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Launch of the Calls for proposals,NGO Fund, Cyprus 2009-2014EEA Grants Pantelis Dimitriou – Marilena Ioannidou, Programme Operator PWC23/07/2013
• The EEA Grants NGO Fund for Cyprus 2009-2014• The Calls for Proposals
• EEA/CY/NGO/C-1• EEA/CY/NGO/C-2
• Outcomes, Areas of Support and Activities• Application Process• Eligibility and Selection Criteria• Evaluation and Selection Process• Capacity Building and Future Events
Structure
The EEA Grants NGO Fund in Cyprus 2009-2014
The objective of the Fund for Non Governmental Organisations (NGO Fund) is to strengthen civil society development and enhance contribution to social justice, democracy and sustainable development in the Republic of Cyprus by providing financing to NGO projects in selected areas of support.
A minimum 30% of the funding is made available for bi-communal
projects that would benefit both communities within the priority areas, with a view to encouraging bi-communal contacts and a minimum of 10% of the funding is made available for children and youth driven organisations and/ or activities targeting children and youth.
Horizontal concerns and cooperation with Council of Europe
Horizontal concerns
• Hate speech• Extremism• Racism• Xenophobia• Homophobia• Anti-Semitism
• Tolerance/ multicultural societies • Roma• Sexual harassment• Violence against women• Trafficking
Horizontal concerns and cooperation with Council of Europe
Agency for Fundamental Rights• Building alliances on specific topics of
common interest (e.g. hate crime)• Operators should consider participation in
the Fundamental rights Platform / Fundamental Rights Conference coordinated by FRA
Council of Europe• The Council of Europe has long been
engaged in setting standards on human rights and furthering democracy and the rule of law in Europe.
• The Council of Europe contributes within its core areas of expertise — human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
• Is directly involved as a partner in 18 specific programmes in nine beneficiary countries.
Eligible Applicants
• Non-profit, voluntary organisations established as a legal entity in the Republic of Cyprus, having a non-commercial purpose, independent of local, regional and central government, public entities, political parties and commercial organisations. Religious institutions, political parties and social partners (trade unions and employers’ organisations according to the EU definition) are not considered NGOs.
• Political parties, religious institutions as such, social partners or profit‐distributing cooperatives are not considered NGOs. Social enterprises, foundations, faith‐based organisations and the national Red Cross societies are considered eligible NGOs if they fulfil the above principles.
Project Partners
• Partners in projects are public or private entities, commercial or non‐commercial, NGOs, all of whose primary locations are in Cyprus, EEA (Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland), other Beneficiary States (Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Portugal, Poland, Malta, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Greece, Estonia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria) or any inter‐governmental organisation, actively involved in, and effectively contributing to, the implementation of a project. It shares with the Project Promoter a common economic or social goal which is to be realised through the implementation of that project.
• Cooperation is also possible with local informal, ad hoc and self‐help organisations that are not registered legal entities in the country. Such organisations must however meet the requirements that they are not for personal profit, act for public good, are voluntary and non‐discriminatory in nature, are membership based and entirely independent of local, regional and national government and other public authorities, and are independent of political parties and commercial organisations.
Submission of multiple proposals
• NGOs may submit more than one proposal as main Applicants. However, a second proposal (as judged by the relative positions of the two proposals in respect of marks attained during evaluation) by the same main Applicant that meets the eligibility and selection criteria may only be selected for funding only if all other proposals that attain the threshold mark of its class are funded.
• This rule also applies to proposals submitted by the same Applicant to both
Calls for proposals. (i.e. if an Applicant submits a proposals to both Calls for proposals and both proposals could be funded given their final mark, then only the proposal will the higher mark will be funded and the second proposal – even if submitted under the other Call – will only be funded if all other proposals that attain the threshold mark of its class are funded.
• NGOs may participate in more than one proposal as partners with no
ramifications on the selection process.
NGO Fund Outcomes &Regranting Allocations
Outcome Funds Available for re-
granting Under Call
EEA/CY/NGO/C-1
Funds Available for re-
granting under Call
EEA/CY/NGO/C-2
Outcome 1: Provision of
welfare and basic services to
defined target groups
increased
€430,714
Outcome 2: Strengthened
capacity of NGOs and an
enabling environment for the
sector promoted
€252,097 €55,556
Outcome 3: Democratic
values, including human
rights, promoted
€492,245
Total re-granting for all
Outcomes €1,175,056 €55,556
Project sizes (Classes)
Grants size class
Class Nr.
