Valid as of 1st March 2010 for those applying for funding starting in April 2011.
Please note: These guidelines have been updated. Please read them carefully, even if you have made CSCF applications in the past.
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Introduction to DFID’s work with Civil SocietyIntroduction to the CSCF competitionCSCF objectivesWho can apply to the CSCF?How much funding can be provided?What is the maximum funding period?Which countries are eligible?What can’t DFID fund under the CSCF?How to apply for funding under the CSCFResubmission policyTiming for applicationsFormat for Concept NotesFormat for ProposalsHow does DFID decide which projects to fund?Decisions at Concept Note stageDecisions at Proposal stageReporting requirementsPayment of fundsAcknowledgement of DFID fundingFreedom of Information and obligationsWho to ContactFrequently Asked Questions
1. The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the British government’s fight against world poverty. We work with many partners in order to achieve this, including civil society organisations (CSOs).
2. DFID has policy and funding relationships with a diverse range of civil society organisations (CSOs). These include non-governmental organisations, trade unions, think-tanks, faith and Disapora organisations and community groups. We work with CSOs:
3. The CSCF is one of DFID’s main central funds for civil society. It has an annual budget of £14m and currently supports around 130 projects with over 80 different UK based CSOs.
4. The CSCF is administered on behalf of DFID’s Civil Society Department by an externally contracted Fund Manager. DFID sets the policy and makes funding decisions.
5. The current guidelines relate to the CSCF annual competition open from 1st April 2010 (for funding in 2011). The CSCF guidelines are reviewed annually, so please do read them carefully, even if you have made CSCF applications in the past.
6. The CSCF is a highly competitive fund. In the 2010 funding round, the CSCF received 409 Concept Notes from 253 different UK based organisations. This led to the submission of 142 proposals. Only 32 of these were funded (just under 8% of the original applications).
7. The Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF) supports the work of UK based CSOs in their efforts to strengthen and build the capacity of their partners in the South. This recognises the need for poor people to have their voices heard whenever decisions are taken that will affect their livelihood be it locally, nationally or internationally.
8. The CSCF seeks to fund advocacy and empowerment projects which are aimed at building the capacity of the poor, or the groups who represent them, to have their voices heard. The Fund is also willing to consider proposals which are predominantly service delivery in nature so long as they are innovative or working in a difficult environment and include an element of advocacy and empowerment which is integral to the project approach. All projects need to demonstrate how the funding will contribute to a reduction in poverty through a change in policy and/or practice.
9. The CSCF aims to contribute to poverty reduction of poor communities and excluded people in the developing world. There is a need for a flow of information to poor people about their rights as citizens, and the factors that perpetuate poverty. Therefore all applications must include an element of raising awareness of entitlements and rights to achieve changes in government(s) policy and/or practice, which can be demonstrated within the lifetime of the project. It should be clear what gap in government policy or practice the project is addressing given what governments have agreed to provide and are providing.
10. All projects must fall into one or more of the following five categories and include elements of advocacy and empowerment.
11. Only UK-based not-for-profit civil society organisations (CSOs), networks or coalitions are eligible to apply for the CSCF. This includes non-governmental organisations, academic institutions (including think-tanks), faith-based organisations, disabled persons organisations, trade unions, Diaspora groups and ethnic minority organisations.
12. To be eligible for funding, you must demonstrate that your organisation or network:
13. Organisations currently holding a Partnership Programme Arrangement (PPA) with DFID are not eligible for CSCF funding. However, a PPA holder can be a local partner as long as the organisation does not receive funding through the CSCF budget.
14. The CSCF can provide up to £500,000 per project. We are particularly interested in projects where the UK organisation has secured a degree of funding from other sources and/or is making a contribution of its own, however, we are willing to consider up to 100% funding where there is no other funding available. It is important that you are realistic when setting your budget. DFID will look for evidence that both the UK and overseas partners have the capacity to manage the level of funding requested effectively.
15. DFID will provide up to 8% of the total annual DFID overseas budget for annual expenditure related to the UK partner (whether incurred in the UK or in the implementing country).
