This instrument co-finances project of French NGOs. 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.

Cofinancement projet – project co-funding –.is targeted at French NGOs.

Not defined; grants are provided from € 20,000 to € 600,000.

The NGO has to contribute at least 15% of the total project costs from its own resources. The government contribution cannot exceed 50%, and the outstanding amount may be covered by other sources.  

The priorities as shown by the 2002 allocation figures are:

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

The applicant must be a French NGO working in the field of development and international solidarity. It has to have been in existence in the field of development co-operation for at least three years and must prove its NGO status by meeting the following criteria:

• General meetings and regular board meetings are held, and a yearly narrative and financial report is made;
• Percentage of private resources and number of members and donors;
• Wage levels of the different staff categories, possible existence and amount of an annual surplus, decision of the general meeting on how to use it;
• Number and quality of volunteers in the NGO, and intellectual and professional services provided;
• The applicant must have the technical and financial capacity to implement projects; this is measured on the basis of the results of the past three years, the annual narrative and financial report, and takes into account the percentage of funds devoted to operational expenses;
• The applicant must be up to date with reports on past projects financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Individual persons, local offices of national organisations, and political parties are not eligible.

The following project criteria also need to 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 by 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.

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Guidelines ‘VADE-MECUM le cofinancement des projects des OSI – Tome 1’ can be obtained from the MCNG office or here.

No minimum or maximum project duration exists.

No deadline applies.

Application forms can be found in the guidelines ‘VADE-MECUM le cofinancement des projects des OSI – Tome 1’, which can be obtained from the MCNG on request or online.

The procedure takes about four months, as follows:
(1) The application is sent to the MCNG. It comprises a covering letter defining the subject of the project and the requested amount, two copies of the administrative dossier (chapter III of the guidelines) and four copies of the technical and financial dossier (chapter IV of the guidelines).
(2) The MCNG analyses the application. For consultation, it sends a copy of the application package to the relevant geographical and technical sections of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as to the respective French embassy. This process takes several weeks, during which questions can be sent to the applicant and aspects of the project might be altered.
(3) After this period, the MCNG proposes the application to the steering committee which meets every three months and decides on the next steps to undertake. It can make the following decisions:

• Acceptance;
• Acceptance with reservations (e.g. need for additional information or funds from other partners). In this case the MCNG is in charge of filling the gaps. The proposal does not need to be presented a second time to the committee;
• Refusal. The project cannot be presented a second time to the committee, even if modified;
• The project remains under consideration and needs to be represented at the next committee meeting.
• The application is adjourned, i.e. a modified version of the proposal might be presented by the NGO;
• The proposal is retracted (either on the NGO’s initiative or by decision of the MCNG sending it to a more competent body);

(4) If the committee accepts the proposal a provisional letter of acceptance and an understanding of co-funding are sent to the applicant. Then, the NGO needs to sign the understanding and within one month provide the MCNG with a range of administrative documents.
(5) The signature of the French administration then validates the co-funding agreement and starts the procedure of payment. 

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 French Services for Co-operation and Cultural Action (SCAC) of the French embassies.

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