Foundations interested in participating in this NEF initiative have the flexibility to determine how they wish to engage in it, depending on the activities they would like to support. As migration and integration are issues which affect every aspect of society, foundations can play a principled, independent and key role in changing the nature of the debate. Regarding EPIM, all participating foundations will be expected to contribute to the core costs of the project. All foundations which participate have the right to sit on the Steering Committee, which NEF has set up to oversee the coordinated development of the project as a whole, which is chaired by Dr. Stefan Schaefers of the King Baudouin Foundation. Please see the 1 minute short video below explaining the importance of foundations for EPIM.
See a short interview with EPIM’s former Chair (2010-2011), Mr. Olaf Hahn (Robert Bosch Stiftung), given during the Interactive Fair at the Annual General Assembly 2011 of the European Foundation Centre (EFC).
Participating in EPIM enables foundations to increase their effectiveness by:
• Addressing integration needs of immigrants which are multi-dimensional and multi-layered;
• Tackling the European dimension of migration and integration issues;
• Sharing information on European policies and advocacy hooks among partners;
• Bridging gaps in services and provision that no one single organisation could fill;
• Empowering stakeholders and building strategic and operative capacity;
• Stimulating peer learning through sharing of expertise and experience;
• Promoting understanding of different organisational cultures and objectives.
EPIM also constitutes an opportunity to build cooperation between foundations active in this field and to give much greater European-wide visibility to their contribution. Within the second phase of EPIM partner foundations yearly contributions vary between 25.000 and 200.000 EUR for a total direct support to NGOs of more than 2.245.000 EUR.
EPIM remains an ongoing process inviting other funders to join the Steering Committee. If you are interested in getting involved in the EPIM initiative and wish to discuss further the modalities of your engagement, please contact Mr. Stefan Schaefers, Chair of the Steering Committee, or Sheena McLoughlin, EPIM Programme Manager.
Further information on the rationale behind EPIM and benefits of participation can also be found in the following documents:
Juliet Prager article on collaboration
