EU grant applications Agenda

1
EU grant applications Agenda

• EU grant process
• Preparations before call for proposals
• Making the application overview
• The written document
• The budget
• Financial record keeping
• Internal grant programmes
• External grant programmes

2
EU Grant process (1) Programme documents

• Policy document (2 to 5 years) (policy
  objectives, themes/strands, geographic focus,
  criteria, money available, timetable) (Programme
  document)
• Annual work programme lists calls for proposals
  when, and what they will cover
• Call for proposals
• call for proposals - typically requires
  submission within 90 days.
• Very competitive e.g. only 1 in 10
  applications successful in some programmes

3
EU grant process (2)Key factors

• Precise criteria
• Co-financing (50 -- 10) no in-kind. Often
  must be arranged by date of application
• Partners usually needed
• Expenditure strict rules (eligibility,
  record-keeping)
• EU will not fund more than agreed share - or
  total
• Logical framework, external evaluation,
  independent audit all now standard requirements

4
Preparations before call for proposals (1)

• Identify Programme study documentation
• Prepare project outline (ideally using logical
  framework)
• Be clear about purpose, target group, precise
  objectives, impact, performance indicators
• Realistic, modest, sustainable
• Not duplicating existing EC grant in this
  country/topic
• Check against your organisations strategy

5
Preparation before call for proposals (2)

• Check you have capacity
• Must have registered organisation, constitution,
  audited accounts, annual report
• Ensure you have, or can get, necessary skills
  (coordinator, technical knowledge, budgeting/
  planning/financial expertise)
• Line up co-financing (e.g. EU member state
  embassies)
• Find partners if first time find another
  organisation to be lead partner
• Financial capacity wont grant more than 3 x
  your annual budget

6
Preparation before call for proposals (3)
Partners

• Must be eligible Programme criteria
  organisational capacity
• Complete understanding between partners
  essential (so project outline agree scope of
  project, roles, financial arrangements)
• Sign letter of intent, or better still,
  complete Commission partnership agreements
  (Europeaid) in draft at this stage
• NB Lead partner responsible for actions of all
  partners e.g. if partner fails to keep records
  of expenditure, lead partner liable

7
Call for proposals published

• Study guidelines very carefully and follow to the
  letter!
• Seek advice on anything which is not clear
• Check that project meets the exact criteria
  redevelop if need be

8
Making the application The written submission

• Clear structure (e.g. summary, background,
  objectives, activities and how conducted,
  sustainability, measurement and evaluation)
• Clear simple language (avoid jargon, except
  theirs)
• Avoid repetition
• Presentation index, sections, paragraphing,
  bullet points, planning charts
• Standardise use of capitals, define acronyms,
  explain third parties

9
Structure of written submission (1)Background

• Clear identification of target group
• Needs assessment (indicators)
• Analysis of existing achievements or attempts in
  same area of activity
• Analysis of potential resources
• Building of reliable partnership
• Understanding of strengths and weaknesses

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Structure of written submission (2)Objectives

• Show that
• New objectives, bringing added value
• Precisely aligned with Programme objectives
• Realistic, achievable clearly meeting the
  identified needs
• Real project not a feasibility study
• Substantial and genuine capacity building

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Structure of written submission (3)Activities

• In line with objectives and identified needs
• Not duplicating work already financed under EC or
  other donor funded projects
• Real involvement of partners and local
  initiatives (as applicable)
• Real capacity building for partners

12
Structure of written submission (4) Implementing
activities

• Must show
• Clear management structure, particularly
  co-ordination
• Management capacity (technical, admin,
  accounting)
• Clear definition of roles (partners)
• Balanced roles to ensure capacity building for
  partners
• Transfer of know-how
• Well defined outputs and multiplier effects
• Realistic, directly measurable performance
  indicators, with sufficient quantitative
  references

13
Structure of written submission
(5)Sustainability

• Show
• Real local ownership
• Dissemination and use of project results
• Guiding materials for long term training
• If funding needed after end of project, how?
  (business plan)

14
Making the application The budget

• Cost of all proposed activities to be clearly
  identified
• Only costs related to proposed activities!
• Show which project member will do the work fair
  distribution of money
• Ensure that costs are realistic (EC evaluators
  are trained to check for value for money e.g.
  staffing)
• staff costs based on market value

15
Administrative compliance

• You must prove you have the capacity to manage
  the project
• Submit every bit of documentation required! (e.g.
  annual report, certified audited accounts,
  official organisation registration papers,
  statutes, CVs of project team members (and for
  partners also))
• Must sign!
• 50 of external applications fail administrative
  compliance

16
Financial record-keeping

• Expenditure no invoice no grant!
• Must be something specified in approved budget
• Expenditure before start date or after end date
  will not be accepted
• Allocations transparent in the accounting
  records, and supported by evidence (e.g.
  timesheets)

17
Internal grant programmes relevant to LGBT
organisations

• Brussels administered
• Daphne II (violence against young people,
  children and women) (2004 - 2008)
• Youth Community Action Programme (to 2006)
• Culture 2000
• Life long learning
• Public health
• Promotion of Active European Citizenship
• Social inclusion/ Gender equality/Non-discriminat
  ion
• Administered at national level
• EQUAL (laboratory for new ideas in employment /
  social inclusion)
• Issues identified in accession process (new
  member states)
• Support for NGOs in ten new member states

18
External grant programmes relevant to LGBT
organisations (1)

• All administered by Europeaid office
• bottom-up programmes
• TACIS (countries of former Soviet Union)
• PHARE (Bulgaria, Romania)
• CARDS (Western Balkans)
• Process policy negotiated between country and EC
  country has power of veto so unless good
  contacts with relevant government ministry,
  unlikely to get LGBT issues into Programme
  priorities.
• - projects (except v small ones) selected in
  BXL, but then admin is by local delegation
• Possible grant areas Civil Society development
  (TACIS IBPP), human rights, HIV/AIDS, Youth etc
• Talk through your ideas with local Delegation
  official first!

19
External grant programmes relevant to LGBT
organisations (2)

• Top down programme
• EIDHR (European Initiative for Democracy and
  Human Rights)
• ILGA-Europe can try to influence terms of
  reference.
• EU delegations have local progammes in some cases
  local groups shd try to influence terms of
  reference

20
EIDHR Campaigns relevant to LGBT groups

• Campaign 2 Fostering a culture of human
  rights
• promote the rights of human rights defenders
• Campaign 3 Promoting the democratic process
• ? promote freedom of association
  establishing networks of information?
• (Campaign 4 Advancing equality, tolerance
  and peace unfortunately securing equal rights
  and treatment of persons and people belonging to
  minorities limited to race/ language/
  religion)
• Next calls for proposals July 2005