FEAD 2018 Catalogue of case studies

The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) was created with the objective of contributing to alleviating the worst forms of poverty in the EU, such as homelessness, child poverty and food deprivation. FEAD can be used to support the most disadvantaged groups in society by providing food and basic material items such as clothing, footwear and toiletries, or by organising social inclusion activities. During the 2014-2020 programming period, FEAD is being implemented in all EU Member States via Operational Programmes (OP) I and II, approved by the European Commission. OP I includes food and/ or basic material assistance and OP II is focused on the social inclusion of the most deprived individuals. However, social inclusion is also implemented through OP I, responding to the basic material needs of the most disadvantaged and helping them make a step towards reintegration into society. Member States have the freedom to choose whether to engage with OP I and/or OPII, and determine the target groups, the specific types of support provided and the geographic coverage of their programmes. Member States cooperate with partner organisations, which can be public bodies or non-profit organisations, to implement FEAD-funded activities. This cooperation means that the Fund is also supporting capacity building within the partner organisations in the area of social policy. FEAD involves hundreds of actors and stakeholders who are working towards the same objective – to reduce the worst forms of poverty in European countries. In that respect, the Commission recognised the need to establish the FEAD platform for exchange of experience and dissemination of outcomes, giving FEAD a new meaning – being more than just a source of funding, but also a network. Therefore, it supported the development of the FEAD Network in 2016. The Network is an open membership community for people providing assistance to the most deprived in Europe. This includes national FEAD Managing Authorities, organisations delivering or interested in FEAD- funded activities, EU-level NGOs and EU institutions. It is a space for members to share good practice, encourage new ideas and to discuss how to provide non-financial assistance to the most deprived in Europe. The FEAD Network offers opportunities for online engagement through the official webpage and Facebook group, information sharing through publications and news, and network meetings. The official webpage and Facebook group are online spaces that connect members, encourage discussion and share the latest policy news and information from the Network. The aim of the FEAD Network meetings is to contribute to mutual learning and exchange of experience on particular implementation topics, operational issues and programming topics of the FEAD funding. FEAD serves as an instrument which is able to address social emergencies targeting the groups of people who are the most difficult to reach and to provide them with immediate relief, particularly through food distribution. The social inclusion aspect of FEAD, on the other hand, helps to integrate disadvantaged people into society with a view to lift them out of poverty. These features of the FEAD programmes also highlight the specific value of the Fund – it provides dedicated support to people who may not be in a position to directly access and benefit from other EU funding instruments, while putting the emphasis on the implementation of supported activities through full involvement of the implementing actors. 7 Diverse approaches to supporting Europe’s most deprived: FEAD case studies 2018