Month: October 2017

EuropeAid Call for Proposals: Civil Society Organisations and Local Authorities (CSOs-LAs) Thematic Programme in Sierra Leone

The EU is currently accepting proposals from eligible organisations for its “Civil Society Organisations and Local Authorities (CSOs-LAs) Thematic Programme” to enhance CSOs’ & LAs’ capacities and contributions in governance and development processes in Sierra Leone, strengthening decentralisation and local development processes, and contributing to poverty reduction and the attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in accordance with a Territorial Approach to Local Development (TALD).

Objectives

The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:

  1. Improved quality of teaching and learning (primary, junior secondary, vocational) and better access to education for children at risk of marginalisation, specifically girls.
  2. Reinforced democratic governance, improved transparency, inclusiveness and accountable decision-making, including improved participation of citizens in particular strengthening the voice of girls and women.
  3. Increased gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in local development processes as well as in decentralised decision-making and local government.
  4. Enhanced managerial, organisational and technical capacities of Sierra Leonean CSOs and CBOs.
  5. Strengthened administrative and operational capacities of local authorities to carry out their legal mandates, including through collaborative efforts between local authorities.

Size of grants

Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

For CSO applicants:

  • Minimum amount: € 400,000
  • Maximum amount: € 1,200,000

For Local Authorities:

  • Minimum amount: € 500,000
  • Maximum amount: € 1,000,000

The funding rate depends on the type of applicants and its location:

CSOs and Local Authorities from Europe:

  • Minimum percentage: 50 % of the total eligible costs of the action.
  • Maximum percentage: 75% of the total eligible costs of the action (see also Section 2.1.5).

CSOs and Local Authorities from Sierra Leone:

  • Minimum percentage: 50% of the total eligible costs of the action.
  • Maximum percentage: 90% of the total eligible costs of the action

Eligibility criteria

In order to be eligible for a grant, applicants must:

  • be legal persons and
  • be non-profit-making and
  • be specific types of organisations such as: non-governmental organisations, public sector operators, or a consortium thereof and
  • be established in a Member State of the European Union or in Sierra Leone and
  • be Local Authority or Association of Local Authorities from Sierra Leone or from a Member State of the European Union and
  • Eligible applicants with a nationality other than that of Sierra Leone must act together with at least one Sierra Leonean organisation acting as a co-applicant, and
  • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity (ies), not acting as an intermediary.
  • for Lot 2; only Local Authorities or Association of Local Authorities from Sierra Leone or from a Member State of the European Union are eligible to apply.

Duration 

The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 24 months nor exceed 36 months.

Location

Actions must take place in Sierra Leone.

Deadline

The deadline for the submission of concept notes is 19 December 2017 at 19:00 (Brussels time).

How to apply

The application procedure consists of two phases:

  • Concept notes
  • Full applications

In the first instance, only concept notes must be submitted for evaluation. Thereafter, lead applicants who have been pre-selected will be invited to submit a full application. 

For further details please visit EuropeAid.

Needing a grant for core costs? Check out EKCT grants

Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust (EKCT) is accepting applications from UK registered charities that aim to  ‘make a difference’. 

Grants will be considered for start-up costs, core costs or for a specific project for which applicants have requested support. This could include a contribution towards a building/refurbishment project, purchase of specialist equipment or other similar capital expenditure, or assistance with running costs.

What is funded

EKCT makes grants in the following areas:

  • Care of the Elderly
  • Disability
  • General Welfare
  • Hospices
  • Medical Research (particularly care of sufferers from lesser-known diseases)
  • Reproductive Health (International)
  • Wildlife & Environmental Conservation (UK and International)
  • Youth

Grant size

EKCT makes three types of grants:

  • Small Grants of up to £5,000
  • Medium Grants  of between £5,001 – £10,000
  • Large Grants of over £10,000

Eligibility criteria

In order to be eligible for a grant from EKCT, applicants must be UK organisations that have been registered as charities for at least one year. In addition, principal support is given to charities working in the following areas:

  1. Charitable work in the County of Sussex
  2. Wildlife & Environmental Conservation (UK and International)
  3. Reproductive Health (International)

Deadline

The deadline depends on the size of grant desired. Applications for Small Grants may be made at any time of year.

