IPPF small grants facility 

Taking the ICPD beyond 2014, to position SRHR and the priorities of the ICPD in the next development framework

Application Guidelines

CHAPTER ONE: What is the IPPF Small Grants Facility?
•	Purpose
•	Key principles of operation
•	Funding levels

CHAPTER TWO: Eligibility and Selection Procedure
•	The NGO Forum Small Grants Facility supports ADVOCACY
•	What kind of activities does the NGO Forum Small Grants Facility support
•	Conditions for funding
•	Assessment criteria for applications
•	Selection procedures
•	Timetable
•	Geographical eligibility

CHAPTER THREE: Application Procedure
•	Application procedure
•	Preparing your application
•	Submitting your application 

CHAPTER FOUR: Completing your application
•	Section One: project summary
•	Section Two: organizational details
•	Section Three: purpose and outline of the project
•	Section Four: budget information
•	Section Five: checklist

CHAPTER FIVE:  General Conditions of the grant
•	Branding
•	Changes of plan 
•	Budget alterations
•	Reports
•	Specific conditions
•	Payment of grants
•	Evaluation
•	Reporting Schedule

CHAPTER ONE: What is the IPPF Small Grants Facility?

Purpose

2014 marks the twentieth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). 2015 is the year the successor to the Millennium Development Goals will be negotiated and adopted. The outcome of these processes will greatly impact future SRHR policy, funding and programming priorities at global level and at national level. 
The on-going ICPD review offers a unique opportunity to review the evidence base, and find out where gains have been made and work needs to be done in terms of universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, and to make sure these are at the core of our asks for the next development framework. It also offers the opportunity to convene and mobilize civil society (CS), to work with governments to make sure SRHR is positioned at the centre of policy priorities for national governments and their positions in regional and global negotiations. Particularly those connected to the post 2015 development framework. 
CS has a critical role to play in influencing government priorities and positions for these negotiations. To ensure that CS engagement in these processes is strong, meaningful and has impact IPPF is launching a funding facility and between now and 2015 to support CS engagement in these policy processes. 

Key principles of the IPPF Small Grants Facility?
Objective:
Position SRHR and the unfinished business of the ICPD PoA as a government priority for the next development framework
Successful applications must demonstrate one or more of the following criteria:
•	A clear plan to communicate positive messages about SRHR to governments who are sending delegations to global policy events;

•	A clear plan to participate in government delegations at global policy events and do follow up advocacy at the national level to ensure national follow up of global policy debates. Global policy events can include: the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS)on ICPD2013/14 for the Millennium Development Goals, Beijing +20 regional reviews, Commission on the Status of Women 2015, Commission on Population and Development 2015,  and the post- 2015 development process;

•	Have a clear plan for follow up work on accountability and transparency over the following 12 months, at national level.

•	Work at the national level or regional level in Asia, Africa, Central Asia. Organizations based in Europe or Latin America and the Caribbean are not eligible

Funding Levels

The maximum grant amount for all grants is $9,500. 
For CSOs based in Central Asia it is $10,900. 
All grantees must provide 10% match funding. 

The deadline for applications is 09.00 GMT, 3 March 2014

Download the application guidelines and form at: 
http://ippf.org/our-work/what-we-do/advocacy/icpd/grants
or email songsfund@ippf.org

CHAPTER TWO: Eligibility and Selection Procedure

The IPPF Small Grants Facility supports ADVOCACY – national advocacy influencing global policy – related to the ICPD and Post 2015

Advocacy means identifying and calling for change at the political level. It refers to the different ways we can build political, financial or public support to bring about action for change. It involves influencing leaders and decision-makers to address the root causes of problems and to generate long-term sustainable solutions. 

The review of the ICPD PoA and the MDGs offer important opportunities to reprioritize SRHR in global policy dialogues. This is important as global policy influence funding and policy priorities at the country level, and this impact on programming access to services.

Global policy debates are the sum of individual countries participation in global debates. Therefore it is important to work with national governments to ensure that they are of the benefits of universal access to SRHR. This can be achieved by working with them at country level to develop strong positions on SRHR, and participating as members of national delegations at global policy negotiations. It is also important that government positions are communicated to wider national CS so governments can be held accountable for commitments made. 

Sometimes, advocacy is confused with IEC (Information-Education-Communication). Advocacy aims to achieve the objectives listed above by targeting policy-makers, decision-makers, governments, donor agencies and other leaders. It is more than raising awareness - it calls for concrete action and changes to policies, programmes and structures. 

IEC, on the other hand, aims to inform, educate or communicate on a specific topic or to raise awareness and arouse interest on an issue. IEC is targeted towards specific population groups (e.g. young people, PLHIV, etc), individuals or the general public. The main goal of IEC is to inform, educate and sometimes change individual behaviour. However, it does not try to effect changes in policies, programmes, laws or structures. 

What kind of activities does the IPPF Small Grants Facility Support?