16. Up to 5% of the total DFID overseas project budget can be spent on Building Support for Development in the UK. The cost for these activities can include related UK staff costs and must be shown clearly in the budget. 17. More detailed information on preparation of proposal budgets is provided in the separate CSCF Financial Management Guidelines. It is essential that you also read through those guidelines (http://www.dfid.gov.uk/funding/civilsocietycf-financial-management.asp).
18. We can provide CSCF project funding for up to 5 years. We do not provide funding for follow-on phases of CSCF projects.
19. Provided the intended beneficiaries are poor women and men, applications may be accepted for activities in any developing country in Africa and South Asia and in a number of countries in the rest of Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, Caribbean, the former Soviet Union and South-Eastern Europe (if not EU accession countries). We will also consider proposals for work across groups of countries, whether cross-regional or trans-continental work. However, the reasons behind linking countries / regions should be clearly stated. If you are unsure whether or not a country is eligible first check the DFID CSCF web site to see whether or not there are currently projects funded in that country and if so then this will be accepted. If you are still unsure then contact the CSCF Fund Manager.
20. Areas covered by other DFID funding schemes In order to avoid duplicating effort, applicants should check all DFID funding schemes available in the funding section of DFID’s website to see which funding scheme is most applicable. If the proposal is submitted to more than one of the DFID funding schemes then this should be clearly stated. It is for this reason that the CSCF does not consider projects that are primarily focused on research (DFID’s Central Research Department has responsibility for such requests). Similarly, DFID cannot consider applications for disaster or humanitarian relief initiatives responding to natural and human disasters. DFID’s Conflict, Humanitarian and Security Department (CHASE) holds responsibility for this.
21. Welfare activities / Capital Expenditure The primary aim of the CSCF is to build up people’s understanding of their rights and support sustainable development. Initiatives which consist primarily of welfare activities are not eligible. Likewise, major capital expenditure cannot be supported (e.g. construction of buildings, purchase of land). Any other aspect of capital expenditure needs to be fully justified as contributing to the sustainable outcome of the project (e.g. project related equipment, and vehicles).
22. Discrimination We will not consider projects that discriminate between individuals or groups of people on any grounds including race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability or age.
23. Evangelising & proselytising We will not consider projects that contain any element of evangelising or proselytising.
24. Scholarships We do not fund educational scholarships.
25. ‘Stand Alone’ activities We do not fund stand alone initiatives which are not part of a wider project. These include one-off conferences, seminars, training events or exchanges. Nor can we support projects dealing purely with the overseas transportation of goods and supplies.
26. Core Support The CSCF is designed for project funding and not to provide institutional support. All funding requested including administration budget lines therefore need to be related to the project.
27. Civil Disobedience We do not provide support to projects which actively encourage civil disobedience.
28. Partnerships Project partners must be comprised mainly of civil society organisations or networks located where the project is to be implemented. We will not consider proposals where the main partner is:
29. You must first submit a Concept Note. If the Concept Note is approved, you will be invited to submit a Proposal.
28. You can resubmit a rejected Concept Note once only. This must be within the same or the following year’s concept note round. You can resubmit an unsuccessful Proposal once to the following year’s proposal round.
29. Please note that the CSCF resubmission policy is under review and may change for the 2012 funding round.
30. Concept Notes: Concept Notes must be submitted between 1st April and 31st May 2010. Concept Notes received after midnight on 31st May will not be considered.
31. Proposals: Proposals must be received no later than midnight on 31st July 2010 in order to be considered for funding starting in April 2011. Proposals received after midnight on 31st July will not be considered.
32. A Concept Note should set out the underlying idea of the proposal and how it relates to the CSCF. It does not need to be a summary of a fully developed project at this stage. The Concept Note is intended to provide enough information to decide whether or not a project idea fits the CSCF and is eligible for funding.
33. We will accept a maximum 2 concept notes per organisation per funding round. This includes resubmissions.
34. When submitting a concept note, you must use the CSCF concept note form. Please note the following page limits:
Your Concept Note must be sent by e-mail to cscfconceptnotes@tripleline.com in Word format.
