The UK Border Agency is inviting charities to bid for European funding worth £7.1m for various projects including housing and English language services to refugees and development of better government policy on integration.

The funding has been allocated to the UK by the European Refugee Fund and the European Integration Fund for the 2010 programming year.

Approximately £1.8m is available from the European Refugee Fund in two areas: refugee-specific entry-level English language provision, and innovative solutions to housing for newly-granted refugees.

Some £5.3m is offered by the European Integration Fund.  Most of this, £4.4m is for projects that help new migrants to become “full and active members of UK society”, help “third-country nationals to fulfil criteria for citizenship”, and boost interaction between UK communities and new arrivals.

There is also £465,000 for projects that help local and national government officials to develop better integration policy, and the same amount for projects that evaluate the involvement of legal migrants in volunteering.

The deadline for applications is 4pm on 7 April.  For further information see the UK Border Agency website and for an application form or to find out about workshops for bidders, email the Home Office Emptoris procurement service.