Information Meeting

Grant Facility19/01/2010

Grant Facility

Agenda

10:00 WELCOME

10:10 PRESENTATION GRANT FACILITY

10:40 SUMMARY OF QUESTIONS RECEIVED

10:50 QUESTION AND ANSWERS

Grant Facility

General goal

Basic issues

Specific objectives

Evaluation procedure

Indicative time table

Implementation and reporting

Grant FacilityGeneral Goal

The Grant Facility intends to enhance the quality of humanitarian aid and to increase its effectiveness by strengthening the preparedness and response capacities as well as the technical skills of :

non-profit making organisations non governmental humanitarian organisations their staff and the related local actors

The Grant Facility has :

an increased budget 4,0 Mio EUR (last year 1,8 Mio EUR) objectives in line with those defined last year legal basis Council Regulation 1257/96, European Consensus

on Humanitarian Aid, Framework Partnership Agreement and is integrated in the overall capacity building policy of DG ECHO

Grant FacilityBasic Issues

Financing decision from 16 December 2009 till 15 June 2011

Proposed projects must be completed before 15 June 2011

For a specific agreement, the costs are eligible at the earliest from the date of receipt of the first version of the Single Form by DG ECHO

Applicants can act individually or with partnersProposals introduced by several partners = advantage1 Partner = lead partnerOther partners = implementing partner

An applicant can introduce maximum :1 individual proposal and1 proposal as lead partner

A proposal can be linked to only 1 specific objective

Contribution DG ECHO is max. 85% of the total eligible cost

Grant FacilityBasic issues (continued)

The Grant Facility is built around 4 specific objectives :

1. Local capacity building / specialised sector training1.700.000

2. Quality, accountability, promotion of humanitarianprinciples and law 1.000.000

3. Strengthen capacity of A-partners and of civilsociety in EU countries under-represented in FPA 500.000

4. Reinforce networking between ECHO partners 400.000

Contingency reserve 400.0004.000.000

Amount per specific objective can be changed :allocation reserve of EUR 400.000 or transferbetween specific objectives

Grant FacilitySpecific objective 1Strengthen the skills and humanitarian aid expertise through local capacity building initiatives and or specialised sector training

Priority sectorsProtection and Security; Food; Wash; Health; Shelter; Logistics, Transport, Telecommunication; Cash and vouchers; Needs assessment; Disaster Risk Reduction

Eligible partners : who can apply ? NGOs signatory to the Framework Partnership Agreement Non-profit organisations (Article 7 Council Regulation 1257/96) European research institutes, universities and academic

institutions

Who will benefit ? FPA partners + staff; Local implementing partners Civil Society in EU countries underrepresented under current

FPA Training : minimum 50 % of participants not from own

organisation

Size of grants : between 100.000 – 500.000 EUR

Grant Facility

Specific objective 2Enhance the quality of management, increase the accountability to those in need and to European citizens on proper use of public funds and promote humanitarian principles and law

Eligible partners : who can apply ?NGOs and international organisations signatory to the Framework Partnership AgreementNon-profit organisations (Article 7 Council Regulation 1257/96) European research institutes, universities and academic institutions

Who will benefit ?The global humanitarian communityResult of the projects will be made accessible to all FPA Partners

Size of grants : between 100.000 – 300.000 EUR

Grant FacilitySpecific objective 3Strengthen the capacity of partners using the A control mechanism and of civil society in European Union Countries which are under-represented in the framework of the current Framework Partnership Agreement

Eligible partners : who can apply ?NGOs signatory to the Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) with DG ECHO and using the A control mechanism for capacity building of the submitting organisationAll NGOs signatory to the Framework Partnership Agreement with DG ECHO for strengthening the capacity of civil society in underrepresented EU countries

Who will benefit ?NGOs signatory to the FPA and using the A control mechanismCivil society in EU countries underrepresented under current FPA

Size of grants : between 50.000 – 200.000 EUR

Grant FacilitySpecific objective 4Reinforce networking between DG ECHO’s NGO Partners

Eligible networks:Non-profit legal personMain headquarters in a Member State of the European UnionAt least 4 FPA partners are active member of the networkAt least 1 FPA partner is member of the steering board or committeeAim of the network :

Improve the quality and effectiveness of humanitarian aidContribute to the humanitarian aid priorities (European Consensus or Hyogo Framework for action 2005-2015)Enhance the cooperation between European NGO’s

Who shall benefit ?Global humanitarian communityResults accessible to all FPA partners

Size of grants: between 100.000 – 200.000 EUR

Operating grant agreements

Grant Facility Evaluation procedure

By a dedicated team (evaluation committee) in cooperation with the Capacity Building Steering Group of DG ECHO

The evaluation will cover :

Eligibility check : eligible action ? – eligible applicant ? – eligible beneficiary ? If not met : rejection of the proposal

Appraisal using 6 criteria :1. The relevance of the proposal to the specific objective;2. The added-value in improving the quality of

humanitarian aid and in increasing its effectiveness;3. The proposed methodology, experience and quality of

the logical framework;4. Budget and cost-effectiveness;5. Individual proposal or proposal introduced by several

partners;6. The contribution to DG ECHO’s visibility

Grant Facility

Indicative time-table

Deadline for submission of proposals (Single Forms) : 15 February 2010

Confirmation of receipt of project proposal + reference number for further communication : end February 2010

