Newly appointed consulting service helps foster partnerships for ESF applicants

An independent consultant has been appointed by Cornwall Development Company (CDC) to assist the CDC Programme Facilitation Team in supporting applicants to develop strong and coordinated responses to the four European Social Fund (ESF) funding calls recently published. Consultant Jim Cooper, from Cooperesource, will help facilitate a collaborative dialogue between organisations interested in becoming lead applicants and those coming forward as potential delivery partners. The service aims to strengthen partnership working across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and to develop impactful proposals to be submitted by the early November call deadlines.

Organisations interested in being involved in leading or helping to deliver new ESF funded activity are being asked to make contact with Jim Cooper with their project ideas, visions and requirements. Jim can be contacted by email by jim@cooperesource.co.uk and telephone on 07968 515651.

This service comes in addition to the specialist technical support available for potential applicants through the CDC Programme Facilitation Team. More information on the role of the CDC Programme Facilitation Team can be found here.

Up to £10.7 million is now available through the European Social Fund for the design of new projects addressing some of the major economic and social concerns brought by the impact of Covid-19 in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. To further support organisations interested in applying, Cornwall Council announced up to £2.25m additional funding for organisations seeking match funding for their projects. More information on the Cornwall Council’s match funding scheme here.

Calls are being made for new initiatives that will help the recovery of businesses and people of Cornwall, support them in overcoming current challenges and provide pathways to specialist support, training and employment.

This latest tranche of ESF funding will focus on supporting new projects in four key priority areas to assist the region’s recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

£3.7 million is aimed at improving the economy by calling on a number of projects that will support business and sustainable growth. The investment is set to support economic and social recovery by engaging locally with two-hundred businesses and develop the skills of a thousand individuals.

£3 million is directed towards projects that will help over 1900 people who are unemployed and/or inactive engage in activities that will bring them closer to the workplace and employment.

£2 million will be dedicated to projects focusing on helping over a thousand young people aged 15 to 24, particularly the most vulnerable and those at risk of exclusion, progress into the workplace or further education.

£2 million will support a collaborative and county wide initiative aimed at supporting those most disadvantaged facing barriers, such as poverty, exclusion and violence, that prevent them accessing education, training or employment.

The deadlines for submission of completed applications have been extended to 3rd and 4th November 2020 (as from a new announcement from the Government on 22nd September) . Please see the individual calls for details of the actual submission dates.

Under the Withdrawal Agreement, successful projects will be able to deliver their activities up until 2023, enabling a lasting impact of the investment across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. For more information on each funding and calls’ specifications visit: www.cornwallislesofscillygrowthprogramme.org.uk/funding-calls

This funding forms part of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Programme (CIoS Growth Programme), the regeneration programme for the region.