euroresources.org: Project co-funding

This programme co-finances projects proposed by NGOs, private companies, expert institutions, universities and line ministries. 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

Background

The Czech system for funding non-government organisations (NGOs) is highly decentralised. NGOs can receive funding from the Czech government through public tenders and multiple grant schemes for development projects abroad. Projects first need to be submitted to the different line ministries responsible for development projects in their specific areas of interest and which announce calls for proposals. However, the final decision about which projects to fund is taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supported by the Development Centre. The Development Centre works as an important contact manager and co-ordinator, communicating with the government institutions of the Czech Republic, foreign partners, developing project workers from non-government and the private sector, the media and the public. The Development Centre is gradually broadening its activities so that it can meet the tasks of the foreign aid programme itself, which enables the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to concentrate on the conceptual co-ordination of the programme.

Czech development co-operation is still evolving. ‘The Concept of the Czech Republic Foreign Aid Programme for the Period 2002–2007’ and ‘Foreign Development Aid of the Czech Republic after the Accession to the European Union’ are two documents which set out where Czech NGO co-funding is heading. Currently, regular calls for proposals are issued, on the basis of which NGO projects are selected for co-funding. It is intended to establish long-term progammes of co-operation in the future.

Types of Grant

Co-funding of projects proposed by NGOs, private companies, expert institutions, universities and line ministries.

Grant Size

Grant size differs for each ministry.

Own Contribution

In most cases, up to 80% of the costs are funded by the Czech foreign aid budget.

Funding Priorities

Foreign aid projects should concentrate on those sectors in which the Czech Republic has comparative advantage over other aid providers. These sectors include, for example, health care, education, energy production and selected areas of engineering and environmental protection. For different regions the Czech Republic sets different priorities:

South Eastern Europe: good governance, prevention of migration, infrastructure (energy production, transport), environmental protection, Czech communities abroad and regional cooperation;
countries of the former USSR: environmental protection, transport, prevention of migration, nuclear security and Czech communities abroad;
the Middle East: environmental protection (hydrology, bio-diversity) and infrastructure (energy production, transport);
Asia: infrastructure (energy production, transport), environmental production (hydrology, geology), good governance, agriculture;
sub-Saharan Africa: agriculture (rural development), education, health care (HIV/AIDS), environmental protection (hydrology, geology);
Latin America: prevention of natural disasters, geology; forest management, education.

Grantmaking Criteria

Project proposals can be presented by all legal bodies. This includes other government departments and state administration agencies, NGOs, Czech embassies abroad, relevant institutions in aid-receiving countries and other Czech, foreign or international bodies. It is planned to base NGO co-funding on a system of accreditation. Thus, in the long term only authorised development NGOs will be eligible for funding. Additionally, the applicant must show that it contributes to meet the targets and to implement the principles and priorities of the Czech foreign aid programme. The other main criteria for approval are the quality, relevance, effectiveness and sustainability of the proposal.

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Guidelines

Project proposals should be based on the national strategies and the needs of the individual aid-receiving partner countries. Also, project cycle management guidelines are available from the development centre.

Project Duration

Various

Deadline

Various

Application Forms

Application forms are available from the development centre.

Application and Procedures

Tenders are based on the Law of Public Procurement (number 137/2006); each line ministry is responsible for its own tenders so it is impossible to describe a typical tender. Therefore, law number 137/2006 is the main guideline, but procedures sometimes differ.

In general, the application process is as follows: First, line ministries collect suggestions for projects, then technical departments within each ministry carry out an assessment of each proposal received. Once selected, the project proposal is passed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where an independent assessment of the project is organised. For this purpose, an expert group is nominated by line ministries and appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The work of the expert group is co-ordinated by the Development Centre. After the projects have been shortlisted, again, they are submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where they are screened by its territorial departments and the Czech embassies in partner countries. Then, the final list of project proposals is discussed in an interministerial meeting with all line ministries. This final list is submitted to the government for approval.

The lines ministries concerned are the following (including their percentage share of projects in 2004):