This programme offers grants to NGOs for carrying out development co-operation projects. 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 Spanish Agency for International Co-operation (AECI) is an autonomous organisation assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation via the State Department for International Cooperation (SECI). As an organisation that controls Spanish development co-operation policy, the AECI is responsible for designing, executing and organising development co-operation projects and programmes, either directly, using its own resources, or in collaboration with other national and international bodies and non-government organisations (NGOs).

According to article 4 of its own statute, the AECI has the following aims:

• To contribute to economic growth and social, cultural, institutional and political progress in developing countries, especially those that have historical links with Spain;
• To promote cultural and scientific co-operation with developing countries;
• To ensure agreement on development policies in developed countries, especially within the European Union.

To achieve these aims, the AECI is authorised to carry out the following functions:

• To aid the SECI to define and execute development cooperation policy;
• To promote cultural co-operation and the promotion of Spanish culture in developing countries;
• To design, coordinate and execute development co-operation programmes and projects in the economic, social, cultural, educational, scientific and technical fields;
• To ensure and co-ordinate Spain’s institutional standing in international non-financial development organisations;
• To support and encourage public or private initiatives that contribute to achieving the aims of the agency;
• To conduct and promote awareness of studies relevant to progress in underdeveloped countries;
• To support and collaborate with other ministerial departments in the development of international co-operation programmes and projects.

 

The AECI had a budget of € 574 million in 2006, which represents an increase of 41% compared to 2005.

Grants are available to NGOs for carrying out development co-operation projects that follow the general policies established in the master plan, the annual plan and country, regional, sector and issue-specific strategies.

The maximum grant award is € 900,000 (AEC/1303/2005 ORDER, dated 27 April 2005).

For grants of over € 800,000, own funds representing between 2% and 4% of the grant total received, applied strictly proportionately, will have to be paid. The maximum amount that can be awarded to development NGOs which have not received AECI grants before is € 80,000. Evaluations for local contributions will be accepted as long as they provide sufficient guarantees and are intrinsically linked, exclusively or proportionately, to the intervention in question.

The general development objective, the geographical area, the areas of interest and the sector or sectors for intervention, the target population and the instruments of co-operation for the intervention have to be defined in compliance with the development objectives specified in the 2005–2008 Spanish Co-operation Master Plan and the Annual International Co-operation Plan for 2007. The general development objective can address intervention in one or various countries, as well as in various areas or sectors (AEC/1303/2005 ORDER, dated 27 April 2005). As an example, see the most recent grant award programme published following the ruling of 23 June 2003.

Spanish NGOs which comply with the following requirements can apply for these grants:

• They must be legally constituted. The development NGO must have been legally constituted at least five years prior to the publication date for this programme. If the NGO has changed its legal status as an association or foundation in any way, its status will be respected as long as the change is authorised by the statutes of the new NGO.
• They must be non-profit making.
• They must have legal status and be permitted to work in Spain.
• They must figure in the corresponding NGO register, as established in article 33 of the 23/1998 International Development Co-operation Law and in requirement 10, letter e, of the AEC/1303/2005 ORDER, on the date of publication of the grant announcement.
• If this is the first time the NGO is applying via this grant system, it needs to be aware that there is a general requirement that it must have carried out at least five development co-operation projects in any of the geographical areas and sectors covered by the International Development Co-operation Law.
• If the NGO has received grants before, it must be able to justify its compliance with the obligations contained in the 14th requirement of the list of requirements.

Groups of NGOs which do not constitute a legal entity can also apply for these grants. Each of the group’s NGOs must comply with the requirements detailed above and, additionally, they are subject to the obligations that apply to them as stated in section 3 of article 11 of the General Grant Law.

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Guidelines are to be found on the AECI’s website. They are called ‘manual de justificacion de ayudas y subvenciones de la AECI’.

The maximum duration is one year, the total amount of the grant being determined by the budget approved for this period, although projects can be prolonged up to a maximum of 24 months. Extensions over three months beyond the project’s expected completion date must be authorised by the AECI.

The grant programme announcement is published once a year in July; applications must be presented within a month after publication in the Official State Bulletin.

A single application must be made using the model included in appendix I of the published ruling and must be addressed to the President of the Spanish Agency for International Co-operation, although it can be delivered to the General Register of the AECI (see contact details below), as well as at registry offices and other offices referred to in article 38.4 of the 30/1992 Legal Regulation of the Civil Service and General Civil Service Procedures Law, dated 26 November 1992, and the 1 September 1997 ruling of the Civil Service Ministry (BOE, published on 4 September).

Further information about this grant programme can be obtained at the General Sub-department for Multilateral and Horizontal Cooperation:
Telephone: (0034)91/5.83.85.39 and 5.83.84.08.
Fax: (0034)91/5.83.84.59.
Email: sgcmyh_ongd@aeci.es.

The application must be presented together with a formulation document for each of the projects for which a grant application is made and must include the following:

• Type of project
• Entity making the application
• Title of the project
• Country
• DAC sector and sub-sector
• 2005–2008 master plan strategic approach
• Local partner and other participating entities
• Other members, in the case of a group application
• Year of presentation
• Total execution period
• Funding (total cost, AECI contribution, applicant contribution, other contributions)
• Expected sub-contracting
• Project description summary
• Institutional solvency (experience and management capacity of the grant applicant, experience of the local partner, proven experience of collaborators)
• Design of the intervention (formulation of the project, documents detailing the actions proposed, adequate identification of the problems and needs to be addressed – problem and objective trees – coherence of intervention logic –matrix, time scale, budget, and monitoring and evaluation systems – contribution to development in the area of execution, description and participation of the recipient population, adaptation to horizontal principles)
• Development approach (viability, appropriateness of the activity, complementarity and synergies with Spanish co-operation policy and local public policies, sustainability)
• Name and position of the person who completed the document
• Date of completion
• List of appendices

Application documents must be submitted to the AECI webpage.

NGOs that apply for the grants regulated by these general requirements must supply the following general documents, as well as those specifically required for each individual grant programme:

• Application forms and documents required for the grant application in triplicate, in paper and electronic format, using the model for the grant programme;
• Proof of the date the entity was constituted;
• Organisation chart, number of partners, collaborators and/or donors, list of personnel under contract and their duties, offices in Spain and other countries, and inclusion in international networks;
• Proof of payment of social security and tax obligations. This will be taken into consideration when awarding a grant and when making proposals for payments in following years, as established in the rulings of the Inland Revenue, dated 28 April 1986 and 25 November 1987;
• Statement issued by the NGO to the effect that its statutes have not been modified in any way. If this is not the case, a copy of the new statutes must be presented and registered at the AECI development NGO registry office;
• NGOs applying for the first time must submit accreditation issued by their donor for the five development co-operation projects they have carried out, indicating the name of the project, the country, the year the projects were conducted, funding resources and donor;
• Groups of entities – including at least one entity legally accountable to the AECI which will represent the group – must submit an agreement made by the member entities, explaining the reasons for which it has been formed, its areas of involvement, and levels of participation for each of the organisations. Similarly, the commitment of all the participating organisations to maintain their temporary union until the grant expires, as established in articles 39 and 65 of the General Grant Law, must be confirmed.

Spanish

The Fundación Luis Vives provides assistance to NGOs wishing to apply for funding.

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