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

The Civil Society Challenge Fund is DFID’s main channel of support for development projects of civil society organisations based in the UK. First introduced in 1999, the Civil Society Challenge Fund supports activities in developing countries in the South as well as in countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union with a current annual budget of £14 million (€17 million). Within DFID, the fund is managed by the Information and Civil Society Department (ICSD).

The Civil Society Challenge Fund aims primarily to support the role of civil society organisations in enhancing the capacity of poor and excluded people (“rights based” activities). In addition, the funds also supports service delivery projects of innovative nature which includes elements of empowerment and advocacy.

The maximum grant size is £500,000 (€605,203) per project.

DFID will provide up to 100% of the total costs.

The Civil Society Challenge Fund provides funding for individual projects specifically targeted at poor communities and under-represented people in developing countries. Projects should focus on one or more of the following issues in particular:

• Capacity-building of Southern civil society to foster their engagement in local and national decision-making processes (e.g. in local government bodies and the formulation of national poverty reduction strategies)
• Global advocacy to improve international linkages and to enable Southern civil  society to participate at the international level
• Service delivery projects taking place in difficult environments (e.g. in areas without effective government service provision or in post-conflict environments)
• Service delivery projects undertaking innovative approaches and providing experience and lessons-learned to ensure sustainability.

In addition to capacity building elements, all project proposals must include awareness-raising measures that inform the target groups about their rights and entitlements as citizens and about factors which perpetuate poverty.

Funding will not be provided for projects that consist primarily of capital expenditure (e.g. purchase of land or equipment) or pure welfare activities.

Applicants must be not-for-profit organisations or networks (NGOs, membership or faith based groups, trade unions etc.) based in the UK. Eligible organisations or networks must demonstrate effective relationships with one or more partner organisations in developing countries as well as the necessary experience and know-how to manage the proposed project activities. The local partners must be comprised of local civil society and cannot be any “for profit” or government organisation. Moreover, applicants must be capable to properly account for the total project costs.

All applications should address the following other Grant-making criteria:

• Organisations must show evidence that the proposed project will contribute to poverty reduction and towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
• All themes and activities of the project should be consistent with the relevant DFID Country Plans¹ and should aim to contribute towards achieving the development targets specified therein
• Applicant must demonstrate a coherent development approach. This includes clear, achievable and measurable objectives and an assessment of the project’s outcomes
• Projects should include learning and sharing of experience as integral parts of all activities. At best, initiatives should be innovative and develop best practices that could be adapted elsewhere
• The applicant and the local partner have to demonstrate that both of them will make a genuine contribution towards achieving the project’s objective (i.e. the applicant cannot simply offer a channel for funds for the local partner)
• Project proposals must provide evidence that the particular needs of both women and men (i.e. gender equality) and the needs and rights of people with disabilities have been considered
• The impact of HIV/AIDS on the target groups has to be taken into account in the design and implementation of the project

DFID has published detailed Civil Society Challenge Fund guidelines and presentations. These can be accessed at http: //www.dfid.gov.uk/working-with-dfid/funding-opportunities/not-for-profit-organisations/cscf/civil-society-challenge-fund-application-guidelines/.

Project will be funded up to a maximum of five years. Any follow-on phases cannot be funded from the Civil Society Challenge Fund.

As a general rule, concept notes must be submitted between February 1st and 15th June each year. Proposals must be received no later than 31st July in order to be considered for funding from the following April onwards.
It is recommended to submit the concept note early as this will allow sufficient time for the concept note to be considered by DFID and to incorporate any relevant feedback in the proposal.

Concept notes, proposals as well as the logical framework must conform to a standard format. Please refer to the Civil Society Challenge Fund guidelines, which can be viewed here: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/funding/CSCF-application-guidelines-2010.pdf

All applications must be sent by e-mail to cscf@dfid.gov.uk

Interested organisations are advised to carefully follow the rules and guidelines when applying for funding from the Civil Society Challenge Fund. The application process itself is divided in two phases:

As the first step, applicants have to submit a concept note based on the underlying idea of the proposal that provides sufficient information for DFID to decide (usually within four weeks) whether or not the project is suitable for funding from the Civil Society Challenge Fund.

If your concept note has been approved, you will be invited to submit a proposal within 18 months. It is important that any feedback received on the concept note must be addressed in this proposal. The proposal must be a detailed document which will be used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the project you intend to undertake. In addition to an internal evaluation, DFID also sends all proposals to its overseas offices as well as British High Commissions and Embassies for comment on the local context and the coherence of the proposed projects with DFID’s Country Plans.

The final decision on which proposals will be funded will then be taken by DFID’s Civil Society Challenge Fund committee. Applicants will then be informed about the decision by the middle of February.

English

Interested organisations should take a look at the DFID Country Plan for the country in which their project will be implemented to make sure the proposed activities are consistent with the Country Plans.

If there is the need for further guidance or clarification regarding your concept note or proposal, please do not hesitate to contact the Information and Civil Society Department

_________________________________________________________________________________

¹ Country Plans are created for countries where DFID spends more than 20 million or more a year and usually last between three and five years. More information can be found at: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Finance-and-performance/Country-plans/