How ESF+ funds reach your social enterprise

⚠️ Critical compliance requirement: ESF+ requires documented verification that each supported employee was genuinely unemployed, a NEET, or disadvantaged at the point of recruitment. OLAF investigations have found cases where organisations claimed ESF+ support for participants who did not meet eligibility criteria at entry — resulting in full financial recovery and reputational damage. Eligibility evidence must be obtained and filed before employment begins. State aid rules (GBER Reg. (EU) 651/2014 or de minimis Reg. (EU) 2023/2831) may also apply.

ESF+Reg. (EU) 2021/1057 — Art. 4(1) · CPR Reg. (EU) 2021/1060ESF+ Ireland: €1.08bn — €508m EU + €573m Ireland

How the money reaches an organisation

Every level here can be asked for its own process map. That is the point of yours.

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European Commission — DG Employment

ESF+ Reg. (EU) 2021/1057 covers employment support for disadvantaged groups under Art. 4(1)

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Managing Authority — DFHERIS

Oversees ESF+ EIST programme; delegates to Intermediate Bodies by strand

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Intermediate Body — Pobal / DSP / other

Conducts administrative and on-the-spot management verifications per CPR Art. 74

👉 Your organisation sits at this level

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Your WISE — Beneficiary Organisation

Must document: employment contract, eligibility evidence (before start), payslips, attendance, outcomes

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Employees / Participants

Long-term unemployed, NEETs, people with disabilities, ex-offenders, migrants at point of entry

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Audit Chain

ECA → OLAF → Audit Authority (Dept. Education) → C&AG → DFHERIS → Intermediate Body → Your WISE

Process maps under this programme

Work Integration Social Enterprise (WISE) — ESF+To create a real job at real wages for somebody shut out of the labour market — so that the support is the work itself, not another course about finding work.

Where this came from

Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training (EIST) Programme 2021–2027 — EU Funds Ireland

Read against the source on 2026-09-02.