Reference Material 2: Arts Funding From The European Commission by Yvette Vaughan Jones

Note: Yvette Vaughan Jones made this article along with another one dealing more with "National Arts and Media Strategy International Arts: Wales in a Wider World" for the Fifth Seminar available, specifically to Conlin Wagner who had met her already at the Brugge seminar and invited her to join the workshop he was chairing, namely Workshop 8. But from a co-ordination point of view, it seemed more appropriate that her views were heard first in Workshop 10. This article was taken from the Journal, "Women in Arts - Creating networks" and was published by the ARTS COUNCIL of Great Britain.

European Commission Funding: Empty Vessel or Pot of Gold?

At a recent Magdalena conference, I was asked to give a talk on European funding as a "strategy for survival". I prefaced this talk by suggesting that I would be happy if, at the end of the session, half the audience left the room feeling that there was nothing in the funding programme of any relevance to their work, whilst the other half left, fired up to find European partners for their projects.

What seems to be to be important is to understand what is there and then choose to explore it or not. Otherwise you risk feeling that you are missing out on a vast amount of funding; that if only you were somewhere else, someone else, with someone else or some other organisation etc. then it would be you who was benefiting. Understanding is the key.

Basically the European Commission was set up to form a free trade area for coal and steel. It has since developed to embrace a whole range of other issues including a social chapter and a "cultural clause", but its main thrust is to help the free movements of trade, capital, goods, services and people within its boundaries; to remove the obstacles between the richer and poorer states. It is clearly not a kind of pan-European Arts Council. It does not have funds or the expertise to select good and worthy projects by individual artists. Any art projects it does support will be subject to the principle of subsidiary which remains central to EC thinking. Subsidiary in this context means it won't make funding decisions that can better be made at a regional or local level e.g. support of a writer from Ireland is best decided in Ireland within its own artistic context and funded by its own national funding body. European funding is only relevant if there is a genuine European element to it (and not just a desire to tour in Europe).

There are three main areas of funding from the European Commission:

1 Direct Funding

There is a department dedicated to "audio-visual, information, communication and culture". This Directorate General X, Cultural Action, 75 Rue de la Loi, 1049 Brussels. It runs a number of schemes for pan-European Arts projects. Most of the budget goes towards media and architectural heritage, but there are schemes for contemporary artistic creation:

Kaleidoscope, European Translation Scheme and Research Training. DG X is also responsible for the European Prizes for literature and translation; the European City of Culture and Month of Culture and the designated European Year....

While these schemes are the most directly relevant to artists, they are heavily over-subscribed and something of a lottery.

2 Indirect Funding: the structural funds

2.1 The European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund.

These are definitely not geared towards arts projects. They are the funds set up to equalise the discrepancies in the wealth and health of the European regions. A number of arts organisations have received funding through these schemes by stepping sideways into the funding criteria. The ERDF is interested in improving:

1) economic development "infra-structure" - roads, buildings, local facilities;

2) business skills - "Women in Business";

3) tourism - arts centres, craft workshops;

4) regional profile - heritage schemes and specific regional identity;

5) employment opportunities

6) environment.

The categories vary according to the region and not all regions are eligible. All regions are eligible for funding under objectives 3 and 4 - (though soon to be combined). The thrust of these schemes is to combat unemployment and to integrate young people into the job market.

All these schemes are co-ordinated locally either through the Department of Trade and Industry, the Welsh or Scottish Office and need funding partners - usually the local authority.

2.2 European Social Fund, Commission of the European Communities, 200 Rue de la Loi, 1049 Brussels

This is concerned primarily with training and retraining particularly for people with "special difficulties" - women (!), migrants and disabled people. Arts organisations have mainly benefited through courses for unemployed people. Advice on the schemes and applications should be made through local authorities or the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO and SCVO for Wales and Scotland).

There are three other specific programmes run from the European Social Fund Unit that are relevant to artists:

NOW New Opportunities for Women. This programme supports trans-national training opportunities for women and provides help in starting small business and co-operatives. Priority is given to schemes in an Objective I region - e.g. Ireland; Spain; Portugal and Greece.

HORIZON This is to help people with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups in society - broad definitions which can include migrants, travellers etc. - to integrate into the labour market.

EUCREA European Association for Creativity by and with Disabled People. This is largely a scheme to promote awareness through conferences, seminars etc. of the potential for disabled people to be actively involved in the arts. The schemes criteria insist that at least four member states are involved.

3 Community Initiatives

These are a number of schemes, particularly under the

"Task Force for Human Resources, Education, Training and Youth", 200 Rue de la Loi, 1049 Brussels, which could be relevant to woman artists:

LEADER to encourage rural development which can include craft industries and services; vocational training and employment aid.

FORCE continuing education. Further professional training and pilot training schemes. Must include at least three member states.

IRIS a network of women's groups involved in training. Some money is available for exchange visits

PETRA 11 training for young people (under 25). Young Worker's Exchange For short-term study visits.

Bibliography

Who does What in Europe compiled by Rod Fisher, Arts Council of Great Britain

Finance from Europe compiled for the London Office of the Commission of the European Commission of the European Communities.

Myths

European funding is a "pot of gold" - while much money goes into regional development, the sums going to individual projects are relatively small

It is there to promote an homogenous European culture - no, there is a strong commitment to cultural diversity.

Need lots of European partners - not true for regional development although need other partners e.g. local Authorities. Certainly true for other non-structural funds.

EC funding can by-pass national - not really because EC funding will only provide part of the cost and you will still need core funding eg premises not an eligible expense.

It is excessively bureaucratic - yes

It is impenetrable - It is complicated but has a principle of transparency and accessibility so it is not so much a question of closed doors, as a labyrinth of corridors to be walked down

It is remote - not always centralised in Brussels - there is a network of expertise locally. EC commission offices, MEPs and local authorities

Not relevant to me or my work - possibly true unless your work is specifically European, about stable job creation, about training, about young people and disadvantaged groups - (migrant population; women; people with special needs; long term unemployed) or heavily involved in the "new technologies".

Only concerned with European community partners - Through the Lome conventional cultural co-operation exists between Africa, Caribbean and Pacific states. Some schemes emphasise links with Central and Eastern European states.

Action Plan

A Identify your project

CHECKLIST

1. Does it really have a European dimension rather than just a desire to tour into Europe?

2. Does the project focus on:

- training - ESF

- on job creation - ERDF objective 2, 5b

- on skills development - CEDEFOP/FERCE/PETRA on youth - PETRA

- on "disadvantaged" groups - HORIZON/EUCREA?

3. Is the project largely research-based - and if so is it looking at:

- regional development

- European cultural diversity?

B Identify relevant schemes

- use Who Does What in Europe available from the Arts Council

- talk to agencies involved already in European Funding Schemes - e.g. NCV0; local authorities

4. Check the criteria of the various schemes and bodies.

C Find your artistic partners

Overseas organisation - think laterally:

- use Magdalena

- British Council arts offices

- friends of friends

- proliferation of directories e.g. Performing Arts year book Europe

- Arts Networking in Europe

- ICON

- European Bureau of lesser used languages

D Find your administrative support

- Local authorities European departments or Economic Development Unit NCVO/WCVO - particularly for ESF specialist agencies

E Allocate time

F Don't bank on it

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Reference Material 2: Arts Funding From The European Commission by Yvette Vaughan Jones