You can also read more detailed FAQs about particular Grundtvig funding areas:

• Assistantships FAQs
  (Assistantships FAQ's have been incorporated in the Grundtvig Assistantships Guide 2010)
  
• In-Service Training FAQs
• Partnerships FAQs
• Preparatory Visits FAQs

If you can't find the answer you are looking for, please contact us and we'll do our best to help.

Who is eligible to participate in Grundtvig?

Basically, anyone involved in non-vocational adult education in the UK can participate. This includes adult learners, teachers and trainers, counselors and careers advisors for adult learners and senior volunteers. We welcome applications from a wide range of organisations providing learning opportunities in formal, non-formal or informal adult education. For example:

• Teachers and other staff within those institutions or organisations
• Associations and representatives of those involved in AE
• Bodies providing guidance, counselling and information services relating to any aspect of AE
• Persons and bodies responsible for systems and policies concerning any aspect of AE at local, regional and national level
• Research centres and enterprises
• Not-for-profit organisations, voluntary bodies, Non-Governmental Organisations
• Higher education institutions

What is an adult learner in the Grundtvig Programme?

An ‘adult learner’ is defined as a person over 25 years old or a younger person no longer in initial education within the school or Higher Education system.

If your target learners are undertaking vocational education and training please see the Leonardo Programme website.

Which countries can participate?

• The 27 EU Member States;
• Turkey;
• Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway;
• Overseas countries and territories.
  

Please note that the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are neither Member States nor part of the UK Member State. Therefore, they neither contribute to, nor benefit from Community funds.

What sorts of activities can Grundtvig fund?

Grundtvig can fund a range of activities related to basic skills, active citizenship, foreign languages, arts & culture, parental education, prison education, etc.

Many of the themes in Grundtvig relate to the objective to assist people from vulnerable social groups and in marginal social contexts, e.g.:

• people who left school without basic qualifications;
• immigrants - to support their language learning and active citizenship;
• vulnerable families - to provide parental education;
• people with disabilities - to provide alternative educational methods through music and sport.

What sort of actions can you apply for?

Grundtvig can be divided into a number of actions. Use the links below to find out more information on each action:

• Assistantships (Grants to go on 12-45 week work placements to an adult education organisation in another European country)
• In-Service Training (Individual training grants for adult education staff)
• Learner Workshops (Grants to host workshops for 10-20 learners from across Europe)
• Multilateral Projects (Large European co-operation projects)
• Networks (Large European networks)
• Partnerships (Small European co-operation projects)
• Preparatory Visits (Grants to meet partners)
• Senior Volunteering Projects (Grants for senior adult learners (aged 50+) to spend 3-8 weeks as volunteers at partner organisations)
• Visits and Exchanges (Grants to work shadow or attend a conference in another European country)

Where do I get more information and where do I send my application?

For Assistantships, In-Service Training, Learner Workshops, Preparatory Visits, Partnerships, Senior Volunteering Projects, Visits and Exchanges you need to contact us at ECOTEC for information and to submit your application. See our How to Apply page for more details.

Multilateral Projects and Networks are run by the European Commission, so for them you need to contact the Executive Agency. Their website is http://eacea.cec.eu.int/index.html.

Where can I find the application forms?

You can download application forms for Grundtvig activities managed by us from the How to Apply section of this website. There are also links from this section to relevant application forms on the Commission's website. Alternatively, send an e-mail to grundtvig@ecotec.com and we will send you the correct form.

When can I apply?

Please see the How to Apply page for deadlines and application information. There is one Partnerships deadline per year - for 2009 this is 20 February 2009. For In-Service Training Grants there are three deadlines 16 January, 30 April and 15 September 2009.

You can apply at anytime for Preparatory Visits Funding but it should be at least 6 weeks before your planned activity.

What are the UK national priorities?

The 2009 national priorities are available on the How to Apply page.

How can I find suitable partners?

What is the difference between the Leonardo da Vinci
and the Grundtvig programme?

The Leonardo da Vinci programme addresses the teaching and learning needs of those in vocational education and training, while the Grundtvig programme addresses the teaching and learning needs of those in all forms adult education of a non-vocational nature, as well as the institutions and organisations providing or facilitating such education.