Medium grant applications are accepted four times a year between
the following dates:
4th January – 11th February
18th April – 19th May
10th July – 20th August
9th October – 19th November

Large grant applications are accepted twice a year between the following dates:
4th January – 4th March
10th July – 10th September

How to apply

Applications are completed online and can be found on the ‘Application Forms’ page. For more information, please visit EKCT.

Strategic Legal Fund for Vulnerable Young Migrants Grants

The Strategic Legal Fund for Vulnerable Young Migrants (SLF) is a fund to support legal work that goes beyond securing justice for an individual and makes a significant contribution to law, practice and procedures to uphold and promote the rights of
vulnerable migrant children and young people more generally.

The SLF aims to tackle injustices and inconsistencies in law and practice that disadvantage or discriminate against vulnerable young migrants as a result of their migration status.

The SLF supports strategic legal work which benefits vulnerable young migrants:

  • Migrants or the children of migrants, 
  • Who are under 25, 
  • Who are living in poverty, and 
  • Who face significant disadvantage or discrimination in connection with their (or their parents’) migration status.

What can be funded

The SLF funds strategic legal work in any area of law where vulnerable young migrants experience disadvantage or discrimination as a result of migration status. This includes (but is not restricted to) potential cases in the areas of:

  • Immigration 
  • Asylum and asylum support 
  • Human rights 
  • Education 
  • Housing 
  • Welfare benefits 
  • Discrimination 
  • Access to justice 
  • Community care

The SLF only supports strategic legal work. We define this as work where the impact is likely to go beyond an individual case, and to result in changes to law, policy and practice that will benefit a wider group of people.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible to apply from funding from SLF, organisations need to be based in the UK and be:

  • Not-for-profit (NFP) organisations that provide specialist level legal advice to vulnerable young migrants. If applicants work for a NFP organisation regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) and are applying to undertake work in the asylum or immigration field, applicants must confirm that staff leading on the proposed work is accredited at Level 3, Advocacy and Representation, in the relevant category of law.
  • Firms of solicitors that provide specialist level legal advice to vulnerable young migrants. Solicitors’ firms need to demonstrate that the funded work does not include any element of profit and, as for all applicants, that there is a pro bono element included.

Grant size

The total amount available for SLF grants from October 2017 to September 2020 is £450,000. Maximum funding for any one application will be £30,000. The average grant size is around £12,000.

The maximum grant length is 12 months, and most grants are for six months or less. 

Deadline

Next application deadlines are:

  • Friday 3 November 2017
  • Friday 12 January 2018
  • Friday 2 March 2018

How to apply

For further details and to apply please read the SLF funding guidelines here.

Sport England funding for projects focusing on people in lower socio-economic groups

Sport England launched a £3 million fund on 6 September to support projects that tackle inactivity and economic disadvantage. Grants will be made to projects that use sport and physical activity to support positive social change for communities and individuals in lower socio-economic groups.

Through this fund, Sport England aims to achieve the following objectives:

  • Support inactive people from lower socio-economic groups to be more active, doing more than 30 minutes of physical activity per week
  • Show how being more active can have wider benefits within people’s daily lives, for example, enjoying time together with family and friends, generally feeling better, or managing stress
  • Understand why individuals within lower socio-economic groups are not active and what would help them to change this.

Grant size

The Tackling Inactivity and Economic Disadvantage Fund will be split between two funding pots, which will provide three grant levels:

  1. Grants of between £25,000 and £500,000 for projects aimed at people who have little take-home pay, some qualifications and are in employment. 
  2. Grants of between £25,000 and £100,000 for smaller projects that focus on people who are far less likely to have a steady income, or any income at all, and who live less ordered lives with additional challenges.
  3. Grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 to support smaller scale activities which benefit both types of beneficiaries.

Eligibility criteria

Expressions of interest will be accepted from a wide range of organisations including non-sports organisations that have not worked previously with Sport England as long as the show a good understanding of lower socio-economic individuals and communities.

Deadline

Expressions of interest for awards greater than £25,000 and applications for a small award will need to be completed and submitted by 5pm on 6 November 2017.

How to apply

Applications for projects over £25,000 will follow a two-stage process. Initially, organisations will need to complete an expression of interest. Following assessment, successful organisations will then be asked to provide more information.

Small award for between £1,000 and £10,000, you will need to follow a separate, more streamlined, one-stage process.

For further information and to apply, please visit Sport England.