35. Concept Notes are intended to help DFID assess the eligibility of your organisation and to make an initial assessment as to whether your ideas fit with the priorities of the CSCF. The assessment is based on the Concept Note alone. Please make sure you include all the relevant details, even if some may seem to be common knowledge. Unless specifically asked, please do not send any other documents.
36. All applicants must send the first column of a Logical Framework, which includes the main project activities. (For information on logframes, see CSCF Monitoring, Evaluation and Lesson Learning Guidelines, section 5). The logical framework should be no more than 4 A4 pages long and must be written in Arial font size 12.
37. Concept Notes can be resubmitted once, taking account of feedback. By submitting your Concept Note early in the funding round, you will have time to incorporate any feedback into a resubmitted concept note or full proposal.
38. You will receive an automated response upon receipt of your Concept Note (CN). A CN reference number will follow within one week (this number should be quoted in all correspondence). You should receive a decision within four weeks of receipt of your CN reference number.
39. If we approve your Concept Note, you will receive a letter via e-mail inviting you to submit a proposal. In this letter, we may raise issues requiring attention. You must address these issues and provide a covering letter showing where in your proposal you have done so.
40. You must submit a proposal within the current or next funding round. If this does not happen, the Concept Note will be considered withdrawn. Please note that this policy is under review and may change for the 2011 funding round. 41. Please note that if we invite you to prepare a proposal, this is not a guarantee that your application will be successful. It is therefore important that you do not enter into any formal commitments or raise the expectations of your partners or other funders while you are going through the application process.
42. If your Concept Note is rejected you will receive a letter explaining why we are not inviting you to submit a proposal.
43. A maximum of two proposals a year can be submitted from each UK based organisation. This includes resubmissions. .
44. When submitting a full proposal, you must use the CSCF proposal form. The following page limits apply:
Your proposal must be sent by e-mail to cscfproposals@tripleline.com in Word format.
45. ALL applicants must also send a project budget (see Financial Management Guidelines and a full Logical Framework (See CSCF Monitoring, Evaluation and Lesson Learning Guidelines, section 5: The logframe). The logical framework should be no more than 4 A4 pages long and must be in Arial font size 12.
46. If it is the first time you apply to the CSCF, you must also send in electronic format:
47. If submitting more than one proposal, you only need to submit one copy of these documents.
48. If your application is successful, you will subsequently be asked for the following documentation:
49. Unsuccessful proposals can be resubmitted only once. You must ensure that the feedback given on the proposal has been fully addressed and that the changes made to your proposal are highlighted within the covering letter. This includes changes to partners and/or the context of the project. Please note that there is no need for you to resubmit a concept note for this proposal. However, when submitting your proposal you should indicate that it is a resubmission. Your resubmitted proposal will be in competition with other proposals as before and will not be given preference over first time submissions. Please note that the resubmission policy is under review by DFID and may change for the 2012 funding round.
50. The CSCF Fund Manager is responsible for appraising Concept Notes and Proposals but DFID always makes the final decision. All judgements are made on the basis of your written application. It is important, therefore, that you provide all the relevant details even if some might appear to be common knowledge. Do not be afraid to state the obvious.
51. The CSCF Fund Manager uses the following criteria to decide whether to accept or reject a concept note:
There is no clear advocacy or engagement with government.
It is not obvious what change(s) in government policy and/or practice the project is aiming to achieve.
Rights and entitlements are not mentioned and are not a focus for the project.
Advocacy, empowerment and capacity building are not sufficiently central to the project concept.
52. The CSCF Fund Manager uses the following criteria used to assess proposals:
All projects are required to have a logframe, with progress indicators which use the SMART principle, i.e. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound. All projects must carry out a baseline assessment (this should be done in the first year of the project if data is not already available). Note that the logframe for CSCF should include separate outputs for ‘capacity building of local civil society’ and ‘building support for development in the UK’. In order to develop your full logframe in line with CSCF policy, please refer to the CSCF Monitoring, Evaluation and Lesson Learning Guidelines.