Minimum Funding
per project €
Maximum
Funding
per project €
Regranting Allocation
€ Projects Duration
Class 1 5.000
20.000
130.612 max 6 months
Class 2 (& EEA/CY/NGO/C-
2) 20.001
70.000
444.444 (+55,556 for
EEA/CY/NGO/C-2)
max 12 months (max 18
months for
EEA/CY/NGO/C-2)
Class 3 70.001
120.000
600.000 max 18 months
Totals
1.175.056
(+55,556 for
EEA/NGO/C-2)
Payment Schedules
Disbursements financial scheme
Class
Nr.
Nr. of
payments
Prefinancing
amount %
Prefinancing
payment date
Interim payment
amount %
Interim
payment
date
Final
payment
amount %
Final
payment
date
Class 1 2 65%
1 month from
contract
signature
Balance (up
to 35%)
1 month after
final report
approval
Class 2 3 40%
1 month from
contract
signature
up to 40% (minus
amounts not
absorbed from
prefinancing)
1 month after
interim report
approval
Balance (up
to 20%)
1 month after
final report
approval
Class 3 3 40%
1 month from
contract
signature
up to 30% (minus
amounts not
absorbed from
prefinancing)
1 month after
interim report
approval
Balance (up
to 30%)
1 month after
final report
approval
Core Areas of Support
The following areas are eligible for support and should be covered by at least 40% of the Programme allocation:
• Democracy and participatory democracy• Human rights, including minority rights (ethnic, religious, linguistic
and sexual orientation)• Good governance and transparency• Combat racism and xenophobia and promoting anti-discrimination• Social inequalities, poverty and exclusion, including in rural areas• Gender equality and combating gender-based violence
Additional Areas of Support
Protection of the environment and climate change
• Awareness-raising and civic participation• Develop umbrella organisations and/or new
networks on biodiversity/climate change• Mobilising local involvement to protect
biodiversity• Environmental educational activities and training
for teachers
Additional Areas of Support
Provision of welfare and basic services
• Provision of key services to vulnerable groups: children and youth at risk, people affected by HIV/AIDS, children with disabilities and/or mental disorders and their families, victims of trafficking and gender-based violence and/or domestic violence, where such services are not otherwise or not adequately provided by governmental institutions.
Eligible Activities Call EEA/CY/NGO/C-1
• Fostering active citizenship and participatory democracy, including grassroots / local level
• Advocacy, watchdog and monitoring activities• Awareness raising activities• Multicultural dialogue activities• Participation in policy and decision making processes• Capacity building and organisational support to NGOs• Strengthening governance in membership based NGOs• Network and coalition building• Mutual learning and dissemination• Education and training activities• Provision of innovative / new welfare and basic services to defined
target groups
Eligible Activities Call EEA/CY/NGO/C-2 (minimum)
• A mapping of the capacity of the NGO sector in Cyprus: The Beneficiary should undertake a mapping exercise for the capacity level of the sector for at least 100 NGOs (including the NGOs that will be funded by the NGO Fund under the call for proposals EEA/CY/NGO/C-2). The mapping should cover the NGOs in both communities as much as possible. A minimum of 20% of the NGOs should be either bi-communal or Turkish-Cypriot focused NGOs.
• Network and coalition building: the beneficiary should identify potential synergies between NGOs in relevant sectors and propose solutions on how networks / coalitions between NGOs can be developed and fostered. This could include the organization of roundtables or periodic meetings, the set-up of specific platforms / umbrella networks etc.
• NGO Code of Ethics and Practices: The PO will, develop and offer to the sector a model NGO Code of Ethics and Practices, the successful applicant of the current call is expected to support this effort through organizing and implementing discussion / feedback and contact activities between NGOs, the PO, the NFP and other public bodies that might be involved in the process (e.g. Parliament, relevant Ministries etc.)
Eligibility of Costs
Eligibility of costs is determined in the Regulation - EEA Grants 2009-2014. Additionally costs must conform with:
• The rights of natural or legal persons including the rights to possessions and property shall be respected. In this context, the contracting parties shall act in accordance with the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. To this end, the written consent of the natural or legal person owning any property in the areas not under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus potentially affected by project-related activities must be submitted together with the application for funding of bi-communal projects.
• For any actions financed under the NGO Fund involving travelling abroad, the legal points of entry and exit of the Republic of Cyprus shall be used.
• Payments to end-recipients shall only be made through legally operating banking institutions in the Republic of Cyprus.
In-kind Costs
• In kind costs that fall within Article 5.4.5 of the Regulation - EEA Grants 2009-2014 are eligible.
