Youth with Disabilities Skills Development Fund – Instructions and Application Process

With Legislative Decree 48/2023, a fund was established to promote and enhance the professional skills of young individuals with disabilities under 35 years of age, enabling their involvement in activities managed by Third Sector entities, voluntary organizations, social promotion associations, and non-profit organizations (Onlus).
The Interministerial Decree of July 27, 2024, outlined the eligibility criteria, the calculation and disbursement methods for the contribution, application procedures and deadlines, as well as compliance measures.
INPS has provided operational instructions in its recent message no. 3588/2024.

Application Process

Applications for the contribution can be submitted by:

• Third Sector entities;
• Voluntary organizations;
• Social promotion associations;
• Non-profit organizations of social utility (Onlus).

Applications must be submitted directly or through authorized intermediaries via the INPS website (www.inps.it) using digital identity credentials. Each application will be assigned a unique identification code.

To avoid rejection, applications must include a self-declaration (in compliance with Articles 46 and 47 of Presidential Decree 445/2000), where the applicant certifies and declares:

• Their own eligibility criteria;
• The number of individuals with disabilities hired between August 1, 2020, and September 30, 2024, under permanent contracts or whose fixed-term contracts were converted into permanent ones during the same period;
• Compliance with social security and welfare contribution obligations;
• Absence of violations of workplace health and safety regulations;
• Adherence to the maximum aid limits under EU Regulation 2023/2831 (de minimis aid);
• Other necessary details, such as bank account information and certified email (PEC) address.

INPS will review the applications for completeness and compliance before sending a report to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers’ Department for Disability Policies, listing eligible applicants and providing specific details on each beneficiary.

If any formal deficiencies or irregularities are identified, INPS will notify the applicant through the electronic taxpayer portal, specifying the issues and requesting corrections within 10 days.

Contribution Details

Eligible contributions will be based on the number of individuals with disabilities hired under permanent contracts as per Law 68/1999 or whose fixed-term contracts were converted to permanent ones. Note that the total contribution, combined with previously awarded funds, must not exceed the de minimis aid threshold.

In general, the contribution is allocated as follows:

• €12,000 one-time payment for each permanent hire;
• €1,000 per month per hire from the date of hiring until September 30, 2024.

For hires in September 2024, a one-time payment of €12,000 will be granted along with the monthly amount for the hiring month. If employment is terminated before September 30, 2024, the monthly contribution will be granted only up to the termination month.

Should the total approved applications exceed the available budget, the contribution will be proportionally adjusted to comply with spending limits.

INPS will disburse the total approved contribution in a single payment to the beneficiaries’ designated bank accounts by December 31, 2024.

Compliance and Controls

INPS will conduct post-disbursement random checks on at least 10% of the recipients to verify the accuracy of the self-declarations submitted with the applications. Beneficiaries selected for review will receive a notification via PEC, requesting relevant documentation. The outcome of the review will be communicated within 90 days of the notification.

In the event of disputes, INPS will handle any claims or appeals regarding partial approvals or rejections. The outcomes will be promptly forwarded to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers’ Department for Disability Policies for final resolution of the submitted requests.