This fund exclusively co-finances projects in sub-Saharan Africa, proposed by three types of partners: international organisations, authorised Belgian non-government development co-operation organisations, and national and local authorities as well as non-government organisations (NGOs) of recipient countries.  Information on how to apply is compiled on this webpage and can be downloaded here.

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

Belgium’s Survival Fund was created by the Belgian Parliament on 9 February 1999. It released € 189.2 million of the € 250 million provided by the National Lottery in 1999 and the € 50 million remaining from the first donation in 1983 to fund a total of 75 projects which help to develop the food chain and basic infrastructure in 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The body in charge of steering and managing the fund is the Directorate General for Development Co-operation (DGDC) which directly reports to the Federal Minister of Development Co-operation. Its role is to conceive development co-operation policy guidelines, to manage co-operation instruments, allocate funds and follow up and evaluate their use. The unit in charge of non-government co-operation financed through the Belgian Survival Fund works under the responsibility of Directorate 2 ‘Special Programmes’.

This fund exclusively co-finances projects in sub-Saharan Africa, proposed by three types of partners: international organisations, authorised Belgian non-government development co-operation organisations, and national and local authorities as well as non-government organisations (NGOs) of recipient countries. Between 1999 and 2005, 15% of the funding was allocated to government projects, 38% to Belgian NGO projects, 45% to projects run by multilateral organisations and 0% to local NGO projects.

Open

The instrument co-funds the following amount of project costs:

For authorities and NGOs of recipient countries: 90%;
For Belgian NGOs: 85%;
For UN organisations: 45% to 60%, depending on the type of organisation;
For other international organisations: 85%.

The Belgian Survival Fund aims at enhancing the survival chances of people threatened by hunger, malnutrition, poverty and exclusion in countries exposed to chronic food shortage. Thus, it exclusively funds long-term programmes that aim at increasing the food security of families and local communities in rural, semi-urban and urban environments. It aims to tackle the root of food supply problems by adopting a multi-sector approach with special attention to the following dimensions:

• Working towards sufficient food availability to answer to the needs of recipient countries;
• Providing the population concerned with the necessary means and tools to ensure its subsistence and enhance its access to a quantitatively and qualitatively adequate nutrition;
• Food security.
• Enhancing the basic infrastructure in the fields of health, water, basic education and other social services.

Also, the fund finances capacity building of local and national authorities and beneficiary communities, to empower them to take their development into their own hands. The fund does not provide any food aid or direct aid.

Eligible are international organisations, authorised Belgian non-government development co-operation organisations, and national and local authorities and NGOs in recipient countries which have an approved strategic framework (programme) for their partnership with the fund. These organisations are allowed to submit project proposals for funding in line with their strategic framework.

Strategic frameworks have to be in line with the following criteria:

• They have to be sustainable and guarantee the integration of local communities in the programme cycle. It should be guaranteed that these communities are able to participate in problem identification, control of the development process and that they receive the relevant tools to implement it.
• In particular, the programme’s focus should be on empowering women’s movements and on actions promoting women’s participation in the development process.
• The programmes have to put sufficient effort into social issues, especially basic health needs, and they should respect clause 20/20 of the Copenhagen Social Summit.

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The instrument is defined in the royal decree creating the Belgian Survival Fund signed on 9 February 1999 and the royal decree defining the implementation measures signed on 25 April 2000. They are available online. The integrated multi-sector approach to food issues, as outlined in the law establishing the fund, was detailed in a policy note containing the fund’s strategic decisions for 2000–2010. It is available from the DGDC or online.

Strategic framework (programme): 10 years
Project: open

For the strategic framework or programme the deadline for applications is 15 December of the year which precedes the activities. For technical project proposals it is 31 July of the year which precedes the activities.

Application forms can be obtained from the DGDC.

First the applicant submits its 10-year strategic framework (programme) to the Directorate 2 ‘Special Programmes’ of the DGDC. Then, every year, the applicant proposes projects which are subject to acceptance or refusal by the ministry. A first opinion on the strategic frameworks and project is given at the latest three months after submission of the application, and the final decision has to be made by 31 August of each year.

French or Dutch

Support to non-Belgian NGOs has never become operational, for reasons of capacity within the DGDC. Efforts to change this have led to attachés in certain embassies granting funding, however, this is still not common practice. Non-Belgian NGOs can obtain support through a partnership with Belgian NGOs.

Eligible countries are those with very low development indicators (as defined in the annual UN human development report), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Preference is given to Belgian development co-operation partner countries. So far, projects have been funded in 23 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Three quarters of these projects are in 10 of Belgium’s partner countries: Benin, Burundi, the DR of Congo, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda.

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