European Integration Fund
Overview
The European Integration Fund (EIF) is one of three elements of the European Commission programme which continues to 2013 with the principle objective of working with migrants. The other two elements namely the the European Refugee Fund and the European Return Fund, have their own guidelines, priorities and application timetables.
The EIF supports work with newly arrived migrants who have been in the country less five years and who are not asylum seekers, refugees, EU or European Economic Area nationals or who have not come to the UK for short-term reasons (for example on work agreements or as students). Work must be with legal migrants.
Grants can be for more than one year and there were 17 agreed
The amounts and periods of funding vary depending on which call for proposals that is being applied for. The total amount of funding available is £6.4 million. All successful bids will also have to demonstrate that matched funding - usually half - is secured before funding will be released.
This is a matched funding fund whereby the recipient will need to find matched funding for 50% of the amount; this may be reduced to a quarter in very specific circumstances.
The two activities specifically targeted in 2010 are:
- Setting up programmes and activities aimed at introducing newly arrived third-country nationals to the United Kingdom and enabling them to acquire basic knowledge about the UK's language, history, institutions, socio-economic features, cultural life and the fundamental norms and values, complementing existing programmes and activities.
- Preparing third-country nationals for their integration into the United Kingdom in a better way by supporting pre-travel measures which enable them to acquire knowledge and skills necessary for their integration, such as vocational training, information packages, comprehensive civic orientation courses and language tuition in the country of origin.
There were four application priorities in 2009 and all projects must relate to at least one of them.
- Provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages. Applications are invited from local authorities, FE colleges, voluntary or community organisations and public bodies that want to offer or develop ESOL and citizenship courses. £6.8 million is available overall.
- Civic Orientation, Development of a Volunteering Programme. The aim is to provide services by which volunteering becomes a means to integrate migrants. Applications are invited from voluntary and community organisations and public bodies that are able to offer such a service across the whole of the UK. £750,000 is available overall.
- Research Project. l.
- Policy Development in the Area of Building Intercultural Competence. Applications are invited from local authorities, voluntary and community organisations, other NGOs in developing policy concerned with integration and building intercultural competence in people with responsibility for dealing with migrants and migration issues. £750,000 is available overall.
Who can apply
The Home Office UK Border Agency are looking to fund local authority, adult, further education and community colleges