ESF Global Grants/ Voluntary Action Luton
Community Funding Initiative
Location Luton and South Bedfordshire
Dates

This funding opportunity is ongoing.
There are three approval panel meetings throughout the year at quarterly intervals. Applications can be submitted at any time but there are closing dates for these meetings and it is recommended that applications are submitted well in advance.
Dates of the meetings can be obtained from the contacts listed below.
Aims

Objective of the funding opportunity:
To provide grants to fund projects that improve the employment prospects of local people. In particular it aims to help unemployed people and groups suffering barriers to becoming employed, including young people, minority ethnic communities and individuals with basic skills problems.
It aims to help the following client groups:
The unemployed
The low skilled
Ethnic minorities
The economically inactive
Those with disabilities
Those lacking basic skills
Young people
FRESA priorities The funding opportunity fits with the following FRESA priorities:

Top priorities:
Skills for employability

High priorities:
Under-exploited sources of labour
Future labour force

Medium priorities:
Increasing employment rates

Low priorities:
Workforce migration
More information on the FRESA
The following labour market factsheets contain evidence to support bids for this funding: 
Skills for employability
Eligibility

Eligible Organisations:  Local community and voluntary organisations and other non-governmental, not-for-profit bodies who wish to deliver projects.
For details of eligible and ineligible expenditure see pages 33-34 of the Bedfordshire and Luton LSC Discretionary Funding Prospectus
Accreditation Organisations must have the following accreditation to bid: No accreditation is needed
Amount available Funding available: The scheme makes grants of between £500 and £10,000
Previous bids For an example of a successful bid see page 35 of the Bedfordshire and Luton LSC Discretionary Funding Prospectus
Application

You will need the following documents to apply for this funding:
Bedfordshire and Luton LSC Discretionary Funding Prospectus
Contact

For further information contact:  

Tamsyn Neale
LSC Bedfordshire and Luton
Tel: 01234 420032
E-mail: tamsyn.neale@lsc.gov.uk
http://www.lsc.gov.uk/bedsandluton

Contacts for different areas within Bedfordshire and Luton are given on page 35 of the Bedfordshire and Luton LSC Discretionary Funding Prospectus
Weblinks

Other useful websites:
Bedfordshire Funding Advice Bureau - http://www.bedfordshirefunding.org.uk