The ‘Strategic Alliances with International NGOs’ (SALIN) grant programme is a new funding scheme designed by the Dutch government to supplement existing partnerships with Dutch civil society actors. 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

The ‘Strategic Alliances with International NGOs’ (SALIN) grant programme is a new funding scheme designed by the Dutch government to supplement existing partnerships with Dutch civil society actors. It offers a framework for goal-oriented, theme-based co-operation with international non-government organisations (NGOs) in the form of strategic alliances for the period 2006–2010. The sum of € 20 million per year has been allocated to this scheme.

Only pre-selected international NGOs that have demonstrated that they represent added value to theme-based policy priorities of Dutch development co-operation are eligible to apply for grants under this programme. Applications will be assessed based on their contribution to attaining the objectives spelled out in the 2003 development policy document ‘Mutual interests, mutual responsibilities’, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and several more specific criteria related to the given theme.

Grants will be awarded for activities that meet the narrowly defined requirements of theme-based interventions in the following areas:

• education;
• HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health (SRHR);
• the environment and water;
• good governance, human rights and peace building; and
• sustainable economic development.

For HIV/AIDS, the only organisation eligible to apply for a grant is Population Service International (PSI). For SRHR, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), IPAS, and the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC) are eligible to apply.

Grants for theme-based intervention programmes of international NGOs pre-selected by the Dutch government.

Not specified. The maximum amount of funding earmarked for the SALIN scheme is € 20 million per year for the period 2006–2010.

As a general rule, the SALIN grant should not amount to more than 50% of a programme’s total expenditure.

The strategic added value of the partnership for Dutch development co-operation was the main overriding factor in selecting which international NGOs are eligible to apply for grants under the SALIN scheme. The organisation had to meet the following criteria:

• complementing Dutch development co-operation;
• operating in fields and locations in which Dutch NGOs are not sufficiently active;
• seeking to cement partnerships with organisations in the South; and
• producing a unique ‘product’ or employs unique methods.

However, the fact that an NGO is regarded eligible to apply does not automatically mean that it will receive a grant, as these will only be awarded on the basis of a solid application that addresses the main issues of the relevant theme. Country-specific proposals and applications by Dutch organisations are not eligible under the SALIN scheme.

In the field of HIV/AIDS, interventions that address the scarcity of affordable commodities – such as condoms – and that use social marketing to make these commodities available and foster innovative approaches to commodity markets will receive priority. Moreover, projects should target the most vulnerable and neglected groups, such as commercial sex workers, intravenous drug users, and men who have sex with men, to give them better access to prevention, care, treatment and counselling programmes.

In the field of SRHR, the Dutch government aims to award grants for interventions that do pioneering work in strengthening the capacity of local and national governments in the field of SRHR and activities that deliver crucial SRHR information and services to local populations. The rights of adolescents to education and sexual and reproductive health services, the rights of women to make their own reproductive choices, and the issues of safe motherhood and safe abortions are also of particular importance to the Dutch government.

All grant proposals will be assessed to determine whether the specific goals and priorities of the relevant theme have been properly addressed by the applicant. The following criteria will receive particular attention:

• How does the organisation see its role in a strategic alliance with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?
• Does the proposal demonstrate consistency with the applicant’s history and mission vis-à-vis sustainable poverty reduction?
• Does the application contain an effective intervention strategy, operational objectives and intended outcomes?
• Has the organisation shown evidence of good donorship?
• What is the nature and quality of its relationships with third parties?
• Does the organisation have a good track record (positive impact and sustainability of its interventions)?
• Does the applicant have a structure and culture that contribute to effective service, and does the organisation’s HR and innovation policy foster greater effectiveness?
• Are the existing monitoring procedures and systems adequate, and does the organisation have a system of evaluation and quality control?
• What is the quality of the organisations financial and administrative management?

Moreover, all proposals will be evaluated against other criteria, such as:

• Consistency of the intended results with the terms of reference for the grant
• Quality of the strategic analysis
• Appropriateness of the strategic policy for dealing with Southern partners
• Clarity of the proposal, including objectives, results, activities and resources
• Adoption of the SMART template (specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic, time-bound) for the intended results
• Inclusion of quality management, planning, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity for learning in the proposal, presenting convincing arguments that show how the proposed activities will make a difference
• Sustainability of the intervention

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a ‘Policy Framework for Strategic Alliances with International NGOs (SALIN) for 2006–2010’, which is available on the ministry’s website.

The maximum length of the grant period is five years.

No deadline applies.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not published specific application forms for this scheme.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will contact all pre-selected organisations regarding the detailed application process. Intensive policy dialogue will be an important part of the relationship between the organisations and the ministry throughout the grant period. It is planned that interim consultations, at which incidental and annual reports will be discussed, will take on an increasingly broad character to ensure complementarity with Dutch development policy. The allocation of resources by the ministry over the grant period will be subject to financial and narrative reports prepared by the organisations. In addition, the ministry will commission an external evaluation of the organisation’s activities.

 

English and Dutch

International NGOs not pre-selected under this scheme and other civil society organisations which want to submit country-specific grant applications to the Dutch government should discuss their proposals with the Dutch embassy in the relevant country.

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