Background	Project Duration
Grant Size	Deadline
Own Contribution	Application Forms
Funding Priorities	Application & Procedures
Grantmaking Criteria	Languages
Guidelines	Tips

MFS II is the grant framework for Dutch civil society organisations that works systematically to achieve a sustainable reduction in poverty. Alongside multilateral and bilateral cooperation and partnerships with the private sector, the civil society channel has long formed an important pillar of Dutch development policy. The objective of this policy is to support poor countries and poor people in their efforts to create a better quality of life, to reduce their vulnerability and create scope for self-betterment; in short to provide structural scope for development.

With MSF II, the Minister of Development cooperation has created scope for financially supporting Dutch CSOs in their work. The sum of €2.125 million has been earmarked for the provision of grants within the framework of MFS II between January 2011 and December 2015.

Grant applications must be for at least €10 million where the duration is five years. If the duration is less (for instance the minimum of three years) this minimum sum is reduced proportionally.

Substantial own contributions required. The applicant must demonstrate that at least 25% of its annual income will derive from sources other than the MFA. Individual grants under the MFS II cannot amount to more than 75% of the organisation’s total annual expenditure.

The overall policy aim of the MFS is to establish and contribute to strengthening civil society in the South as a building block for structural poverty reduction. CSOs should have strategic partnerships with Southern partners and must work efficiently to strengthen civil society. They may use one of the following strategies which must be diverse. However, other strategies may also be adopted to qualify for a grant.

The MFS will comprise three intervention strategies:

• Promoting sustainable economic development and achieving direct poverty reduction.
• Building civil society (including peace initiatives and conflict prevention) with the aim of establishing a more equitable distribution of power.
• Influencing policy by giving ordinary people a voice in order to bring about change in processes and structures that perpetuate poverty and inequality

The following themes, based on priority themes within Dutch development policy are central to the MFS:

• Sustainable economic development
• HIV/AIDS
• Education
• Healthcare
• Human rights, including socioeconomic rights
• Democratisation
• Good governance
• Water and sanitation
• Sport and culture

MFS II grants are intended for programmes established by independent, not-for-profit CSOs whose seat is in the Netherlands, possess a legal personality and work in a result-orientated way to strengthen civil society in the South. MFS provides grants to both broadly-based CSOs whose work straddles many themes and to CSOs of varying sizes whose work focuses on a single policy theme.

CSOs can independently submit a grant application or form part of a consortium in a joint application. In the latter case, a consortium representative submits the application on behalf of the consortium as a whole. A positive view is taken of applicants forming consortia to implement joint programmes.

MFS II does not cover emergency aid, research, municipal partnerships or activities designed to foster public support. Alternative scope for grants for these activities is provided for by the MFA Grant Regulations 2006. Also CSOs that are receiving core funding from the budget of the MFA during the grant period will not qualify for an MFS II grant. Non-Dutch CSOs do not qualify for MFS II grants.

CSOs applying for grants must meet certain criteria in order to qualify for a grant:

• Threshold criteria: criteria which all applications must meet.
• Criteria relating to the quality of the applying organisation or lead party of the consortium
• Criteria relating to the capacity and added value of the consortia
• Criteria relating to the quality of the outline proposal
• Criteria relating to the quality of the comprehensive programme proposal (may be one or more programmes)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a “Policy Framework for the Co financing System (MFS II) 2011-2015”, which is available on the Ministry’s website.

Then grant period must be between three and five years in duration.

For the 2011-2015 grant period, the deadline for applications was 1 December 2009. Final decisions on the applications are expected no later than 1 April 3010. Programme proposals are to be submitted no later than 1 July 2010.

There is a model application form available as stipulated and made available by the Minister (Appendix 1) which is available on the Ministry’s website.

The application procedure is divided into two stages. Stage one: applications for grants must be submitted, using the model application form as stipulated and made available by the Minister. Applications should be complete and without reservations, and should be submitted in quintuplicate on paper and on CD-ROM. Stage two: The selected CSOs are invited to submit a comprehensive programme proposal using the model application form.

English and Dutch.

A CSO may only submit one MFS II grant application and only one grant is awarded per CSO, whether it is a lead or an independent applicant. However, a CSO can be represented as a co-applicant in more than one consortium for which another CSO is submitting the application. Combined CSOs or consortia applications may not receive more than €106,250,000 a year. If the combined application exceeds this amount, all applications in which the organisation is involved will be rejected.

Local civil society organisations in the South or other NGOs which want to submit country-specific grant applications to the Dutch government should discuss their proposals with the Dutch Embassies in the relevant country.¹

Cordaid can also be contacted for more general information on development cooperation and on accredited NGOs.²

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¹ A list of Dutch embassies can be found at: http://www.mfa.nl/en/

² Contact information can be found in the NGO Platform Contact Information section of this Guide.