European Structural Funds
European Structural Funds are mainly delivered through three ‘Objectives’. Within the Bradford district the ESF and ERDF funds are mainly distributed under a programme known as Objective 2.
Objective 1 is an area-based programme containing both ESF and ERDF money. It funds projects only in those areas that are most seriously affected by economic and industrial decline, i.e. regions where GDP is below 75% of the EU average. Bradford is not eligible for Objective 1 funding.
Objective 2 is also an area-based programme. It funds projects that benefit certain geographic areas in economic decline. Much of the Bradford District is in an Objective 2 area. Both ESF and ERDF are available under Objective 2.
The Objective 2 Programme
Objective 3 is mainly a training programme, aimed at improving skills and employability, and tackling inequality in the jobs market. It is not area based, and so is open to relevant projects in any part of the district.
The Community Initiatives
A smaller amount of Structural Funds money (about 5%) goes into funding the 'Community Initiatives’:
- EQUAL (ESF) – funds training and employability schemes to combat discrimination and inequalities in the labour market.
- LEADER + (ERDF) – provides funding to encourage cross border, trans-national and interregional co-operation; to encourage balanced and sustainable development across the European Community.
- URBAN II (ERDF) – funds schemes in small and medium sized towns suffering from significant economic and social conversion difficulties.
Other sources of European Funding
There are also some smaller pots of EU money available as grants directly from the European Commission, usually for projects, which are run in partnership with other member states. These change frequently and are too numerous to list. For more information on opportunities in and from Europe you should visit grants and loans pages on the European Commission’s website.
European Commission
