French Development Agency (AFD)
L’Agence Français de Developpement
Background
The AFD is the main actor of French development aid. As part of a general review of public policy, the AFD now manages initiatives that were previously taken by the Mission Supporting International NGOs within the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. For any project which begins after 1 January 2009, the AFD implements the training, financing and technical and operational monitoring. In 2008, the AFD worked with 120 NGOs and dispersed €21 million. In the same year, the AFD spent €1 billion financing transactions in developing countries and €1 trillion overseas.
Funding Priorities
The Inter-NGO associative has the following main objectives:
• Encourage exchanges related to the operation of projects between actors in the South and North
• Promote concerted action of determined and unifying themes among various associations in a geographical area
• Have a significant impact by combining the efforts of several community partners and seeking complementarity between them
• Develop capacity to make new proposals on political and development
cooperation or in the definition of new programmes
• Foster a project that will diffuse knowledge sharing between partners in the South and associations in the North
Grantmaking Criteria
Co-financing requested from AFD is granted in priority to associations which are incorporated under the ‘Statute Law of 1901’, with all or part of their activities devoted to supporting development and international solidarity.
The Inter-NGO Programme is open to any voluntary grouping of at least three French international charitable associations who have conducted all the possible research prior to programme implementation.
At least two of these associations must have received at least two allocations of funding from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Services and Cooperation Cultural Action, Direction of Political Development, Crisis Centre (formerly the Delegate for Humanitarian Action) or the AFD for development activities. The sum of all such funds or co-financing must total at least €200,000 in four years.
Guidelines
Guidelines can be found here.
Project Duration
Multi-year funding lasts three to four years in duration.
Deadline
Application material can be found on AFD’s website.
Application Forms
Application forms can be found in the guidelines ‘VADE-MECUM le cofinancement des projects des OSI – Tome 2 – Les programmes’ and are provided by the MCNG on request.
Application and Procedures
The application procedure should consist of:
• Filing a grant application by mail including (a letter specifying the amount requested and the reason for the request, duplicate administrative copies, duplicate financial and technical copies, and one copy of the complete application on CD-ROM.)
• Emailing the receipt of the request by the NGO Partnership Division
• A presentation of evidence by the NGO Partnership Division
• NGO Committee chaired by the MAEE decides to award or refuse the request
Languages
French
Tips
It is an advantage that the applicant participates in thematic and geographical networks.
Preferred projects are those with a significant impact implemented in cooperation with governmental authorities of the recipient country and the French Services for Cooperation and Cultural Action (SCAC) of the French embassies.
Coordination SUD can also be contacted for more general information on development cooperation and on accredited NGOs.
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1 Contact information can be found in the NGO Platform Contact Information section of this Guide.