• In-kind contribution can constitute up to 50 percent (50%) of the end-
recipients’ own contribution. Volunteer work will be considered as in-kind costs. In-kind contributions are eligible expenditure provided that:
• they consist of the provision of land or real estate, equipment or materials, research or professional activity, or unpaid voluntary work
• their value can be independently assessed and audited• in the case of the provision of land or real estate, the value is certified by
an independent qualified evaluator or duly authorised official body • in the case of unpaid voluntary work, the value of that work is determined
taking into account the amount of time spent and the normal hourly and daily rate for the work carried out. For the EEA Grants NGO Fund in Cyprus this cost is estimated at EUR100 per day
Staff Costs
• Staff costs involve personnel who fall within one of the following conditions:• permanent employees of the Applicant or Partner organisation working on
a full-time basis• permanent employees of the Applicant or Partner organisation working on
a part-time basis• employees of the Applicant or Partner organization hired on a contract
basis for the project • Staff costs of personnel under the employment of the Applicant and / or
Partner(s) are split into Professional Staff and Administrative Staff. Staff members will be considered professional if they meet the following criteria:
• University degree • General experience of three years or more • Their participation in the project refers to non-administrative activities All other types of paid staff will be considered as Administrative Staff.
Staff Costs 2
• Professional and administrative staff will be eligible costs on the project with a maximum daily rate as of the table below. In the case that the real rates of either professional or administrative staff are higher, then the difference between the real rate and the maximum rate as of below will be ineligible. In the case that the real rates are lower than the maxima, then the real rates should be budgeted and reported.
• Real rates are the rates calculated on the basis of cost to the employer. • Maximum Daily Rate €• Professional 140• Administrative 70 Required documentation for salaried staff costs is considered as: • Timesheets of personnel that worked on the project with indication of
person days spent in each month of the project, and the activities carried out within the month.
• Payslips of personnel that worked on the project where their total emoluments (including employer contributions) are indicated
Travel Costs
• Travel costs are eligible as long as they are attributed solely to project activities and not to any other purpose i.e. partners meetings, organization of activities as described in the project proposal etc. Travel costs include the air fare in economy ticket (or other means of transportation) to and from the destination, and daily subsistence and hotel accommodation. The daily subsistence and accommodation costs per person may not exceed the maximum rates provided in Annex 10.4 of the Application Form. No travelling costs are eligible for transportation within Cyprus. Required documentation for travel costs are invoices and payment receipts, boarding passes, meeting minutes and other documentation indicating the purpose of the trip.
Equipment Costs
• Purchase, rent or lease of equipment (new or second-hand), including the installation, maintenance and insurance costs, is considered only when specific and necessary for achieving the goals of the project/action. Proposed equipment costs must always be duly justified.
• Equipment costs are eligible on the principle of depreciation as long as
they are spent solely for the purposes of project activities and not to any other purpose. Equipment for which costs are claimed within the project must depreciated in accordance with the provisions below. Only the portion of the depreciation corresponding to the duration of the project and the rate of actual use for the purposes of the project may be taken into account by the PO.
Equipment Costs 2
• The following depreciation periods translated as LifeTime in the formula below apply for different equipment categories as follows:
• Information Technologies (IT) Equipment (i.e. PCs, printers, scanners, peripherals etc): 3 Years (36 Months)
• Vehicles and Mechanical Equipment: 5 Years (60 Months)• Any other Equipment: 10 years (120 Months) • Required documentation is invoices and payment receipts. The need of
equipment for the implementation of the project must be justified in the project proposal and the interim and final reports.
Overheads (indirect costs)
• Overhead costs will be limited to 5 percent (5%) of the total project costs and will be considered as cash contribution provided that they are justifiable from the end-recipient’s previous year(s) financial reports / accounts.
Subcontracting
• Subcontract means an agreement to provide services in relation to tasks required for the project and which cannot be carried out by the Applicant or partnership itself, concluded between the Applicant or a partner and one or more subcontractors for the specific needs of the project.
• Any subcontract, the costs of which will be claimed under the project, must
be offered to the best bid in compliance with best economic practices including accountability, allow a full and fair competition between potential providers and ensure the optimal use of resources from the EEA /Norwegian Financial Mechanism. Subcontracting may relate only to a limited part of the project. Subcontracting between partners is not possible.
