LEADER Applicant Handbook

Guidance for applicants applying to Louth Local CommunityDevelopment Committee for LEADER Grant Assistance

Version 2- May 2017

LEADER in County Louth

Our Vision

LEADER is a community-led approach to local development funded through Irelands Rural DevelopmentProgramme 2014-2020. It is funded under Priority 6 of the Programme, which promotes social inclusion,poverty reduction and the economic development of rural areas. It supports locally identified initiatives thatseek to address locally identified needs and challenges. It is delivered by a network of Local Action Groups (orLAGs), which have been selected to implement a Local Development Strategies (LDS) for their respective area.

Louth Local Community Development Committee has been selected as the Local Action Group (LAG) for CountyLouth.

The Louth LCDC, supported by its partners, Louth County Council (LCC) and Louth Leader Partnership (LLP) andthrough a community-led consultation process has produced a Local Development Strategy (LDS) for CountyLouth.

The County Louth Local Development Strategy was approved by Department on 16th August 2016 and hassuccessfully secured 6.1 million of LEADER funding to invest in County Louth.

In Partnership with:

And Supported by:

This handbook is a summary of the LEADER Operating Rules and has slight variances as approved by the LAG.The full LEADER Operating Rules can be found here: http://test.ahg.gov.ie/app/uploads/2016/07/operating-rules-for-leader-2014-2020.pdf

"Our vision for County Louth seeks to deliver through the planning process, in partnership with the community andother stakeholders, a prosperous and thriving county where no individual or social group is excluded from the benefitsof development. It also enshrines the principle of environmental, economic and social sustainability includingprotection of the countys resources, heritage and the natural and built environment".

http://test.ahg.gov.ie/app/uploads/2016/07/operating-rules-for-leader-2014-2020.pdfhttp://test.ahg.gov.ie/app/uploads/2016/07/operating-rules-for-leader-2014-2020.pdf

Acronyms and Terms

Agreement The contract between each LAG and the DepartmentAuthorisedOfficer Chief Officer or CEO of the LAG or officer delegated this responsibility for LEADER

CAP Common Agricultural Policy

CEDRA Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas

CLLD Community-Led Local Development

CRO Companies Registration Office

DAFM Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine

Department The Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

EAFRD European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development

ENRD European Rural Development Network

ESF European Social Fund

ESI Funds

European Structural & Investment Funds which includes the European regionalDevelopment Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF), the Cohesion Fund, theEuropean Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and European Maritime and FisheriesFund (EMFF).

EU European Union

FLAG Fisheries Local Action Group

ISS Inspection Services Section of the Department

LAG Local Action Group

LCC Louth County Council

LCDC Local Community Development Committee

LDS Local Development Strategy

LEADER Liaisons Entre Actions de Development de l' Economie Rurale i.e. Links Between Actions forthe Development of the Rural EconomyLECP Local Economic and Community PlanLetter of

Offer The contract between each LAG and the Applicant.

LLP Louth Leader Partnership

Minister The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

Network Rural Development Network

OJEU The Official Journal of the European Union

Programme Rural Development Programme 2014-2020ProjectPromoter The beneficiary under the LEADER programme for the implementation of operations

REDZ Rural Economic Development Zones

SMEs Small and Medium Enterprises

TCC Tax Clearance Certificate

Contents

Chapter 6 - Committment of LEADER Funding

Chapter 2 - LEADER Themes and Sub-Themes

Chapter 3 - LEADER Structure and Governance

Chapter 7 - Funding (Grant) Amounts

Chapter 4 - Project Application and Assessment

Chapter 5 - LEADER Co-operation Projects

Chapter 1 - Policy Context

Chapter 8 - Project Match Funding

Policy Framework....................................................................................................................................The LEADER Approach............................................................................................................................Local Development Strategy (LDS)........................................................................................................The Regulatory Framework....................................................................................................................

Areas Eligible for Funding.......................................................................................................................Programme Themes and Sub-Themes..................................................................................................Theme 1 - Economic Development, Enterprise Development and Job Creation..............................Theme 2 - Social Inclusion......................................................................................................................Theme 3 - Rural Environment................................................................................................................Rural Economic Development Zones (REDZ)........................................................................................Artisan Food Initiative.............................................................................................................................Cross-Cutting Objectives.........................................................................................................................

LEADER Structure.....................................................................................................................................Local Action Group Governance.............................................................................................................Local Action Group Evaluation Committee............................................................................................

Expression of Interest (EOI) & Application............................................................................................Targeted & Rolling Calls for EOIs...........................................................................................................Eligibility of the Beneficiary....................................................................................................................Project Assessment.................................................................................................................................Procedures for Building & Land-Use Change.......................................................................................Fragmentation of Projects......................................................................................................................Approval & Refusal of EOIs & Project Applications..............................................................................

Co-operation............................................................................................................................................

Grant Offer................................................................................................................................................Project Commencement..........................................................................................................................Revised Funding Allocation.....................................................................................................................Expiration of Contracts............................................................................................................................Revocation of Funding Offer...................................................................................................................

Minimum Funding (Grant) Threshold......................................................................................................Project Grant Aid.......................................................................................................................................

Sources of Match Funding........................................................................................................................Private Matching Funds............................................................................................................................Public Matching Funds..............................................................................................................................Evidence of Matching Funds & Bridging Finance...................................................................................Contribution-in-kind..................................................................................................................................

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9

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7

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7888

29

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3030303131

19192021262828

3232

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99111314151515

Chapter 14 - Information and Publicity

Chapter 15 - Monitoring Framework

Chapter 9 - State Aid & De Minimis Requirements

Chapter 10 - File, Claim and Programme Management

Chapter 12 - Ineligible Expenditure and Deductions

Chapter 13 - Appeals