Stage 2 of New Funding Model
November 19, 2013
Gaelport.com reported last week that the first shortlist under the new funding model had been selected by Foras na Gaeilge.
It is understood that 15 applications were received in the first stage of this process. Other media have reported that 13 applications were received by organisations who are currently core-funded by Foras na Gaeilge, with two applications being received by external parties, but this has not been verified by Foras na Gaeilge.
A meeting was held last Friday, between Foras na Gaeilge and the organisations whose expressions of interest in stage 1 were successful. These organisations must now prepare a substantial submission before 6th December 2013.
During the course of the meeting, the organisations were made aware that a committee has been selected to judge the applications. This committee will include two members of Foras na Gaeilge senior management, one Foras board member, and an external consultant on language planning. An independent adjudicator will oversee the process to ensure best practice is employed. Foras na Gaeilge representatives at the meeting referred to potential conflict of interest but siad that the normal rules in relation to conflicts of interest could not be put into practice for this process, as to do so would disqualify each member of Foras na Gaeilge senior management from taking part in the adjudication process.
Further shortlisting will apply before Stage 3 of the process. Chairpersons and Heads of those organisations who are deemed successful in Stage 2, will receive an invite on or before 23rd December 2013, to attend an interview between 6-8 January 2014. Organisations who are unsuccessful in Stage 2 of the process, will be informed of this on or before the 23rd December, and will have six months to wind down their organisations before their funding is cut completely.
As an integral step in the process, Foras na Gaeilge informed organisations on 25th July 2013, that a Consultant in Change Management would be made available for all of the 19 core-funded organisations in autumn 2013 to aid them in the process. At Friday’s meeting, An Foras announced that the appointment of this consultant would now not take place until January 2014, a point when the lead organisations will already have been chosen.
Members of An Fóram, (a group which comprises 80% of those organisations currently core-funded by Foras na Gaeilge) have written to Ministers from both sponsor departments expressing their opinion that it would be more sensible to employ an expert in change management to assist the organisations prior to Foras making their final decision. As Foras na Gaeilge have indicated they themselves were not the cause of the delay, An Fóram has written to the ministers of the sponsor departments asking them to ensure the process as set out on 25th July is employed in entirety, in accordance with best practice.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
