Sport as a tool for integration and social inclusion of refugees - EAC/S16/2018

Deadline: Jun 7, 2018  
CALL EXPIRED

This call for proposals serves to implement the 2018 Annual Work Programme for the implementation of pilot projects in accordance with the Commission Decision C(2018) 1602 of 21 March 2018.

Considering the growing number of refugees aiming to settle in the European Union there is an increasing need for effective integration and social inclusion initiatives.

Sport is one of the available tools for the successful integration of refugees, and local sport projects have an increasing role in facilitating refugees' integration into new communities. Across the European Union, at Member States' level or within European Union programmes, a wide range of initiatives have been taken and innovative projects are already being implemented.

The potential of sport as a tool for social inclusion has now been well documented; sport projects support the social inclusion of refugees in host communities and the opportunities they provide are more and more exploited in many EU Member States. This pilot project is a contribution to this effort and to a better integration of refugees through sport.

1. Objectives

In the continuation of the 2016 call for proposals on "Promoting HEPA policy measures and actions for refugees", and of the 2017 call for proposals "Sport as a tool for integration and social inclusion of refugees", the current call aims at supporting local sport projects focused on the integration of refugees. Approximately 25 projects would be selected. These projects should involve local sport organisations and must focus resources on activities,were both women and men participate and involve refugees in mixed sport activities, especially at young age (up to 30 years old).

Beyond concrete actions aiming at integrating refugees through sport, the expected outcomes include:

•   Promoting the direct engagement of refugees and host communities in strategic locations within the EU

•   Promoting an Europe-wide approach, increasing the potential for European host communities to successfully engage and integrate refugees through sport.

A main objective of this action is to identify and support good practices in the EU; it is also to promote the development of methods to assess the impact in a systematic and replicable manner. Efforts relating to integration of refugees through sport should be available in a networking platform.

The term "refugee" indicates people having formal refugee status in an EU Member State as well as people who have officially applied for refugee status in the EU and whose applications have not yet been processed. People with a migration background who are not "refugees" are excluded from the scope of this call for proposals.

The implementation of the pilot project will take due regard to complementarity with the EU Erasmus+ Sport programme and actions also eligible under Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) as well as those currently funded under pilot project ‘promoting health-enhancing physical activity across Europe'.

2. Eligibility criteria

In order to be eligible, projects must be presented by applicants meeting the following criteria:

•   Be a public or private organisation with legal personality who are active in the sport field and organise sport activities. Natural persons are not eligible to apply for a grant under this call;

•   Have their registered legal office in one of the 28 EU member states. Only applications from legal entities established in EU Member States are eligible.

For British applicants: Please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant. If the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU during the grant period without concluding an agreement with the EU ensuring in particular that British applicants continue to be eligible, you will cease to receive EU funding (while continuing, where possible, to participate) or be required to leave the project on the basis of Article II.17.2 of the grant agreement.

3. Eligible activities

The proposed activities must focus resources on sport projects where women and men participate. The activities must be enshrined within the framework of European common values1 and respect these essential principles, and more particularly tolerance, gender equality and non-discrimination.

A non-exhaustive list of the main activities eligible under this call for proposals is listed below:

•   Sport activities aimed at promoting participation of refugees

•   Development, identification, promotion and sharing of activities and good practices about participation of refugees into sport activities with the clear aim at their integration into host societies.

These activities must take place in the EU Member States. Implementation period:

•   Activities may not start before 01-01-2019

•   Activities are to be completed by 31-12-2019.

Applications for projects scheduled to run for a longer period than that specified in this call for proposals will not be accepted.

4. Award criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

 Relevance of the project (criterion 1) (maximum 40 points):

The extent to which:

•   The proposal contributes to the objective of supporting refugees' integration into EU host societies through sport.

•   The proposal is based on relevant and concrete identification of the needs of refugees and of the local host communities;

•   The objectives of the proposal are clearly defined, realistic and address issues relevant to the refugees, and to the local host communities.

 Quality (criterion 2) (maximum 40 points):
The quality of the overall design and implementation of the activities proposed and methodology for achieving the objectives:

•   Cost efficiency (the extent to which the project is cost-effective and allocates appropriate resources to each activity);

•   Sustainability of the proposed actions (the extent to which the actions will be carried out also after the end of the project);

•   Budget proposal (the consistency between project objectives, methodology, activities and budget proposed);

•   The quality and feasibility of the methodology proposed.

 Management of the project (criterion 3) (maximum 20 points):

The extent to which:

•   The applicant demonstrates its ability to organise, coordinate and implement the various aspects of the proposed activities.

•   The project team involves an appropriate mix of experiences and expertise supporting the successful delivery of the project expected results;

•   The composition and appropriateness of the proposed team and the roles allocated to the members of the team.

Points will be allocated to eligible applications out of a total of 100 on the basis of the above-specified weighting.

A minimum threshold of 60 points will be applied for the first and second criteria combined.

Moreover, a minimum threshold of 70 points will be applied for all award criteria taken together. Applications falling below these thresholds will be rejected.

5. Budget available

The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects is estimated at 1.400.000 euros.

The EU grant is limited to a maximum co-financing rate of 80% of eligible costs. The appropriations for the subsequent years will be confirmed at a later stage.

The maximum grant will be 60.000 euros.
The Commission expects to fund approximately 25 proposals.
The Commission reserves the right not to distribute all the funds available.

6. Deadline for submission of applications

Grant applications must be drawn up in one of the EU official languages, using the electronic form available on the webpage of the call for proposals.

The application form duly completed must be submitted before 07/06/2018 (12:00pm Brussels time). Applications sent on paper or by fax or e-mail or another way, will not be accepted.

7. Additional information

In case of questions, please contact: EAC-SPORT@EC.EUROPA.EU