FAQ

Organizations, associations, companies, and authorities can apply for support to promote development in the leader area. Note that individuals cannot apply for support.

The leader area (LAG) can also carry out its own projects to achieve the goals within the strategy.

 The minimum support amount that can be granted is 22,000 kronor
– Support can be granted between 40 and 100 percent of the eligible expenses that a project or an initiative has to implement the project plan
– Project support to companies that only benefit individual companies is limited to a support amount of a maximum of 300,000 kronor. The ceiling amount has been raised from 200,000 kr from July 1, 2025. The support should constitute ll between 40-70% of the total budget
– Support for agricultural activities can never exceed 40 percent of the eligible expenses.

What motivates the support level?

A lower support level may be justified if
– the project or initiative only benefits one or a few companies
– there is access to private co-financing
– a high return on the initiative is expected, or
– the LAG's budget is limited.

A higher support level may be justified if the project or initiative
– benefits more and the public
– creates conditions where the results benefit more people
– has a high degree of innovation at the local level
– is expected to contribute to a very high goal fulfillment
– is expected to be efficient in relation to goal fulfillment (great results for little money).

One can receive support for projects that contribute to the goals in the development strategy and programs.

Examples of cost categories may include:

• Salaries and administrative costs.
• Other costs (purchased services)
• Investments

A reasonable budget means that the project's costs are proportionate to the goals and activities to be implemented. The budget should be realistic, well-justified, and reflect actual needs to achieve the project's purpose.

What is assessed in a reasonableness assessment of the budget?

When a budget is reviewed, we look at the following factors:

✅ Costs in relation to the project's scope

• Are costs proportional to the project's goals and activities?
• Are there unnecessarily high or low items?

✅ Market-based costs

• Are costs for personnel, materials, and services reasonable compared to market prices?
• Is there documentation (quotes, salary information) that supports the cost levels?

✅ Clarity in budget items

• Are all costs specified?
• Are there costs that are unspecified or seem exaggerated?

✅ The relationship between private and public funds

• Is the share of own financing or other private financing reasonable?
• Is there a risk of deadweight (that the project would be implemented even without support)?

✅ Revenues and financing

• If the project generates revenues, are these correctly estimated and reported?
• Is the financing (public and private) sufficient to cover the costs?

Example of a reasonable budget

A project wants to create a new meeting place for young people in the countryside. They budget:

• Personnel costs: 200,000 SEK for a project manager at 50% for one year (reasonable with agreed salary and employer contributions).
• Materials and equipment: 150,000 SEK for renovating a premises (reasonable if there are quotes).
• Marketing and event costs: 50,000 SEK to reach the target group (reasonable depending on planned efforts).

Total: 400,000 SEK, of which 60% is financed through Leader support and 40% through private financing.

🔹 Assessment: The budget is reasonable because the costs are relevant, market-based, and well specified.

Example of an unreasonable budget

A company is seeking support to develop its café business. They budget:

• Personal costs: 500,000 SEK for a restructuring (but no information on where the salary or financing of other salaries comes from).
• Materials and furnishings: 300,000 SEK for purchasing furniture (but no quotes or price comparisons).
• Marketing: 250,000 SEK for a campaign (but unspecified what it includes).

Total: 1,050,000 SEK, where Leader is to cover 70%.

🔹 Assessment: The budget is not reasonable because:
❌ The costs are unspecified and seem exaggerated.
❌ No explanation is provided for the financing of the rest of the operation.
❌ The share of support is too high, and the project seems to be part of the company's natural expansion (risk of deadweight).

Summary – What makes a budget reasonable?

✅ It is well thought out and realistic
✅ It reflects actual costs and market prices
✅ It has clear and specific items
✅ It includes a balanced financing plan
✅ It shows that the support is needed and creates added value

Do you have questions about your budget? Contact us and we will help you! 😊

Whether a project benefits more than individual companies depends on the project's purpose and the activities that the project will carry out. To assess this, it is good to ask where the benefit of the project lies and how many effects a project can generate indirectly (ripples in the water).
Whether a project benefits more than individual companies also depends on which industry or business the companies are in. Therefore, no definitive number can be stated in advance for the concept of ”individual companies.”.
Even a project that a local business association applies for can be considered too ”narrow” or not create clear added value for more than the association's members. General business development, on the other hand, can be considered beneficial for more than the involved companies and strengthen local competitiveness in a broader sense.