1.	A clear plan to communicate positive messages about SRHR to governments who are sending delegations to global policy events relating to post 2015 and the ICPD;

2.	A clear plan to participate in government delegations at global policy events and do follow up advocacy at the national level to ensure national follow up of global policy debates. Global policy events can include: the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS)on ICPD2013/14 for the Millennium Development Goals, Beijing +20 regional reviews, Commission on the Status of Women 2015, Commission on Population and Development 2015,  and the post- 2015 development process
•	Have a clear plan for follow up work on accountability and transparency over the following 12 months, at national level.

•	Work at the national level or regional level

Conditions for funding

Applicants must satisfy all the following conditions to be considered for funding:

•	The proposals must respond to the type of activities the IPPF Small Grants Facility supports.
•	The organization must demonstrate its commitment to increasing political and financial commitment for sexual and reproductive health and rights, and in particular the ICPD Programme of Action. 
•	The previous year’s audited accounts or financial statements of your organisation must be submitted with the application to demonstrate your organization’s financial viability. 

Assessment criteria for applications

The applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:   

•	Support advocacy activities in the two areas identified areas that the IPPF  Small Grants Facility supports
•	Be relevant to increasing political for the ICPD Programme of Action and /or SRHR in the next development framework at national or national and global levels
•	Have a clear advocacy expected outcome related to positioning SRHR in the next development framework 

Selection procedures

All administration, processing, selection and management of applications will be done by the IPPF Small Grants Facility coordinator and an expert review team. The IPPF Small Grants Facility coordinator will be the main point of contact between the applicants and expert reviewers, who are technical experts in advocacy and sexual and reproductive health from IPPF and a wide range of other organizations. These experts are responsible for reviewing applications and making recommendations. 

How an application will be selected: 

1.	Applicants submit completed application forms. Including Latest audited accounts and NGO certification (For NGOS that are not registered you can apply in partnership with a registered NGO who will act as a fiduciary).
2.	Applications will be screened and forwarded to the expert reviewers.
3.	Once the applications are selected, the successful organizations will be informed. Administration and contracts will follow. 

Timetable

Action					Date

Deadline for Application 		17:00 GMT, Sunday 17 August 2014 

Geographical eligibility
Asia, Africa,  Central Asia. Organizations based in Europe or Latin America and the Caribbean are not eligible

CHAPTER THREE: Application Procedure

Please read the followings notes carefully when preparing your application, if you have any questions please contact: songsfund@ippf.org

Applications can be submitted in English or French.

Application Procedure

1.	Submit the completed application form with all the required supporting information. 
2.	Once received, you will be sent an acknowledgement.
3.	The applications will be screened and reviewed (as described in the Selection Procedures section) over a five week period (If the fund receives a high volume of applications this may take longer).
4.	Award decisions are final and not open to negotiations.
5.	Successful applicants will be notified in writing. This will be sent within one week after the review process.
6.	Successful applicants must confirm their acceptance of the grant in an email within a week.
7.	Notification will be sent to unsuccessful applicants 

Preparing your application

When answering the sections in the application form, please remember to: 

•	Clearly state: 
•	What is the change you want to see, or results you want to achieve and why?  

•	Who are the people in positions or your target groups that can make this change happen? 
•	What is your strategy to reach these people to convince them that change is necessary? 
•	Who will you work with to reach these people and bring about change? 
•	Provide details about the proposed activities, workplan and timetable; (workplan)
•	Please provide indicators and sources to measure the success of your advocacy

Submitting your application 

Applications must be submitted in the format provided on the website 
or email songsfund@ippf.org

Hard copies can be submitted to IPPF  Small Grants Facility, International Planned Parenthood Federation, 4 Newhams Row, London, SE1 3UZ UK.

CHAPTER FOUR: Completing your application

The following section will help you complete the application form. 

Application Section One: Project Summary

Provide a summary of your project in 150 words.

Application Section Two: Organizational Details
Provide details of your organization and project partners. Please include the contact details for the person responsible for this project.

Please indicate the legal status of your organization, as stated in the Certificate of Registration, and send a copy with the application form. (For NGOS that are not registered you can apply in partnership with a registered NGO who will act as a fiduciary). If you are a youth organization and are not officially registered, please ask an officially registered organization to apply on your behalf. These are considered to be conditions of application. Failure to provide these documents will result in disqualification of your application.

Application Section Three: Purpose and outline of the proposed advocacy activities 

Background information and Justification: 
•	What is your objective?
•	What results do you want to achieve?
Why do you want to achieve them? Eg. A local council has committed to create a budget line for contraceptives in the local government budget 

Description of Key Activities:
Describe what you will do to achieve the change specified above. Specify who are the people in positions that can make this change happen; how you will reach these people to convince them that change is necessary, and who you will work with to reach these people and bring about change.

