Apply
Time to prepare the application! Here you can read more about how it works, but don't forget that the office is available as a sounding board along the way!
Before you write an application
The first step is always to contact us at the office. The application is made in the Swedish Board of Agriculture's system, but it is important that the project idea fits within the framework of our funding opportunities. We have gathered some ”Good to know” below, but we will help you with everything from navigating the Swedish Board of Agriculture's e-service to providing feedback and advice on your draft.
Power of attorney
Who is authorized to submit the application?
The person submitting an application must have power of attorney from the organization applying for the support. The alternative is that there is a sole signatory.
The Swedish Board of Agriculture has developed a form that the grantor (association, company) submits. It can take 1-2 weeks before it is registered, so it is wise to do this in good time.
Budget
What do your activities cost?
An attachment to the application is a budget. Use our budget template that you can download. It is divided into different activities. Your project plan includes one or more activities carried out to achieve your project goals. These should be linked to costs here.
Think through what expenses you need to budget for. Find out what everything costs. Request quotes if possible; some price information can also be found on the internet. You will need all costs well.
Project description
Questions guide through the application
In the Swedish Board of Agriculture's system, you will need to answer a number of questions. At the beginning, you choose the project's focus, a choice that affects which questions you will answer. You will receive the answer from the office. When you have progressed in the process to the point of writing the application, we already have a good dialogue about what you want to apply for support for. We choose focus depending on which intervention area we believe your project belongs to.
We have gathered the questions in a document. Go through them before you make your application and prepare your answers. Contact the office if you have questions!
Private contribution
Volunteer work
All leader projects must contribute a private contribution corresponding to 30 percent of the budget you are applying for support for. This can be your own money or volunteer contributions.
Volunteer work is work that advances the project but for which you do not receive support. It is your co-financing but can also be seen as a measure of local engagement. Volunteer time is valued at 340 SEK per hour for everyone over 16 years old. In the application, you therefore need to describe how many volunteer hours you will dedicate to your activities and what the volunteer work consists of.
What does the decision-making process look like?
The board has 6-8 meetings per year. About four weeks in advance, we need to receive a complete application. The office reviews and starts processing and will reach out if you need to supplement with clarification or missing documentation.
The board members familiarize themselves with the current applications. During the decision meeting, the board discusses the application. They ensure that the application meets all basic conditions and assess how well it aligns with the strategy. Thereafter, the application is scored based on the selection criteria.
All applications that receive at least 500 points in the selection criteria are prioritized. If the project does not meet the basic conditions, or does not receive enough points on the selection criteria, the application is rejected.
After the board meeting, the leader office completes the processing and forwards the application to the Swedish Board of Agriculture. The Swedish Board of Agriculture handles other aspects of the application and then makes the final decision. During the time until the decision, further supplements may be requested. The waiting time for the final decision can be three to six months.