M&E also provides a system to record lessons learned which can be shared and used by the partner, DFID and others to improve strategies, project design and activities. Applications should have a clear focus on learning as an integral part of the proposed activities and show that lessons learned will be effectively disseminated. DFID is particularly interested in initiatives that are innovative and demonstrate how the approaches could be adapted in similar situations by other development partners.
This assessment includes coherence with DFID Country Assistance Plans/Regional Assistance Plans. DFID has Country Assistance Plans (CAPs) or Regional Assistance Programmes (RAPs) for all countries/regions where we have development assistance programmes. These papers set out how DFID aims to contribute to poverty reduction. In some countries there will be other key strategy papers which influence DFID’s work. Proposals should be consistent with DFID’s current strategies in the country in question. Country Assistance Papers and Regional Assistance Plans are available on DFID’s website.
It is essential that all partners make a genuine contribution to delivering the overall objectives of the initiative. Applications must clearly show the roles and responsibility of all partners. For example, the UK partner must offer more than just a channel for transfer of funds - and the Southern partner must be able to sustain the initiative after DFID funding finishes.
Project management (and governance) and project implementation arrangements must be clearly articulated.
It is the responsibility of the UK partner to ensure that any local partner who is in contact with children or youth (age 0-18) has child protection policies and procedures in place or get assistance to develop them. Proposals for projects working with children and youth must set out how the UK partner will work to ensure the safety and welfare of children by the partner organisation. This should also be clearly described under the capacity building output in the logframe.
How will the project actively promote gender equality? This is a requirement for all projects.
How will the project address the needs of marginalised groups, including disabled people and people living with HIV/AIDS?
How will the project address the needs of children, youth and the elderly?
What positive or negative impact is the project likely to have on the environment and are appropriate environmental management plans in place?
53. Applicants should note that more emphasis is placed on the ‘fit with the CSCF’, ‘project approach’ and ‘monitoring and evaluation’ criteria during the assessment stage.
54. Based on the Fund Manager’s technical appraisal DFID will short-list the strongest proposals. These will be sent to DFID offices or British Embassies in the proposed beneficiary countries for comments on the local context and the relationship to DFID’s Country Assistance Plan (CAP) and/or Regional Assistance Plans (RAP). Short-listed proposals will also be referred to DFID’s Policy and Research Division for feedback. Comments from DFID country offices and policy teams are given considerable weight in the decision on funding.
55. The selection of the initiatives to support will primarily be based on the quality of the project. However we aim to develop a balanced portfolio of initiatives e.g. a reasonable balance between small and larger projects, between low risk and high-risk activities, between types of organisation, and a balanced geographical spread.
56. As a government department, DFID must ensure that public funds are used properly and that projects funded through the CSCF meet government reporting and accounting requirements.
57. If the project proposal is agreed, we will issue a grant award letter. This sets out, amongst other things, the size of the grant and our financial and narrative reporting requirements. These include:
58. For more information, please see the ‘Reporting Requirements’ section on the CSCF Monitoring, Evaluation and Lesson Learning Guidelines.
59. The CSCF makes payments quarterly in arrears. However, if payment of funding in advance is essential, organisations can contact the Fund Manager with a request outlining why payment in arrears is not suitable. This should be done when the Grant Agreement is signed.
60. For more information on budgets and payment of funds, please see the Financial Management Guidelines.
61. DFID requires that all organisations funded through the CSCF clearly recognise DFID as funding body in any public or media communications about their CSCF projects.
62. DFID is committed to open government and to meeting our responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 . Accordingly, all information submitted to DFID may need to be disclosed in response to requests under the Act. DFID has a policy of active disclosure where possible and we may decide to include certain information in the publication scheme which we maintain under the Act.
63. If there are any areas where you would like clarification or further guidance, please contact Triple Line on +44 (0)20 8788 4672 or send your query to mailto:cscf@tripleline.com
Frequently Asked Questions on CSCF Applicant Guidelines
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