we support local
ideas and commitment
Leader Nordvästra Skaraborg is a non-profit organization that works for locally led development in the municipalities of Essunga, Grästorp, Gullspång, Götene, Karlsborg, Lidköping, Mariestad, Skara, Töreboda and Vara.
Since 2014, We have supported over 180 local development projects in local development, associations, destination development, green industries, bio-based economy, creativity and entrepreneurship.
We meet people based on their needs and encourage projects that are based on the capacity, conditions and, above all, opportunities of the location. We provide coaching in the development of ideas and support in the implementation so that the results of the projects are as good as possible. We monitor the projects during implementation and create the conditions for long-term sustainability after the end of the project. We are responsible for follow-up, evaluation and contact with regional key actors.
We work according to leadermotoden which is simply based on the fact that it is the people on the ground who know and can best lead development forward. That it local commitment and non-profit work is crucial for things to happen and last in rural areas.
The method is based on the fact that successful development projects are built on local anchoring preferably within the three-partnership of the non-profit, private and public sectors. That a good cooperation will go the furthest and dare to be innovative thinking both in its execution and in collaborative constellations leads to good results. It is also about believing in the ideas and above all believing in the people who want to make a difference. Then it is clear that money is needed, sometimes a lot of money and sometimes a little – a project needs its budget and that is where we come in. So together with the local commitment of northwest Skaraborg, we support with public funds to develop our common place, in the direction that the people who live and work here want to steer.
Smart – Driven – Circular
Leader Northwestern Skaraborg's strategy for the years 2023–2027 is based on local needs based on the opportunities available in our part of Sweden. We work with three target areas: Smart countryside, Driven entrepreneurship and Circular flows.
Our leader area is called LAG (local action group). This means that the association's development strategy and operations are anchored within the three-partnership of the non-profit, private and public sectors.
Our board consists of representatives from the member and tri-partnership. The board is the one who makes decisions about which projects are prioritized for support and that the operations work according to the strategy.
Swedish Board of Agriculture is the authority that makes formal decisions about support for the projects, and processes and decides on applications for payment. All applications are made in their e-service.
The Leader Office (the office) consists of civil servants who coach ideas, support applicants in the application process and handle parts of the cases before the Swedish Board of Agriculture makes a decision. The Leader Office also creates the conditions for joint development work in the Leader area by creating meeting places and networking activities aimed at the strategy's target groups. Integrates and co-creates regionally with organizations that share our goals and target groups, and networks nationally primarily with other Leader areas. The activities make visible and communicate what the projects create and the value the non-profit commitment has for the area through, among other things, the web and social media.
Team-owned projects runs the business when Leader is the only one who can do it, umbrella projects may only be run by Leader areas according to the Swedish Board of Agriculture's rules. We also run target group-adapted projects in line with our strategy to meet needs and demand that contribute to meeting places, lead to collaborations and networks, and are knowledge-raising on current themes and beneficial to our prioritized target groups.
