By Staff Reporter

Deadlines are fast approaching for a €10m open call for proposals for two separate initiatives under European funding recently announced by the Department of Justice.

A total of €4.5m comes under the Asylum, Migration and Integration fund for projects with activities for reception and integration of migrants (deadline noon on Friday 31 May), while €5.5m is for projects under the European Social Fund for gender equality projects, such as women returning to the workforce and entrepreneurship (deadline noon on Tuesday 28 May).

Successful candidates will be funded for projects to be carried out over the next three years.

Announcing details of the funding at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, Minister of State for integration David Stanton said: “The organisations and projects that these funds will support have the chance to make a profound impact on the many people that will avail of them, offering some of the most excluded in our society the opportunity to have their circumstances improved.”

This is the second tranche of funding made available from the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), after the first tranche was allocated to a total of 38 projects following an open call in late 2016.

“The vision, hard work and expertise of those involved in providing these projects has enabled many asylum seekers, refugees, third-country nationals and their families to access and engage with the supports and services they need to transition to a new life allowing them to integrate into their communities,” Minister Stanton said.

Specifically on the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020, he added: “As the ultimate aim of this strategy is the achievement of equality between women and men, it can be seen how important these grants are and will be to the overall work of the Department.”

Applications which can be made online or submitted electronically with other relevant documentation, including assessment criteria, can be found at eufunding.justice.ie.