About us
Leader Mälardalen is a non-profit association that works with local development through the leader method, within Leader Mälardalen's geographical area.
Leader Mälardalen
Leader Mälardalen is an association that provides support to projects aimed at development in our area. The support is financed by the EU, the Swedish state, and the municipalities in the area. Therefore, we call it support and not grants. For the operational period 2023-2027, Leader Mälardalen has a budget of 44 million kronor to invest in the development of the area.
Geography
Leader Mälardalen's area consists of
- Södra Fellingsbro in Lindesberg municipality
- Arboga municipality
- Kungsör municipality
- Köping municipality
- Hallstahammar municipality
- Västerås municipality outside the municipal center
- Enköping municipality outside the municipal center
- Håbo municipality
- Upplands-Bro municipality
The largest urban areas Västerås and Enköping therefore belong to not Leader Mälardalen's area. See map below.
Leader Mälardalen's area is characterized by a well-developed infrastructure, similar nature, and a similar business and population structure. The area is densely populated, especially in the rural areas, and has a strong and multifaceted association life.
Leader in Sweden and Europe
There are a total of 40 leader areas in Sweden and around 3000 across Europe. Most leader areas are members of Local Development Sweden, which is the national leader association. Through Local Development Sweden, the Swedish leader areas are also members of ELARD, the European leader association.
Board of Directors
Leader Mälardalen's board consists of one representative from each non-profit sector (the association life), private sector (the companies), and public sector from each municipality in the area, totaling 27 people.
Under Contact us, you can see who is on the board, and below you will also find the association's statutes.
The board works to achieve the goals in Leader Mälardalen's strategy and meets about 6-7 times a year. At four of these meetings, decisions are made on project applications. Leader Mälardalen's board decides which project ideas should be prioritized, and the Swedish Board of Agriculture makes the formal decision.
The Leader office
The association's staff is tasked with supporting and coaching individuals and organizations that want to develop Leader Mälardalen's area. You can find their contact details under Contact us, welcome to reach out!
Leader – what is it?
Leader is also a financial support form that supports various types of local cooperation projects. It is not a regular grant but a support that requires personal commitment from those applying for funds and, above all, that the projects are carried out using the leader method.
Leader is also a non-profit association. There are 40 leader associations in Sweden that are active in their own leader areas during the period 2023-2027. All are governed by locally anchored boards with representatives from the non-profit, private, and public sectors.
