THROUGH a small team based in its Glasgow Offices, SCVO is managing the ESF Objective 3 funded Direct Grants programme. Since September the programme has awarded almost £1m to small voluntary and community groups to support new activities combating exclusion within local communities.
Co-funded by the Communities Scotland and the Scottish Enterprise Network the programme, with approval through to spring 2004, has a total award fund of £3.2million. Projections are that this will support at least 400 groups from across southern, central and north-east Scotland.
The delivery of the programme is a case study partnership working. SCVO is anxious to retain a clear separation between its development support to potential and successful applicants, its management and monitoring responsibilities and the determination of applications.
This has necessitated the direct and willing involvement of the widest range of players with an interest in supporting the voluntary sector to participate in the vital work of regenerating participative local communities
Building on the successful Local Social Capital pilot a network of partners has been engaged to undertake project appraisals and make vital contributions to the programme strategy and promotion.
Advice
At the local level each Council for Voluntary Service is fully involved in providing pre-application advice to applicants and undertaking appraisals of submitted applications. In addition, SCVO was pleased to award sub-regional development support contracts to the South of Scotland Network of CVS, Glasgow CVS and Aberdeen CVO.
The work of these contractors has allowed SCVO to concentrate its efforts across the centre of the country, where delivery can be achieved with some efficiency from its West of Scotland base. More importantly, by engaging with local partnerships the programme can more effectively react to local needs and issues of relevance and the out lying regions can be directly represented when considering all aspects of the programme delivery.
As well as the CVS, all the local enterprise companies and local councils are enthusiastic partners in the promotion and appraisal processes. Direct Grants feed into their community and economic development strategies and support and extend other initiatives such as the social inclusion partnerships and, increasingly, participation into the community planning processes.
Direct Grants Programme Manager, Keith Wimbles said: “Without the commitment and enthusiasm from SCVO’s voluntary and public sector partners we would be unable to deliver this ambitious and wide ranging grants programme. SCVO is delighted to be participating in this programme and believes that this model is an effective and less bureaucratic approach to releasing European funding to support excluded individuals and disadvantaged communities.”
From the outset, SCVO grabbed the bull by the horns in deciding that the whole appraisal process would be undertaken using e-communications. This direction was fraught with difficulties due to the compressed pre launch period.
There has been a steep learning curve for all concerned, but the models now being used should prove to be of longer lasting benefit well beyond the administration of Direct Grants.
Application forms, that have been trimmed down to collect only the information considered genuinely important in the appraisal process, are stored in an e-bank housed in SCVO’s web site. Here they can be viewed or retrieved by nominated appraisal panel members.
The appraisal response form is set up as an automated email, completed on line and returned to SCVO at the click of a button. This system of continuing and direct contact with locally based appraisers has resulted in average turn round times being reduced to the targeted eight week period.
Direct Grants are funded from the Global Grants budget line of the European Social Fund. Member States are required to allocate at least one per cent of the ESF to supporting voluntary and community organisations with funding distributed by a designated intermediary body.
Even at this stage it is clear that the high quality of work being undertaken by the many voluntary and community groups successfully applying for grant aid will justify the decision of the Commission to commit its support to the sector.
Further details of supported projects will be highlighted in future editions of TFN.
Tags: importtfn
