The Fight against Social Exclusion: Support for Non-profit Initiatives
The Fight against Social Exclusion: Support for Non-profit Initiatives
The National Observatory for Non-profit Activities, instituted within the Ministry for Social Solidarity, recently issued a circular concerning the possibility of financing pilot projects using resources provided by the Fund for Non-profit Initiatives (Article 12 (2) of Law 266, 11.8.1991). These pilot projects must have been developed by non-profit organisations registered in the regional registers (Article 6 of Law 266/1991) or in collaboration with local public authorities1.
Non-profit organisations wishing to submit a project in the sense of this circular must provide 30% of the costs associated with the project themselves, whereby the origin of these funds must be indicated. In selecting the applications submitted, the Observatory will pay particular regard to the applications made first. The organisations allowed to submit applications may consist of individual institutions or groups of non-profit organisations set up prior to 1 January 1997.
Preference will be given to projects that:
1. contain innovative elements and an emphasis on social aspects;
2. promote cooperation between public bodies, firms and trade unions;
3. generate synergies and contracts between non-profit organisations and the "third sector";
4. can be transposed to other contexts.
In cases where projects affect a number of areas that go beyond the responsibility of the non-profit organisation in question, and where the involvement of local authorities is necessary for the project to be realised, the applicant must append to the application a statement by the local authority concerned.
The projects submitted are to focus on two broad thematic areas: the fight against social exclusion and the provision of support services for specific groups of people. In the first case, the measures relate to the following target groups: people on low incomes, broken families or persons facing difficult personal circumstances (single mothers, elderly persons living alone, etc.). Such persons must belong to social strata that are marginalised, unemployed or suffering from a lack of education (immigrants, gypsies, unemployed persons on the poverty line, former convicts, etc.).
Organisations that have failed to report to the Observatory of Non-profit Activities on the progress made by projects financed in past years will not be considered for funding under this scheme.
The grant is paid in two stages:
1. 80% of the total when the organisation accepts the procedures and schedules foreseen for the realisation of the approved project;
2. 20% on completion of the project and submission of a concluding report detailing the results achieved and documenting spending on the project.
The National Observatory of Non-profit Activities will monitor the projects accepted for financial support both during realisation and in the concluding phase. In this phase, the main task will be to determine whether the targets set have been achieved and whether the central characteristics of the finished project are such that transposition to other contexts is conceivable.
Regarding the criteria on the basis of which the projects will be evaluated, the absence of one important criterion should be noted: the "multiplier effect", i.e. development trends that a project is supposed to initiate in other areas (especially employment). In this context, it must be supposed that this criterion was probably not included in the selection criteria, as this indicator is difficult to determine and measure, particularly in regions characterised by the phenomena associated with social exclusion.
EU – European Commission DG EMPL/A/2 J
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