Subcontracting (Works)
• The provisions of “Law of 2006 (N.12 (I)/2006) which provides for the Coordination of Procedures for the Award of Public Works Contracts, Public Supply Contracts and Public Service Contracts and for Related Matters” will not affect the eligibility of costs as its provisions do not apply to projects to be implemented through the NGO Fund, with the exception of the following cases covered by Article 20 of the Law for which public procurement procedures will have to be followed in order for costs to be eligible:
(a) Works contracts which are directly subsidised by percentage of more than 50% by contracting authorities, when these contracts concern:
i. civil engineering works according to the meaning of Annex I of the Lawii. building works for hospitals, sports facilities, recreation and leisure, school and
university buildings and administrative use buildings
b) Services contracts which are directly subsidised by a percentage of more than 50% by contracting authorities, when these contracts are connected with a works contract which concerns what is stated in subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of paragraph (a) above.
Subcontracting (Consulting)
• Expenditure relating to the following subcontracts is ineligible for co-financing by the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and the Republic of Cyprus:
– subcontracting which adds to the cost of execution of the project without adding proportionate value to it
– subcontracts with third parties or consultants in which the payment is defined as a percentage of the total cost of the project. Third party consultants might be used by end-recipients if their costs/fee can be justified by the nature of the project. Their fee must be specific, justified by commercial practice and at an arm’s length basis. The fee cannot be a percentage of total project budget. This is as a precaution against «success fees» that might be charged for successful proposals. All consulting fees must be linked to a specific measurable action (e.g. studies, management reporting etc.)
• Required documentation for subcontracting is considered as: – Subcontracting agreement between the end-recipient and the
subcontractor– Invoices and payment receipts.
Other Costs
• Other costs may include costs related to the dissemination of information on the project implementation and on the fact that the project is co-financed by the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and the Republic of Cyprus, including, inter alia:
– information and promotion materials, e.g. leaflets, brochures, posters– advertisements in newspapers/TV/radio– conferences– information boards, signs, logos
• Other costs may also include items that do not belong to any of the
categories listed above but are directly related to project activities. • Required documentation for other costs is invoices and payment receipts.
Ineligible Costs
• value added tax and other taxes and fees which may be recovered within the legal framework (VAT will be considered as eligible cost if the Applicant can prove that VAT related to the project is non-recoverable)
• fines, tickets, financial penalties and court proceeding costs;
• overdraft fees, currency exchange fees and losses due to the currency exchange rate differences;
• repayment of loans, interest, losses;• costs of accounting for losses;• expenses financed from other sources; • expenses incurred for the preparation of the
application;• undocumented expenses;• fines and penalty fees
• bonuses, motivational bonuses or other forms of monetary or material rewards for persons involved in the project implementation (unless their awarding results from the company payment regulations having been in force in the Applicant's or Partner's institution for at least 12 months prior to the date of the application submission).
• individual social grants, academic and training scholarships (money paid periodically or on a one-off basis to staff and associates for the costs of learning, research etc. outside of their place of residence);
• financial charges: debit interest charges of financial transactions, foreign exchange commissions and losses, or other purely financial expenses are not eligible for co-financing by the NGO Fund
Evaluation / Assessment Process
• Eligibility Assessment by Programme Operator• Technical Assessment by two (2) external evaluators per proposal• In cases of large evaluation differences (30+ points) third evaluator will be
assigned. Final Mark average of two closest marks• Check by State Aid Commissioner• Selection Committee• Contract Signatures
Selection Criteria EEA/CY/NGO/C-1
SELECTION CRITERIA Class 1 Max. Score
Class 2 Max. Score
Class 3 Max. Score
1 RELEVANCE WITH NGO FUND PRIORITIES 25 20 15
1.1 Clear description of the need of the target group to be addressed and its relevance to the objectives and priorities of the NGO Fund including the horizontal concerns. Clear definition of the planned effects (outputs, results, impacts) 13 8 7
