Frequently asked questions and answers
Here you will find frequently asked questions and their answers – for those of you seeking leadership support and for those of you running a leadership project.
If you have any questions after reading this page, please contact us at the operations office.
The Swedish Board of Agriculture also has a page that answers many questions. If you cannot find your question below and prefer to read on the Swedish Board of Agriculture's page, please click here
Questions about applying for leadership support
Can I seek support?
Simply put, everyone except private individuals can apply for support from Leader. If you have a business registration number, it is simply possible.
The Leader method is based on three sectors – non-profit, private and public sector.
It is also based on collaboration – that at least two sectors work together on the projects. This means that if you are an association, you need to find cooperation with either the private sector or a public actor, such as a municipality, region, county administrative board or similar.
What can we apply for funding for?
The costs that can be included in a project are salaries, purchased services, investments, indirect costs (for example, rent for premises, costs for the finance department) and other costs, which are activities that lead the project forward towards the goals the project is to achieve.
All costs will be assessed for reasonableness, which means that there needs to be a clear connection between the expense and the project's goals, as well as to the fulfillment of the Idériket strategy towards rural development in the Umeå region.
Funds are not provided for management, maintenance or running costs.
Is there a budget cap?
According to the Swedish Board of Agriculture's regulations related to project support for companies, projects that only benefit single commercial operations can only be given SEK 200,000 in project support.
The important thing is that the support you seek is based on the needs you see for your idea and for the project to succeed, and that this contributes to fulfilling the leader strategy for the Umeå region.
What percentage of the budget can be applied for and what is liquidity?
Finance and budget
The Umeå Region 2030 Kingdom of Ideas funds between 40-90% of your project idea, depending on your budget, whether it is a business idea, municipal project or non-profit sector. Sometimes it is difficult to know what category your idea falls under, and then you are welcome to contact the operations office and we will think about it together.
You simply need to co-finance the remaining percentage of your budget. This can be done in several different ways! Make sure that you can somehow demonstrate that you will be able to handle the funds applied for and that you have thought about how to handle the money.
Example.
If you are applying for a project grant of 100,000, you will be able to receive 90,000 SEK from us. You need to be able to show that you have 10,000 SEK yourself. You must also be able to show that you can cover costs equivalent to 4 months of your project's costs, which is a testament to liquidity.
How much time is ideal?
Ideal time if it counted as money
One of the requirements that appears in the expression of interest is that you need to be able to demonstrate that you will spend at least 10% in volunteer time.
The nominal hourly cost for people over 16 years of age is 340 SEK/h. The hourly rate for people between 13-15 years of age is 77 SEK/h.
A calculation example is again that if you are applying for a project with a budget of 100,000 SEK, you need to be able to show that 10,000 SEK can be converted into non-profit time. This corresponds to approximately 30 hours.
How long does it take from idea to project start?
This is a really tricky question to answer as it is completely different depending on many different things.
The process is that you come up with an idea. How far you have taken your idea before contacting the operations office affects how much we need to work together before it is time to submit an expression of interest.
A couple of times a year, the opportunity to submit an expression of interest to be included in the current project management closes. The website shows when the next date for submission is planned.
All expressions of interest are discussed by the board at the end of the period, and with the help of their feedback you will continue working on your project idea. If your idea has been identified as a possible leader project, you will seek help from the operations office to put together a detailed application. When the operations office sees that it is ready, you submit it via the Swedish Board of Agriculture's e-service. The board will then decide whether the project will be approved.
The next step is for the Swedish Board of Agriculture to review the application and make a formal decision on your project application. The amount of time it takes between the board approving your project and the Swedish Board of Agriculture making a formal decision can vary. Maybe things need to be supplemented, or maybe the Swedish Board of Agriculture is under high pressure at the time. Regardless, it usually takes about 3 – 5 months between the board’s decision and the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s decision.
Once the board has made a decision to grant a project, costs may be incurred for the project. However, this is done at your own risk as it is the Board of Agriculture's decision that is the actual decision and there is therefore still a risk that the project will not be granted.
Where is the border for the Umeå region's rural areas?
According to the EU's definition of rural areas, they are places where fewer than 20,000 people are registered. This means for us that the entire Umeå region (Bjurholm, Nordmaling, Robertsfors, Umeå, Vindeln and Vännäs) except for the city of Umeå, is considered rural.
The limit for where the city of Umeå goes is a little more difficult to answer, as it is based on regional statistical areas. In addition, projects can be run from anywhere, as long as the benefit is in the rural areas of the Umeå region. This means that if the initiative originates from a company/organization/association or similar in the city of Umeå, but where the public benefit occurs in our rural areas – yes, then it can be a leader project.
Do you have a project idea and need to have the location assessed? Contact the operations office and we will help you further.
When a project is underway
Proof of payment - What is it?
A payment receipt is an extract that shows which payments you have had from your project owner's account and to whom the money went. Check your internet bank, it is usually possible to download it there.
What administrative aspects should we be prepared for?
The Swedish Board of Agriculture approves your project by formally making a decision and then they send out a start notice. This start notice contains a lot of information about what is expected of you and what requirements they place on your project and documentation, etc. Here we have listed some of the most important things:
- Separate accounting. Your project's funds, income and expenses must not be mixed up with other funds that you have in your business. Make sure to have your own cost center with your own project number where it is clear what the project's budget is and how these have been used. You must be able to show in the accounting that the project had its own cost centers.
- Communication. The EU logo should always be present and with certain specific requirements when you inform or communicate about your project/investment in various ways. All of this is also stated on the Swedish Board of Agriculture's website. Remember! If you use the EU logo incorrectly, you may receive a financial deduction afterwards.
- What to do if you cannot meet the purpose and goals of the project.
- How the Public Procurement Act (LOU) affects your project. Read more about this
- How long you should keep investments purchased through the project: At least 5 years after final payment.
Remember! All payments can only be applied for afterwards! Therefore, make sure to have a good financial picture even before the project starts, and have a plan for when you will apply for payments for your expenses continuously. Collect all invoices and proof of payments in one place, to easily get an overview when it is time to submit them.
When will we receive the money?
Funds are paid in arrears. This means that you will continuously need to apply for payments for the expenses you have incurred.
It is important to remember that this must be applied for from the Swedish Board of Agriculture, which will then process your application for payment. It can take 3-5 months, and therefore it is important to have a plan for how your budget will last and be strong enough to cope with periods without direct payment of your expenses.
Remember! The last 20% of the applied amount will not be paid out until you have submitted your final report! So this part also needs to be kept in mind as a buffer or plan to cope.
Tip! When you have received your start notice from the Swedish Board of Agriculture, apply for an advance payment. This applies to everyone except public actors.
Will we get an advance?
Yes! It is possible to receive an advance payment on the support you have applied for. This application can be made as soon as you have received your start notice from the Swedish Board of Agriculture. This applies to everyone except the public sector.
The advance payment depends on the amount the Swedish Board of Agriculture has decided for you, and it is found under the ”project support part”. It is only the state part of the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s funding that you can receive in advance, and it is approximately SEK 171,300 of your total project support, however, there is a ceiling of SEK 250,000.
The advance payment is part of your granted support and must therefore be reported with expenses in connection with the application for partial and final payment.
You apply for an advance via the Swedish Board of Agriculture's e-services.
Separate accounting - what is it?
Separate accounting means that you must be able to show in your accounting in a clear and understandable way which expenses and income belong to the project in relation to your other activities. The separate accounting must be submitted with each new application for payment and relate to the period for which you are applying for payment. Examples of methods for separate accounting are:
- Project code, profit center or cost center in the organization's accounting
- One or more accounting accounts specifically designated for the project or investment. These accounts must be marked with a specific name or number. The accounts may include expenditure items other than those reported in the payment application, provided that these belong to the project.
What do we do if our project changes during the course of work?
If something changes during the course of the project, it is important that you quickly contact us at the leader office Idériket Umeåregionen 2030. You will then need to apply for a change to your decision on support to the Swedish Board of Agriculture.
Changes can be things like
- Change of purpose and/or goal
- Project end date
- Budget changes
- Financing plan with less money in/more money in
- Anything else that significantly changes the nature of the project
This is changed through a form to the leader office.
If you do not submit an amendment application and still report expenses or carry out activities that were not stated in your decision on support, the Swedish Board of Agriculture may decide to grant you a deduction. It is therefore important that these amendments are approved before the expenses or activities are carried out.
If the Leader Office or the Swedish Board of Agriculture has granted your application for amendment, the amendment will apply from the date your application for amendment was received by the Leader Office.
How do volunteer hours work?
Projects require the participation of non-profit organizations. The benchmark is that there should be at least 10% of the project's budget, and then 340 SEK is calculated per non-profit hour. However, many times leader projects involve significantly more than that. Example: total budget 500,000 SEK. 10 % of 500,000 = 50,000 SEK. 50,000 SEK / 340 SEK/hour = 147 hours. The project should then have activities that cover at least 147 hours.
Keep in mind that volunteer hours do not count as co-financing, but rather the hours you put into the project in addition to your own financial co-financing of the project. The volunteer work aims to show the commitment you have created in your community through your project.
What are the requirements for the EU logo?
There are some rules regarding how you need to use the EU logo when you inform or communicate about your project/investment. See current information on the Swedish Board of Agriculture's website, where you can also download the correct logotype.
Remember! If you don't use the logo correctly, it can lead to deductions in the future, so it's worth spending some time making sure you do it right. If you're unsure? Contact us at the leader office and we'll help you think.
You are also very welcome to use the Idériket Umeåregionen logo! And we would love to use yours. Let's brag about each other! Get in touch and you will get access to our logos in the format you need.
When advertising on social media for the project, there are also special requirements regarding the use of logos. Please contact the leader office before making an advertisement!
How do we avoid deductions?
If guidelines, decisions and rules are not followed, project implementers may risk budget deductions as a sanction.
Here are some tips on how you can avoid deductions.
- Submit your payment application on time
- Submit your application for installment payments frequently, to learn often and have low risks
- Pay expenses on time
- Only report expenses that can be linked to the project's activities
- Use the EU logo as per the aid decision
- Keep track of permits and separate accounting
- Contact us at the operations office to review your application together before it is submitted to the Swedish Board of Agriculture.