All ESF tendering for Luton Borough Council has now been completed.
The Council had previously carried out five procurement rounds and a total of ten ESF co-financed projects are currently being delivered.