LAG must justify in the documentation why they believe the project is eligible for the finally chosen support level. 

If the project's purpose is to only benefit individual companies, the support level can be set to
between 40 and 70 percent of eligible expenses.

The support can be a maximum of 200,000 SEK

Which means that the total budget can never exceed 500,000 SEK

(40% of 500,000 is 200,000)

– What does it matter if we choose to co-finance with more private funds??

The support must not be too small. Then it is considered to be of lesser significance and not in need of Leader support. Therefore, consider limiting the project to a smaller activity that does not cost more than 500,000 SEK.

Yes, it is possible to have income in a Leader project, but there are certain rules to follow.

What counts as income?

Income is financial resources generated during the project's implementation and can include:

• Ticket revenues
• Sales revenues
• Participant fees
• Rental income
• Income from services offered within the project

How do revenues affect the support?

According to the regulations, the eligible costs must be reduced by an amount corresponding to the income generated in the project. This means that income can affect how much support you can receive.

How do I report income?

• When you apply for support, you should indicate if you expect income and, if so, estimate how much.
• At final payment, the income must be reported with extracts from the accounting.
• The income is registered in the e-service under ”Other private financing” .

What happens if I receive more income than planned?

• If your income exceeds what was stated in the application, your support amount may be reduced.
• If the income is so high that the support level becomes too low, the entire support may be reclaimed.

What is the difference between private financing and other private financing?

• Private financing : This is the own funds that the project owner contributes, such as personal investments or own capital.
• Other private financing : This is financing from private actors, such as grants from companies, foundations, or income generated in the project.

All income that arises during the project must be registered as other private financing .

Example: How do you calculate income in a project?

A company operates a pop-up pizzeria and seeks support to build seating and a dishwashing area, so they can transition from only take-away to having dining service.

• During the project, the seating is completed, and they can start selling pizza to guests who eat on-site.
• The company estimates that 30% of the pizzas sold during the project period depend on the new seating.
• If the total sales during the project amount to 500,000 SEK , it means that 150,000 SEK (30%) can be counted as the revenues for the project.
• These 150,000 SEK must be reported as other private financing and can affect the support amount.

Do the same rules apply for umbrella projects?

Yes, but here it is the Leader office that is responsible for checking the revenues before payment is made to the sub-projects.

The project follows the Leader method which for our projects means that:

The project must address a real local need and the application must describe this.

The project has arisen from a bottom-up perspective, i.e., local initiatives are implemented where those affected by the project see the need that the project aims to solve and local engagement is utilized. Those affected are those who actively participate in or are impacted by the project's efforts. The project application describes how the target group, i.e., those who benefit from the project, have participated in the process of shaping the project, e.g., through joint meetings, letters of intent, collaboration constellations, working groups, or minutes.

The project is locally anchored, i.e., actors in the area affected by the project are engaged in the project and there is support for the project among residents and/or those active in the local area. The project application describes how the local anchoring looks.

The project is innovative/forward-thinking, i.e., it is new for the applying organization, the target group, the area, or the collaboration. It must be distinct from regular operations or an extension thereof and be beneficial for the applicants, target group, or area. The project application describes how the project differs from regular operations. Innovative/forward-thinking project content can, for example, be new methods, processes, products, forms of collaboration. It can also be, for example, new activities, new meeting places, new networks, market, new working methods, method development. It can also be a proven method that is developed or used by a new target group.

The project should, where relevant, utilize existing or create new networks.

