2007-2013 ESF Funding Opportunities
Last updated: 3-May-2012
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.
During late 2010 and early 2011, CFOs are launching tendering rounds for the second phase of the programme (2011 – 2013). Details of these can be found below.
- Department for Work and Pensions
- National Offender Management Service
- Skills Funding Agency
- Central Bedfordshire and Bedfordshire Borough Council
- East Midlands Local Authority Consortium
- East of England Development Agency
- London Councils
- London Development Agency
- 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
The Invitation to Tender for ESF Support for Families with Multiple Problems provision in England closed on Tuesday 30 August 2011. This was open only to 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 all contract package areas in December 2011.
National Offender Management Service (NOMS)
As part of NOMS CFO’s continuing commitment to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with the social enterprise sector a new £1.5 million procurement opportunity has been launched. The 24 month contracts are due to be awarded mid 2012. More information is available at:
- NOMS Social Enterprise (Ministry of Justice website)
Please email cfo-social enterprise@noms.gsi.gov.uk with any queries.
Skills Funding Agency
On 29 November 2011, the Skills Funding Agency invited organisations to tender for the delivery of provision from April 2012 which is financed by ESF. More specifically, the provision will encompass:
- Skills Support for the Unemployed (SSU), including the Apprenticeships Grant to Employers (AGE)
- Skills Support for Redundancy (SSR)
- Workplace Learning.
Organisations that were registered on the Skills Funding Agency’s e-tendering portal, the Approved College and Training Organisation Register (ACTOR), and had completed a Single Adult Skills Budget Invitation To Tender (ITT) by 15 July 2011 were invited to tender for this next round of European Social Fund (ESF) provision.
Evaluation of tenders has been completed and successful bidders have been notified. Details of successful bidders will be published on the Skills Funding Agency website when all contracts have been signed.
The Skills Funding Agency's Register of Training Organisations
The Register of Training Organisations, which replaces ACTOR, is a list of organisations that are eligible to be considered for funding from the Chief Executive of Skills Funding (the Agency) to deliver education and training services in England. All organisations that wish to be considered for funding to deliver Education and Vocational Training Services, including any further European Social Funding, in the future will need to complete the Register's Due Diligence Assurance Gateway process.
Further information is available on the Agency’s website:
Central Bedfordshire Council
There are no funding opportunities available at the present time.
There is a small sum of £250,000 to be re-tendered later this year, with a view to completing the process and contracting in September 2012. All available funds will have then been contracted. This will mean activities concluding in July 2015, with the earlier activities concluding in August/ September 2014. Our first half activities concluded in December 2011.
East Midlands Local Authority Consortium
Lincolnshire County Council as part of The East Midlands Local Authority Consortium (LAC) launched two new European Social Fund (ESF) tenders on 9 January 2012. The closing date for receipt of tenders is 17 February 2012. This Tender round will support activity from April 2012 to the end of December 2014.
The tenders are for:
- Provision to support young people age 19-24 that have Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LDD) and are at risk of being Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET)
- A programme of customised skills and training to support vulnerable young people aged 16-19 (16-25 LDD) who are in work to sustain and progress in employment.
Full details are posted on the Lincolnshire County Council website:
East of England Development Agency
East of England Development Agency (EEDA) has tendered its final ESF funding opportunity for the evaluation of EEDA's Co-financing Programme 2007-12. There will be no further funding opportunities.
For more information:
Or email cofinancingenquiries@eeda.org.uk.
London Councils
The fifth round of the ESF Boroughs programme
Five boroughs have provided funding which will be matched with ESF to create a £3.5 million programme. The deadline for applications is 12 noon, Monday 16 April 2012.
- ESF Boroughs programme (London Councils website)
London Development Agency (LDA)
There are no further ESF funding opportunities under the London Development Agency. The Greater London Authority (GLA) has been given new CFO status and new funding opportunities for the GLA can be found on this page (below).
Greater London Authority (GLA)
The GLA has launched a funding opportunity for its ESF Youth Programme. The bidding round for these projects opened on Wednesday 29 February 2012 and closes at 17:00 hours on Wednesday 21 March 2012. Organisations that are interested to apply should register on Competefor.com where they can find individual grant Statements of Requirements and the Pre-Selection Questionnaire. For details and to access a copy of the GLA ESF Youth Programme Prospectus (2011-13) please visit the GLA’s website:
- GLA ESF Youth Programme 2011-13 (GLA website)
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 fifteen ESF co-financed projects are currently being delivered.