Analysis received Single Forms by evaluation committee : March 2010

Eligibility check for non FPA-partners (based on legaldocuments) : end of March 2010

Early April : feedback indicating :- Notification of award- Rejection of proposal + reason- Proposal put on the reserve list (max. 2 months)

Finalisation Single Forms : April 2010

Signature Agreements : end of April / early May 2010

Grant Facility

Implementation and reporting

Same procedures as for other humanitarian actions with DG ECHO

Model grant agreement (model used for agreements with FPA – NGOs):http://ec.europa.eu/echo/about/actors/fpa_en.htm

Model operating grant agreement (only for agreements under specific objective 4):

http://www.cc.cec/budg/imp/grants/imp-90_014_agreement_en.html#1

Modifications of an agreement after it has entered into force :- only possible if both parties agree;- should be justified, clear and unequivocal- depending on the type of modification the procedure will vary (unilateral modification – exchange of letters – supplementary agreement)- maximum 1 month before end of implementation period of action

Grant Facility

Implementation and reporting (continued)

Reporting : Single Form ALWAYS used for :- Project proposals - Intermediate Report- Final Report (narrative + financial report)

During the action, dialogue and communication with DG ECHO desk officers:- Sylvia Wilcox sylvia.wilcox@ec.europa.eu- Laura Vari laura.vari@ec.europa.eu- Carine Uwase carine.uwase@ec.europa.eu

Reference library : http://ec.europa.eu/echo/about/actors/fpa_en.htm

GRANT FACILITY

Grant Facility

Geographical scopeIn which countries can a proposal cover operations ?

The Grant Facility is not limited to a geographical region.

Capacity building initiatives and trainings can be organised in a member state of the European Union and in third countries receiving humanitarian aid.

In principle we do not finance operations either in european countries which are not a member state of the European Union or in third countries which do not receive humanitarian aid. Justified exceptions are possible.

Grant Facility

Eligibility of partners

An NGO signatory to the Framework Partnership Agreement with DG ECHO has not yet been awarded a grant

Can this partner be eligible under the Grant Facility ?

YES under specific objectives 1 or 2 or 3

Take extra care when justifying the added value of your action to improve the quality of humanitarian aid and when underlining the experience you have in the chosen area of intervention.

Grant Facility

Technical experience

How to prove the technical experience in the chosen area of intervention ? (supporting document § 1.3)

Description : chapter 3 of the Single Form (Humanitarian organisation in the area of intervention)

Certificates not required

Possibility to add annexes to the Single Form

Grant Facility

Period of ImplementationWhen can I start my action – when should my action be completed ?

Grant Facility Decision

16/12/2009 15/06/2011

A

B

B

A

A B

A : The start date of your action shall be at the earliest the date DG ECHO receives your Single Form or a later date (provisional date for signature of agreements : end April / early May 2010)B : All the actions financed under the Decision shall be completedbefore 15/06/2011 - if not, related costs not eligible

Grant Facility

Eligibility of beneficiariesSpecific objective 1 : local capacity building / specialised sector training

The action should benefit to inter alia, local implementing actors in the field

Local implementing actor - could that be a local government agency / employees ?

In principle, yes

Example : Some employees from a local (not national) government could participate in training events but may not form the majority of the participants + local government directly involved in implementation of humanitarian aid

Grant Facility

Eligibility of beneficiariesSpecific objective 1 : local capacity building / specialised sector training - The action should benefit :- FPA partners + staff- Local implementing actors in the field (local partners of FPA partners)- Civil society from EU-countries under-represented under current FPA

Could the proposed action also benefit :- Civil society from EU-candidate or EU-potential candidate countries (example : Croatia, Macedonia, Iceland …) ?- Staff from NGOs (who have not signed the FPA) from a member state of the EU ?

In principle, they may participate but we would expect they do not form the majority of the participants. Our first objective is to reach staff of our FPA-partners, their local implementing partners + civil society from underrepresented countries.

Grant FacilityEligibility of beneficiariesSpecific objective 1 : local capacity building / specialised sector training:At least 50 % of participants should not belong to the applicant organisation. Participation from outside the family related organisation will be considered as an advantage.

 

« Family related organisation » : consists of different autonomous organisations sharing core values and mission. Autonomous organisations member of the same « family » or member of the same « movement ».

Max. 50 % staff of the applicant +

Staff from other FPA-partners; and / or

Staff from local implementing partners from FPA-partners; and / or

Staff from civil society from under-represented countries (FPA)

Grant FacilityNumber of applicationsApplicants may act individually or with partners.

A proposal introduced by several FPA partners will be looked upon favourably. In this case: - 1 partner = lead

- other partners = implementing partners

An applicant may submit: - individual proposal and- 1 proposal as lead partner

Lead partner will be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with their partners andWILL NOT ACT AS AN INTERMEDIARY

Individual proposal : the whole action has to be implemented by the applicant or can there be implementing partners ? There can be implementing partners – majority local implementing partners

Proposal as lead partner : do the implementing partners all have to be FPA partners ? majority FPA-partners

Applicants submits : an individual proposal + a proposal as lead Can this applicant in addition be an implementing partner ? Yes

Is it possible to have an NGO as lead + UN implementing partner +other FPA partners ? Specific Capacity building programme for IO.Exception possible only if implementation by UN necessary + minor.

Grant Facility

Thank you

OTHER QUESTIONS ?