The project is based on multi-party collaboration, i.e., cooperation and shared understanding where two or more actors carry out an effort/activity together for mutual benefit. Cooperation can be carried out within and/or between different sectors (by sectors is meant private, non-profit, and public sector). The project application contains a description of which actors are actively collaborating to implement the project. There is also a description of how cooperation will take place and how this provides advantages in the project's implementation, e.g., in cooperation agreements or activity plans.

Indicators are used to measure and follow up on the results of your project. They show what effect your project has had and are used to ensure that the interventions lead to desired changes.

What is an indicator?

An indicator is a measure of what your project is supposed to achieve. It can involve the number of people who participated in an activity, businesses that have developed, or the number of new collaborations that have been created.

Examples of indicators:

• Number of participants in an activity (e.g., a training or workshop).
• Number of businesses that have developed through the project .
• Number of collaborations that have arisen through the project .

You specify already in the application for support and report from the project's end.

How do I choose the right indicators?

• Consider what you want to achieve with your project.
• Choose indicators that measure exactly the change you are creating.
• Be realistic! The indicators should be possible to follow up and report.

What happens if I fill in the wrong indicators?

• During the processing, we make a reasonableness assessment of your chosen indicators.
• If we see that an indicator has been misinterpreted, we may ask you to adjust it.
• If you choose to keep an indicator, you are expected to achieve it and report the result at the project's end.

Examples of how indicators can be used in a project

Example 1:
A project wants to strengthen local food production through training for small-scale farmers.

• Chosen indicator: Number of people participating in the training.
• Measurement: The project holds five training sessions and has a total of 50 participants. In the final report, the project states that they have achieved the indicator.

Example 2:

A project wants to create new meeting places for young people in a rural municipality.

• Chosen indicator: Number of new collaborations between associations and businesses.
• Measurement: The project gathers four associations and three local businesses for joint activities.
• Assessment of new collaborations:
  • If all seven actors collaborate in a joint initiative , it counts as a new collaboration .
  • If, among others, two associations and one business collaborate in one activity, while another association and one business collaborate in another, it can result in several collaborations – but no more than the actual number of separate collaborations .
• At final reporting: The project must specify which parties have collaborated and how these collaborations are structured to obtain an accurate figure.

Is there support for choosing indicators?

Yes! There are two documents that can help you:

1. Documentation of indicators for Leader – provides examples of common indicators.
2. Indicator bank for Leader 2023-2027 – contains descriptions of indicators and how they should be used.

If you are unsure about which indicators to choose, contact us and we will help you!

Sustainable development = To meet the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable development can be social, economic, or environmental. Sustainable development includes good social cohesion where basic human rights are fulfilled, that natural resources are used without being depleted, and that poverty is countered without negatively affecting social or ecological sustainability.

Equal treatment and non-discrimination = The Discrimination Act aims to counteract discrimination and otherwise promote equal rights and opportunities - regardless of gender, gender identity or expression, ethnic affiliation, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation, or age.

Gender equality between women and men = Women and men should have the same rights, obligations, and opportunities in all areas of life.

It should be described in the application how the project works with sustainable development, equal treatment and non-discrimination, as well as gender equality between women and men.

The description is assessed with regard to the project's purpose and goals, scope, capacity and resources, as well as relevance within the intervention area.

The project has a well-composed project group and the application describes the project's conditions to achieve set goals as well as how cooperation with other actors looks.

Implementation capacity = There should be relevant competence for the project. Project manager, finance, administration, communication, responsible for the project's activities, etc. One person can have multiple roles.

The project application contains a concrete, clear and realistic description of the implementation capacity. The board assesses whether the implementation capacity is sufficient in relation to what is to be implemented in the project.

Financial conditions = There should be sufficient funds to carry out the project and to request funds as it may take time before compensation is received. It is allowed for the project owner to take a loan or similar even if we cannot reimburse interest costs.

Project group = at least three people who actively work together in the project.

The application should describe the implementation capacity which is assessed with regard to the project's scope.

The justification for your rejection should be stated in the decision. The reason may include:

• The project does not meet basic conditions
• The project does not meet the minimum rejection score regarding selection criteria.
• The project is assessed to be able to be implemented without support. 
• The budget capacity of the Leader area.

