Guidance

European Social Fund online full applications

Guidance and forms to apply for funding through the European Social Fund online full application process.

Documents

ESF financial annex: simplified

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ESF granular budget sample template

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ESF annex IP2.2

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ESF financial viability and risk assessment applicant template

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Details

Unless you are a Co-Financing Organisation (CFO) your application for European Social Fund (ESF) funding through the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) Growth Programme should only be made in response to an open call opportunity.

View European Social Fund open calls and apply online.

These documents only relate to the European Social Fund (ESF) open calls published from the 29 April 2019.

The full application must be completed by using the ECLAIMS IT system and must be submitted by the ESF managing authority call deadline.

Please do not use the ECLAIMS IT system to access or apply against the European Regional Development Fund calls. The online application process is for ESF funding only.

The ESF programme continues to invest in projects after the transition period ended on 31 December 2020. All funding must finish by the end of 2023.

Read more information on the European Structural and Investment Funds.

Published 25 April 2019
Last updated 14 June 2022 + show all updates
  1. ESF Granular Budget Sample Template v2 has been added

  2. Removed the following documents from the page: 'ESF Indicator Annex Table', 'ESF CFO Online Full Application Guidance' and 'ESF Online Full Application Guidance'. They are no longer required.

  3. European Social Fund Annex IP2.2 has been updated.

  4. Updated the 'ESF financial annex: simplified'.

  5. The ESF Granular Budget Sample Template has been updated.

  6. The ESF Online Full Applications Guidance has been updated to version 1.2. The following changes have been made:- Page 1 – sentence added to reflect that ECLAIMS can only be accessed from within the UK; Page 2 – wording added to ask applicants to include the call reference and call closing date in the title of any emails they send to ESF Technical Support; Page 100 – 2 new documents added to the supporting documents table, to ensure full alignment with the supporting documents list ESF Call Specifications.

  7. The ESF Granular Budget Sample Template has been revised as follows: - The Staff Costs Tab of the Granular Budget has been renamed the Staff Costs Master List. - A new column has been added to the Staff Costs tab to allow recording of what % of time an individual job role will be spending on the ESF project. - A new column has been added to the Staff Costs tab to allow the project to record which of the 4 staff costs methodologies they will be using for each job role. The Financial Annex - Simplified has been updated to address some errors around missing LEP Areas.

  8. Added ESF annex IP2.2, and the ESF financial viability and risk assessment applicant template.

  9. Added ESF CFO online full application guidance.

  10. ESF Online Full Application Guidance - amended. Section 5.16 - minor corrections to the wording and ordering of questions relating to the ‘Control – Governance Screen’ to align with the correct wording and order in the live ECLAIMS IT system.

  11. First published.