civil society challenge fund 20 th june 2006 maggie di maio janette kirk robert morrison robert...

Civil Society Challenge Fund20th June 2006

Maggie Di MaioJanette Kirk

Robert MorrisonRobert MacIver

1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HEAbercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA


Prerequisites

Fire Procedure

Security

Smoking / Toilets


Agenda for 20th June 06

10:00 Introduction Robert MacIver

Concept Notes – Process & Format Robert Morrison Break

Concept Notes – What we look for Robert Morrison Lunch Examples of Good Concept Notes Group

14:00 Close


Introduction – Robert MacIver1. What departments in DFID provide funding?

2. What Projects get funded through the CSCF?

3. CSCF Project Officers and Project Assistants.

4. Basic Facts about CSCF

5. CSCF Application Process (Overview)

6. A little advice on Proposals

7. Some Advice


DFID Funding Departments

DFID Country Offices

Conflict, Humanitarian and Security Department (CHASE)

Information & Civil Society Department (ICSD)


Information & Civil Society Department (ICSD)

•Based in Abercrombie House

•Made up of 4 teams

-Development Awareness Fund (DAF)-Strategic Grant Agreements (SGA)-Partnership Programme Agreements (PPA)-Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF)


What projects does the Civil Society Challenge Fund support?

Very basically….

Rights based projects

…That may be innovative service delivery.

…That may be service delivery in a difficult environment.

…That may be innovative service delivery in a difficult environment.

…but overall the project must be rights based.


CSCF - What projects do we fund?

Rights based

Innovative Service Delivery

Difficult Environment

Service Delivery


Project Assistant

General support to Project Officer

Monitor the application processes and receipt of reports

Discussion on team policy

Payment of funds


Project Officer

Responsibility for a portfolio of Civil Society Organisations

Responsibility for the day to day management of CSCF projects

Liaise with External Consultants on CSCF funding decisions and Project Completion and Evaluation Reports

On-going development of CSCF processes


Some basic facts about CSCF

DFID’s main central channel of support to UK based Civil Society

Organisations

Almost 300 projects supported since 2000

Currently supporting 160 projects

Projects can receive funding for up to 5 years

Can fund projects up to £500,000

Willing to consider 100% funding

One funding round per year


2005 / 2006 round

This year we agreed funding for 39 new projects

7 of these were new applicants.

The value of these projects for 2006/07 alone will be around £5m

148 proposals were submitted by 106 different CSOs

78 CSOs had only 1 proposal under consideration

29 CSOs had a proposal under consideration for the first time

We considered proposals covering 76 different countries


Application System – Concept Notes

Concept Note Received

Acknowledgement to Concept Note within 3 working days of receipt of Concept Note

Applicant receives decision on Concept Note within 4 weeks of Acknowledgement


Application System - Proposals

Applicants to have submitted proposals by 31st July 06

Between 31st July and January, applicants may receive a letter requesting further information or asking for clarification

All feedback to be received in DFID (ICSD) by the middle of January

CSCF Committee meets and makes final decisions in early February

Applicants are informed of final decisions


Proposals

You can get an idea of the format of proposals from the website

There are 3 main elements of a proposal The proposal outline and description The budget for the proposal The logframe for the proposal


Additional Key Areas of Focus in the Project Appraisal Process

• HIV/AIDS

• Disability

• Gender


Advice (1)

1 Are you a UK based organisation?

2 Are you a not for profit organisation?

3 Do you share DFID’s overall goal of poverty eradication?

4 Is your project operating in a country eligible under CSCF (contact ICSD for advice if unsure)?

5 Do you have a recognised local partner or partners in country?

6 Is your local partner a not for profit, non-government organisation?

7 Did the local partner(s) assist in formulating the project idea?


Advice (2)

8 Is your project able to demonstrate how it will lead to a reduction in poverty and is targeting the poorest and most vulnerable members of society?

9 Does your project make it clear what rights are being addressed, whose rights these are, what the framework is to substantiate these rights and from whom they are being demanded?

10Does the project not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, sexual orientation, disability and religion?

11Does the project consider gender, disability, HIV/AIDS?

12 Are you requesting £500,000 or less?

13 Is the amount of funding you are requesting less than your annual income as an organisation?


Advice (3)

14 Are you requesting support for 5 years or less?

15 Can you provide evidence to show that you have the necessary experience to undertake the project?

16 Can you provide evidence that you have the capacity to manage the level of funds requested?

17 Can you provide evidence to show all project partners including yourselves (from your base in the UK) are adding value to the project (beyond providing a channel for funding) with roles and responsibilities clearly defined?


Advice (4)

18Can you clearly explain the project’s objectives and how you will achieve them?

19Are the proposed activities sustainable?

20Can you show that the project is not an extension of current CSCF funded work?

21Have you checked DFID’s web site for the most up to date version of the CSCF guidelines before submitting a concept note?


Thanks

Concept NotesRobert Morrison

CIVIL SOCIETY CHALLENGE FUND

The Application Process

Concept Note



Concept Note – Why?

The Concept Note is intended to provide enough information for us to decide whether or not a project idea is suitable for CSCF support

Concept Notes reduce the risk of the applicant and DFID being involved in work in producing and assessing proposals that would not meet the criteria of the CSCF.

First of a two stage process which makes for a more effective and manageable evaluation process. For example : 350 concept notes received for the 06/07 funding round.


Concept Note : Process

Applicant submits concept note to [email protected] Concept Notes should be submitted between 1 February and 15 June each

year. All CNs received during this period will be registered and we will acknowledge receipt within 3 days

Any Concept Notes submitted outwith these dates will be held on our database but no action will be taken on them until 1 February.

You will receive a decision within four weeks of the date your concept note is registered and acknowledged.

Your Concept note is passed to our external contracted advisers for appraisal For all rejected CNs our external advisers will provide comprehensive

feedback detailing the reasoning behind our decision Applicants of accepted CNs will be invited to submit a proposal for

consideration


Concept Note: Format

Section A must be no longer than one side of A4 in length

Section B must be no longer than two sides of A4 in length

Font size to be no smaller than Arial 12

Must include 1st column of the logframe

New applicants must send Articles of Association and Accounts


Concept Note: Content

Series of Set Questions to be answered to complete sections A and B

Section A

Applicant details

Applicant background

Section B

Project details

Project background

Project approach


Break


Concept Note: What We Look For

Is the applicant based in the UK?

Is the applicant new to DFID?

Does the applicant have a track record in this activity?

Are the applicant’s goals consistent with the Challenge Fund?

Does the applicant have the capacity to manage the level of

funding?

Does the concept note meet the basic challenge fund criteria?


Concept Note: Basic Criteria

Rights based approach (RBA)

Advocacy, empowerment, capacity building

Participation, inclusion, fulfilling obligations

Innovative Service Delivery

Must include a key component of RBA

Service Delivery in a Difficult Environment

Must include an element of RBA


Concept Note: What is a Difficult Environment?

Where government service provision is small or non-existent

Areas not reached by government services and unlikely to be

reached in the foreseeable future

Post conflict environments, particularly where systems have been

destroyed

Communities whose lifestyle does not conform to a universal service

delivery system


Concept Note: Venn Diagram

Advocacy & Empowerment

Service Delivery in Difficult Environment

InnovativeService Delivery

1st Assessment

2nd Assessment

3rd Assessment

A

A

A

A

A = Accept


Concept Notes: Common Problems

Too long

Added value of UK organisation – lack of convincing arguement

Project partnerships – not detailed or explained adequately


Concept Note: Decision

Successful applicants will receive

Invitation to submit a full proposal

Feedback on concept note

Details of how to submit

Unsuccessful applicants will receive

Letter confirming decision

Feedback on concept note


Lunch Break


Concept Note Example 1Strengths Rights Frameworks have been identified A Domestic Workers Bill (to be passed) UN Convention on the rights of the Child Rights to Education In line with CSCF theme i.e. targeting a poor and vulnerable group – targeting

the hidden poor i.e. Child Domestic Worker’s (CDW’s) are not visible In accordance with at least 2 MDG’s i.e Achieving Universal Primary

Education and Promoting Gender Equality Advocacy and Empowerment of target group Strong Local Partner (Pioneering work on CDW,s) Sustainability – capacity building of SUMAPI movement and Educational

Institutions – working with already established organisations. Also working with CDW’s through to media

Project identified through a review of the local partners work with CDW’s Taking account of lesson previously learned Areas for Clarification 1. Ambitious Timescale 2. Logframe: The current dual purpose statement is confusing.


Concept Note Example 2Strengths Project Type - innovative & in an unstable environment service delivery Cross Cutting Issues – Gender Sensitivity and inclusion of disabled groups Sustainability – “bridging short term relief with longer term stabilization”.

The microfinance methodology offers potential for long term sustainability. Local Partners – Evidence of a strong relationship between UK and local

partner. Local partner has a strong track record on income generation in that country.

Areas for Clarification Rights based approach – not enough on the rights that are being

addressed. E.g. the policies targeted or the frameworks employed. Empowerment – not enough on how internally displaced people could be

empowered through the initiative. Capacity Building - links between the Trust Bank framework & decision

making bodies to be clarified.

civil society challenge fund 20 th june 2006 maggie di maio janette kirk robert morrison robert...

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