Eg. Working with ministry of planning to ensure that the importance of SRHR services for young people is recognized as a core component of sustainable development 

Expected Advocacy Outcome:
What change are you expecting to achieve with these activities? 

Eg. Government statement at the MDG review summit calling for SRHR to be a target in the next development framework  

Does it relate to any of the below?

Measuring Success: 
1.	Proportion of CS representatives on national delegations at global policy events and 2013 baseline 
2.	Number and nature of supportive statements made by national governments on their position in accordance with global SRHR policy and 2013 baseline
3.	Level of awareness on position of SRHR in global policy and 2013 baseline:
a.	Volume and frequency of media coverage favouring SRHR
b.	Number and nature of inquiries from CSOs about SRHR 
Partners: 
Who will be your partners, why and what will they do? How will they help you with the advocacy efforts to ensure it is a success?

Risk Assessment: 

What might stop you from doing your activities? What are the risks of doing these activities and how will you address them?

Eg. Adolescent girls who participate as advocates are at risk of being stigmatised.

We will address this by working with the community and decision makers to raise awareness about the added value of youth participation in policy making. We will sensitize them to accept adolescent mothers.

Application Section Four: Budget information

Applications must contain a detailed breakdown of the proposed expenditure in local currency and US dollars, submitted in the budget format in Section Four of the form. Applicants should indicate the exchange rate used at the time of preparing the budget. 

The Advocacy Flexi Fund provides grants up to $9,500, $10,900 for CSOs working in Central Asia, to cover up to 90% of the cost of an advocacy activity with a minimum 10% contribution from the grantee.  For example if an activity costs $5,000 you can apply for $4,500 and we would expect your organization to contribute $500. 

Please clearly specify what will be included in your ten per cent match funding.

Unit costs: unit costs are usually for tickets, hotel costs per night, room rent per day, per diem rates, interpreter cost per day, etc. 
Eligible costs include travel and visas costs, accommodation and subsistence, publications costs, overheads.

Ineligible costs include staff salaries

For international travel to meetings where the CSO is on the national Delegation, costs should be in line with the IPPF travel policy:
•	Per diems – for meal expenses $60 per day
•	Hotel – less than 4 star hotel
•	Flight – Economy class
•	Economy class travel

Overheads

Overheads cover all administrative costs associated with the project, both indirect and direct, and must not exceed five per cent.  Administrative costs are costs directly incurred by your organization in administering the project and maybe include contribution towards costs for utilities (electricity, telephone, fax etc).

Application Section Five: Checklist

Please complete the checklist of necessary documents.
CHAPTER FIVE: General Conditions of the Grant

Approved projects will normally be notified within five weeks of application. A formal agreement will set out the Terms and Conditions of the grant and the procedures by which the grant will operate.

Branding

Any documents and materials developed or events and meetings organised as part of activities funded by the IPPF Small Grants Facility must clearly show that the fund is administered by IPPF. IPPFs logo must also be clearly displayed. These will be provided with the grant.

Unregistered Organization 

If you are an unregistered organization that had an officially registered organization apply on your behalf, a formal memorandum of understanding between the organizations will be required prior to the grant agreement.

Changes of Plan 

Any proposed changes to specific budget items which exceed 15 per cent must be agreed in advance. Written approval of changes to your proposed plan must be sought from the NGO Forum Small Grants Facility Coordinator and relevant Technical Review Team in advance.  These changes must not exceed total grant amount awarded.

Budget Alterations 

Approval of budget alterations will be the responsibility of the Flexi Fund Coordinator and relevant Technical Review Team and will be subject to strict controls and consultation before any virement is approved. A virement is required when (1) the grantee wishes to move funds from one budget line to another and (2) where the amount in US dollars represents 15 per cent or more of the total budget.

Reports

All grant recipients must report directly to the IPPF Small Grants Facility Coordinator within four weeks of completion of activities according to the set timetable and using the format and specifications provided. This includes narrative and financial reports submitted at the end of the activity. If no audited financial statements are available, the grantee must provide copies of invoices for all expenditure per budget line for the entire project period as part of the final report.

Specific conditions

These may be attached to individual grants. Successful applicants will be notified of these when the grant is awarded.

Payment of Grants

Payments will be made in US dollars directly into the bank account indicated in the grant agreement. Payments will be made within two weeks of receiving the signed grant agreement. The initial payment will be 90 per cent of the approved budget; the remaining 10 per cent will be paid upon receipt of a satisfactory End of Project Report

Evaluation

The IPPF Small Grants Facility Team reserves the right to visit project partners for the purpose of evaluating the projects that received IPPF Small Grants Facility support. This will only be done with advance notice and agreement. 

Reporting schedule

Each grant recipient will submit a six monthly narrative report to IPPF. At the end of the project each grantee will submit both a complete finical report and a narrative report. 

In addition each grantee should provide a baseline for the indicators for the project. The indicators should also be completed at the end of the project.