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ESP Financial Accounts

Acceptable Financial Statements by gross annual income of organisation

(Exchange rate used will be that on closing date of ESP 2019-2020 Funding Round)

Organisations with no annual income, i.e. newly formed organisations

  • Declaration of no income/expenditure signed by the Treasurer and another Board or Committee member (on headed official paper if available), along with evidence of a bank account, e.g. copies of bank statement

Organisations with gross annual income of less than €25,000

  • Income and Expenditure account along with a statement of assets and liabilities for the organisation’s most recent financial year signed by the Treasurer and another Board or Committee member.
  • Additional financial information may be requested to verify the above

    • evidence of bank account, e.g. copies of bank statement, signed by the Treasurer and another Board or Committee member
    • copies of previous receipts and expenditure report (if any) 

Organisations with gross annual income of between €25,001 and €100,000

  • Income and Expenditure account along with a statement of assets and liabilities for the organisations most recent financial year signed by the Treasurer and another Board or Committee member, accompanied by a statement from an independent examiner.
  • The independent examiner must be a registered member of an appropriate professional accounting body in the relevant jurisdiction.  The examiner, in order to be independent, may not be a major donor or beneficiary of the organisation or a close relative, partner, spouse, business partner or employee of any Board or Committee member or administrator of the organisation. They may be a member of the organisation, provided they have not been involved in the day-to-day decision making or administration of the organisation. The independent examiner should certify the above points on his or her statement.

Organisations with gross annual income of over €100,001

  • Audited financial statements of the organisation

 Acknowledgment of ESP funding

We require financial information that clearly demonstrates that the awarded grant was received and that it was spent. In all cases and in all financial reporting, funding received should be explicitly and separately acknowledged as: “Government of Ireland; Emigrant Support Programme”

In compliance with Circular 13/2014 of the Irish Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, audited financial statements or accounts submitted must:

1.    Show the amount (as per your Letter of Offer) and term (period) of the total grant (i.e. 1 July 2019– 30 June 2020 unless a different period is specified).

2.    Show the amount of the Emigrant Support Programme grant accounted for in the current financial statements. If that amount is less than the entire amount of the ESP grant you should indicate whether and how the use of the grant is restricted (i.e. is it for a particular project, or for the delivery of a particular service).

In addition, in line with the requirements set out in the abovementioned Circular, organisations are required to provide details of the number of employees whose total employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) fall within each band of €10,000 from €60,000 upwards and an overall figure for total employer pension contributions. This requirement applies even if salaries are not being funded under the Emigrant Support Programme.

Acceptable accounts

Supplying unacceptable accounts is a major issue that will hold up your application and is a red flag that ESP grant assessors look out for. Acceptable accounts show in sufficient detail the income and expenditure activities of an organisation and must clearly set out and acknowledge all funding received from the Government of Ireland.

In all cases the financial accounts should respect the principles of clarity, transparency and accountability.

Differences in accounting terminology

We acknowledge that there are differences in accounting terminology, particularly between America and Europe. In all cases if you are unsure of the type or level of accounts or information required please make sure to contact your local Embassy or Consulate for clarification.

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