Funding programme

The Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) provides funding for actions in the field of asylum, legal migration and integration, return and countering irregular migration.

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Call overview

This call aims to increase the impact and the sustainability of community sponsorships.

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Background

Ensuring effective integration and inclusion of third-country nationals is a necessary social and economic investment in the EU. It makes European societies more cohesive, resilient and prosperous. Integration and inclusion can and should be a win-win process, benefiting the entire society. In the Action plan on integration and inclusion 2021-20273 (the Action plan), the European Commission has set out strategic guidance and more than sixty concrete actions to promote integration and inclusion of third-country nationals and EU citizens with a migrant background. The Action plan covers all the different stages and phases of the integration process: pre-departure measures, reception and early integration, medium- and long-term integration, which, all together, help build inclusive and cohesive societies.

For the purpose of this call for proposals, “migrants” should be understood as third-country nationals, including beneficiaries of international and temporary protection and applicants for international protection.

Read more in the call document.

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Themes and priorities

As part of the ongoing EU efforts to provide more safe and legal pathways for displaced persons in need of international protection, the European Commission encouraged Member States to explore and expand community sponsorship schemes as a way to underpin resettlement, humanitarian admission and other complementary pathways8. One of the actions of the Action plan on integration and inclusion is to “support the development of community sponsorship programmes for beneficiaries of international protection across the EU through funding, facilitation of exchange of best practices and strengthened cooperation between all relevant public and private stakeholders”. There is no commonly agreed definition of the concept of community sponsorship yet, but certain elements and characteristics are common to all. Several Member States are already implementing different models of community sponsorship schemes. Notwithstanding some differences, all community sponsorship schemes are based on a strong partnership between the State, civil society organisations and private individuals. In community sponsorship schemes, non-State actors (e.g. individuals, NGOs, faith-based organisations) play a more structural role in welcoming and integrating those in need of international protection.

‍Read more in the call document, page 8.

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Objectives

The general objective of this topic is to increase the impact and the sustainability of community sponsorships as regards numbers of persons in need of international protection covered, the effectiveness of integration of the persons in need of international protection and should also enhance the quality of the programmes.

This general objective can be achieved by supporting actions aiming at mobilising local support and building strong partnerships between key stakeholders that are pursuing one or more of the following specific objectives:

1. developing community sponsorship activities that focus on housing solutions;

2. expanding the number of Member States that operate community sponsorship programmes;

3. increasing the number, quality and commitment of sponsors, who are at the core of community sponsorship programmes;

4. promoting a higher diversity of sponsors, with a particular emphasis on mobilising diaspora communities in the Member States;

All projects should foster transnationality and knowledge sharing via:

• peer-to-peer learning between Member States building on the knowledge of experienced Member States;
• testing new ways of working through the adaptation of existing tools, looking at what works on the ground and at synergies between different stakeholders (national-regional-local; private-public).

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Activities that can be funded

Proposals should include one or more of the following activities (non-exhaustive list):

• activities developing the complementarity between the reception capacities of Member States and the housing offer provided through community sponsorship;
• information and awareness-raising campaigns for possible sponsors with a special emphasis on diverse target groups (including age, gender, ethnic background, socio-economic background, urban/rural settings) and mobilising diaspora communities;

activities related to:

• the selection and recruitment of sponsors, vetting procedures etc.;
• the role and involvement of diaspora, particularly in the role of facilitator, intermediary actors and cultural mediators;
• improvement of the matching of sponsors with people in need of international protection;
• support activities towards sponsors, including training, regular information provision, mediation services, training of organisations to develop and increase the skills necessary to manage the sponsors in the above mentioned areas;
• mobilising local support and build strong partnerships between key stakeholders, such as national and local authorities, local communities, diasporas, foundations and other private sponsors in recruiting sponsors and increasing their diversity.
• pilot projects for new sponsors and the evaluation of lessons learnt from their first sponsorship experience

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Expected impact / outcomes

The expected outcome is the creation of more resilient and crisis-proof resettlement and humanitarian admission programmes via strengthening of the support to, among others, public-private partnerships at local and national level for the community sponsorship schemes rich in numbers and profiles of sponsors. Through the implementation of this topic the European Commission aims to achieve:

• higher number of sponsors for people in need of international protection;
• increased diversity of profiles among sponsors, in terms of socio economic and migration background and in terms of geographical location (including in particular rural areas); a particular focus should be on mobilising diaspora communities;
• strengthened support at the local and national level for the development of community sponsorships, particularly though building effective partnerships between relevant stakeholders, both in the public (national, regional, local authorities) and in the private sector (besides civil society also foundations, businesses etc.).

‍Read more in the call document.

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Eligibility

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies)
• be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.: EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs)), excluding Denmark, countries associated to the AMIF or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature

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Consortium composition

Proposals must be submitted by:

• minimum three applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from three different participating Member States.
• the following entities can NOT apply as coordinator: profit making entities

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Project duration

Maximum 30 or 36 months.

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Budget

The available budget for this topic is EUR 8 000 000.