ESF Information Memo 26/21: UK Community Renewal Fund (UKCRF) - successful applications
Guidance for successful applicants to the UK Community Renewal Fund (UKCRF).
Dear Project Promoter,
On Wednesday 3 November, the UK government announced which bids had been successful in the UKCRF. A list of the successful bids can be found at:
Whilst we congratulate all those who have made successful bids and appreciate this is an important step towards building a relationship with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Department for the Economy is required to ensure the delivery of these CRF projects does not result in any ‘double funding’ of costs across Call 2 or Call 3 of the ESF programme or cause any displacement of ESF provision.
I therefore require any ESF projects who have made CRF successful bids, or who are connected to a CRF bid in any way (for example, as a delivery partner), to provide us with some background on their projects, for example:
- target cohort for the project and confirmation that there will be no overlap with the participants you support under ESF
- aims and objectives of the project, that is, confirmation of what will be delivered and at what level
- staffing structure; for example, whether any ESF Annex A staff be used to deliver your CRF project
- how you will ensure the CRF and ESF projects will be kept distinct from a performance and financial perspective
- how you will ensure no ESF provision will be displaced.
Once we have had an opportunity to consider these responses, we will update you on what additional checks may be required going forward.
Project summaries should be sent to me at annie.mcgowan@economy-ni.gov.uk no later than Friday 12 November 2021.
Kind regards,
Annie McGowan
Head of ESF Project Delivery Branch