Programme grants fund a multi-annual programme covering a coherent set of projects and activities submitted by a development NGO. 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

In 2005, France devoted € 8.9 billion to development co-operation. Only around 1.1% of this total amount was channelled through NGOs and territorial authorities. The institution supervising the management of these funds is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its Directorate General for International Co-operation and Development (DGCID). The Mission for Non-government Co-operation (MCNG), reporting directly to the DGCID, is the direct contact partner for non-government organisations (NGOs), local authorities and enterprises looking for French development co-operation funds.

The MCNG’s main tasks are as follows:

• Accompanying the upsurge of Southern civil societies;
• Facilitating the consultation and partnership between the French state and French non-government actors (NGOs, local authorities, enterprises, unions);
• Implementing the credits allocated to non-government co-operation;
• Encouraging development education in France;
• Implementing co-development projects, particularly mobilising organisations involved with immigration;
• Steering civil volunteering associations.

Programme grants fund a multi-annual programme covering a coherent set of projects and activities submitted by a development NGO.

Grants are provided from € 100,000 to € 1,500,000.

The NGO has to contribute at least 15% of the total project costs from its own resources, and the government contribution cannot exceed 50%. The outstanding amount may be covered by other sources. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not finance more than 35% of the NGO’s annual development co-operation budget.

The ministry set up this instrument to encourage coherent long-term approaches to development. The programme conventions are designed to enable NGOs to develop competencies in a certain thematic or geographical sector through a range of coherent activities. It also aims at strengthening relations between the NGO, the MCNG and the Co-operation and Cultural Action Service (SCAC) over a longer period.

The priorities as shown by the 2002 allocation figures are:

• rural development (22% of funds)
• health (17%)
• social development (16%)
• empowering civil society (12%)

In addition to the usual eligibility criteria for French NGO co-operation as described in part on “project co-financing”, the applicant has to respond to the following points:

• The NGO must have an annual budget of at least € 1.5 million.
• The annual budget of the programme grant must not be higher than one-third of the NGO’s total annual budget.
• Over the last three years the average funds allocated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must not be higher than 35% of the NGO’s annual development co-operation budget.
• Over the last five years, the NGO must have been funded at least twice by the ministry with a total amount of more than € 600,000.

The following project criteria must also be met:

• The project must be a development co-operation project in developing or transition countries or a project with special focus on development education in France.
• A description of the local partner and a report on its participation throughout the project must be provided. A project partner can be a local NGO acting as supporting agency for the beneficiaries; an NGO directly representing the beneficiaries; an NGO acting as implementing agent; a non-profit civil society organisation working within the sector of economic, social and cultural development which can be interested in the project without directly being an implementing agent.
• The project should pay special attention to capacity building of civil societies.
• The project should take place in co-operation with NGOs of developing or transition countries.

top

Guidelines ‘VADE-MECUM le cofinancement des projects des OSI – Tome 1’ can be obtained from the MCNG office or here.
Volume 2 of the guidelines (‘VADE-MECUM le cofinancement des projects des OSI – Tome 2 – Les programmes’) can be obtained from the MCNG office but is not available online.

Three or four years

No deadline applies.

A request for a programme grant can be made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself, which can ask an NGO to submit a programme convention, or by an NGO.
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.

The application process has two stages:

• First, the NGO submits a simplified document to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which explains the background of the programme grant, its aim, its content, an estimated amount of funds needed and sustainability provisions. The annex of VADE-MECUM Volume 2 provides a template for this purpose. The ministry gives an answer within three months.
• Once the NGO has received a positive response it can elaborate a project proposal, which describes the programme framework, the geographical scope, its objectives, its logical structure, the envisaged time frame, the finance, the modalities of implementation, envisaged partnerships, sustainability mechanisms and evaluation provisions in a detailed way. The annex of VADE-MECUM Volume 2 provides a template for this purpose.

The application process takes place in close collaboration with the MCNG, the Co-operation and Cultural Action Service (SCAC) and the relevant geographical and thematic units of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

French

It is an advantage if the applicant participates in thematic and geographical networks. Privileged projects are those with a significant impact implemented in co-operation with government authorities of the recipient country and the SCAC of the French embassies.

top