1.2 Clear thematic focus which relates to the general objectives of the NGO Fund programme 10 7 5
1.3 Contribution to the strengthening of bilateral relations between the EEA/EFTA states and the Republic of Cyprus 2 5 3
2 QUALITY OF APPROACH AND MANAGEMENT 20 23 23
2.1 Coherence between the planned project effects and proposed approach and methodology including objectives, activities and results 5 8 8
2.2 Clear division of tasks and responsibilities, realistic and transparent work plan and timetable 5 5 5
2.3 Degree of innovativeness in the project design, methodology, outputs, target groups 5 5 5
2.4 Effectiveness of communication plan and extent to which the project results reach the target groups 5 5 5
3 QUALITY OF APPLICANT/ PARTNERSHIP 15 15 15
3.1 Coherence between the project objectives and the Applicant/ Partnership 10 5 3
3.2 Clear experience and capacity of Applicant/ Partnership to carry out the proposed project 5 10 12
4 QUALITY OF RESULTS
20 20 20
4.1 Expected results are concrete, visible and measurable, have capacity building potential 8 10 12
4.2 The results expected must contribute to the achievement of the goals described in the proposal 12 10 8
Selection Criteria EEA/CY/NGO/C-1
5 SUSTAINABILITY OF PROJECT RESULTS 10 10 10
5.1Potential for sustainability of project impact 2 4 4
5.2Impact of the project activities on rural areas 2 2 2
5.3
Impact on the project on specific target groups such as minorities, children, immigrants 3 2 2
5.4
Impact of the project activities on the cross cutting issues of good governance, sustainable development and gender equality 3 2 2
6 BUDGET 13 15 206.1
The proposed budget realistically reflects the activities laid out in the proposal
5 6 8
6.2
Grant rate requested 70-90% of overall budget
1 1 0
6.3
Grant rate requested 50-70% of overall budget
2 2 1
6.4
Gran rate requested less than 50% of overall budget
3 3 2
6.5 Value for money 2 3 9TOTAL SCORE (the total score is 103 as only one of sub criteria 6.2, 6.3, and 6.4 will apply to each proposal bringing the actual possible total to 100)
103 103 103
Assessment Thresholds – Class 1EEA/CY/NGO/C-1
Class 1 Proposals Assessment Thresholds
Class 1 Max Score
Threshold
1. Relevance with NGO Fund
Priorities 25 13
2. Quality of Approach and
Management 20 10
3. Quality of Applicant/
Partnership 15 7
4. Quality of Results 20 10
5. Sustainability of Project
Results 10 5
6. Budget 13 6
Total (points) 103 51
Assessment Thresholds – Class 2EEA/CY/NGO/C-1
Class 2 Proposals Assessment Thresholds
Class 2 Max Score
Threshold
1. Relevance with NGO Fund
Priorities 20 10
2. Quality of Approach and
Management 23 12
3. Quality of Applicant/
Partnership 15 8
4. Quality of Results 20 10
5. Sustainability of Project
Results 10 5
6. Budget 15 6
Total (points) 103 51
Assessment Thresholds – Class 3EEA/CY/NGO/C-1
Class 3 Proposals Assessment Thresholds
Class 3 Max Score
Threshold
1. Relevance with NGO Fund
Priorities 15 8
2. Quality of Approach and
Management 23 13
3. Quality of Applicant/
Partnership 15 8
4. Quality of Results 20 15
5. Sustainability of Project
Results 10 5
6. Budget 20 12
Total (points) 103 61
Selection Criteria EEA/CY/NGO/C-2
SELECTION CRITERIA Max. Score
1 RELEVANCE WITH NGO FUND PRIORITIES 151.1
Clear description of the need of the target group to be addressed and its relevance to the objectives and priorities of the NGO Fund. Clear definition of the planned effects (outputs, results, impacts) 11
1.2 Clear thematic focus which relates to Donor States’ horizontal concerns 21.3
Contribution to the strengthening of bilateral relations between the EEA/EFTA states and the 22 QUALITY OF APPROACH AND MANAGEMENT 302.1
Coherence between the planned project effects and proposed approach and methodology including objectives, activities and results 10
2.2Clear division of tasks and responsibilities, realistic and transparent work plan and timetable 5
2.3Degree of innovativeness in the project design, methodology, outputs, target groups 5
2.4
Effectiveness of communication plan and extent to which the project results reach the target groups 103 QUALITY OF APPLICANT/ PARTNERSHIP 203.1 Coherence between the project objectives and the Applicant/ Partnership 103.2
Clear experience and capacity of Applicant/ Partnership to carry out the proposed project 104 QUALITY OF RESULTS 254.1
Expected results are concrete, visible and measurable, have capacity building potential 134.2
The results expected must contribute to the achievement of the goals described in the proposal 125 SUSTAINABILITY OF PROJECT RESULTS 55.1 Potential for sustainability of project impact 56 BUDGET 56.1
The proposed budget realistically reflects the activities laid out in the proposal3
6.5 Value for money 2TOTAL SCORE 100
Assessment Thresholds – EEA/CY/NGO/C-2
Proposals Assessment Thresholds
Max Score
Threshold
1. Relevance with NGO Fund
Priorities 15 8
2. Quality of Approach and
Management 30 20
3. Quality of Applicant/
Partnership 20 12
4. Quality of Results 25 15
5. Sustainability of Project
Results 5 3
6. Budget 5 3
Total (points) 100 61
Timeline
• