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

1. Civil Society Challenge Fund20th June 2006Maggie Di MaioJanette KirkRobert MorrisonRobert MacIver 1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA

2. Prerequisites Fire Procedure Security Smoking / Toilets

3. Agenda for 20th June 06 • 10:00Introduction 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

4. Introduction – Robert MacIver • What departments in DFID provide funding? • What Projects get funded through the CSCF? • CSCF Project Officers and Project Assistants. • Basic Facts about CSCF • CSCF Application Process (Overview) • A little advice on Proposals • Some Advice

5. DFID Funding Departments • DFID Country Offices • Conflict, Humanitarian and Security Department (CHASE) • Information & Civil Society Department (ICSD)

6. 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)

7. 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.

8. CSCF - What projects do we fund?

9. Project Assistant • General support to Project Officer • Monitor the application processes and receipt of reports • Discussion on team policy • Payment of funds

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. Application System – Concept Notes

14. Application System - Proposals

15. 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

16. Additional Key Areas of Focus in the Project Appraisal Process • HIV/AIDS • Disability • Gender

17. Advice (1) • Are you a UK based organisation? • Are you a not for profit organisation? • Do you share DFID’s overall goal of poverty eradication? • Is your project operating in a country eligible under CSCF (contact ICSD for advice if unsure)? • Do you have a recognised local partner or partners in country? • Is your local partner a not for profit, non-government organisation? • Did the local partner(s) assist in formulating the project idea?

18. Advice (2) • 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? • 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? • Does the project not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, sexual orientation, disability and religion? • Does 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?

19. 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?

20. Advice (4) • Can you clearly explain the project’s objectives and how you will achieve them? • Are the proposed activities sustainable? • Can you show that the project is not an extension of current CSCF funded work? • Have you checked DFID’s web site for the most up to date version of the CSCF guidelines before submitting a concept note?

21. Thanks Concept Notes Robert Morrison

22. CIVIL SOCIETY CHALLENGE FUNDThe Application ProcessConcept Note 1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA

23. 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.

24. Concept Note : Process • Applicant submits concept note to cscf@dfid.gov.uk • 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. Break

28. 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?

29. 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

30. 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

31. A = Accept Concept Note: Venn Diagram

32. Concept Notes: Common Problems • Too long • Added value of UK organisation – lack of convincing arguement • Project partnerships – not detailed or explained adequately

33. 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

34. Lunch Break

35. Concept Note Example 1 Strengths • 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.

36. Concept Note Example 2 Strengths • 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.