What is meant by deadweight in locally led development?

Deadweight means that a project or parts of a project would have been implemented even without the support being sought. A fundamental principle of EU support is that support should create added value and not finance actions that would have occurred anyway.

How is deadweight assessed?

The case officer makes an assessment of deadweight based on:

• The applicant's answer to the question: ”Will you implement the project even without this?”
• The project's direction and funding needs.
• Other relevant information that may show that the project can be implemented without support.

If all or parts of the project can be implemented without support, parts should not be granted support.

Examples of when it is NOT deadweight:

The project is considered to need support if:
✅ It is public benefit , e.g., environmental initiatives or increased attractiveness in an area.
✅ It is economically unprofitable without support , e.g. youth projects or environmental measures.
✅ It is innovative , which makes it difficult to obtain other funding.
✅ It occurs within areas with market failures , e.g. rural services.
✅ The company lacks equity to carry out the investment without support.

Examples of when there is deadweight:

The project is assessed to be able to proceed without support if:
❌ The applicant has stated that the project would be carried out even without support.
❌ Other information shows that the project already has funding.
❌ It is a natural part of a company's expansion , something that would have happened anyway.
❌ Similar efforts have previously been carried out without support.

What happens if deadweight is assessed to exist?

1. Partial deadweight: The case officer deducts for the parts of the project that would have been carried out anyway.
2. Full deadweight: The project is rejected if the entire effort is assessed to be able to be carried out without support.
3. No deadweight: The project proceeds in the assessment.

Why is it important to avoid deadweight?

The European Court of Auditors has stated that many projects during previous Leader periods have not been sufficiently checked for deadweight. The purpose of EU support is to create results that would not otherwise have been achieved – not to replace funding that already exists.

Do you have more questions about deadweight and how it affects your application? Contact us! 😊

You need to find out yourself if you – or the project you are seeking support for – have received other funding from the state, municipality, region, EU programs, or other actors for the same costs that you mention in this application.

✅ Answer ”Yes” if:

• You have received other support (grants, subsidies, etc.) for exactly the same expenses that you are applying for here.

• This applies also to support you have not indicated as co-financing in the application.

• Then you should:

  • Indicate who you received support from.

  • Describe what the support should cover.

  • Attach decision document under ”Attachments”.

❓ Example:

• You have received a consultancy voucher from Region Sörmland to bring in external expertise, and you are seeking the same cost in this application → Then you should answer ”Yes”.

The same applies here – but for support you have only applied for (not yet received a decision on):

✅ Answer ”Yes” if:

• You have applied for support from e.g.:

  • Almi, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, Region, Leader, Vinnova, the Swedish Board of Agriculture, etc.

• And that support applies to the same expenses as in this application.

• Then you should:

  • Indicate who you have applied for support from.

  • Describe what it should cover.

❗ Important:

• You must not receive double public support for the same costs.

The question concerns so-called ”support of minor significance” (also called negligible support) according to EU rules.
It is a form of public support (e.g. from municipality, region, or state) that can be given without being counted as illegal state aid, as long as it does not exceed 300,000 euros over a three-year period per company (or group).

Here is a list of examples of funding

✅ You should answer ”Yes” if:

• Your company (or companies within the same group) has received any public support in the last three years that is classified as support of minor significance.

• Then you should also:

  • Indicate which authority or organization that provided the support.

  • Attach decision on support in the application.

❌ You can answer ”No” if:

• Your company has not received any such support in the last three years.

• Or if the support you received is not classified as support of minor significance.

ℹ️ Are you unsure?

If you are unsure whether the support you have received is considered support of minor significance, check your decision document.
It should then state:

”The support has been granted as support of minor significance according to the Commission's regulation.”

If that text is not present, then it is not support of minor significance.

🛡 Important to remember:

• You are responsible for keeping track of which supports your company (and possibly group) has received.

• If you receive additional de minimis support after you have submitted your application but before you receive a decision, you must notify the support authority.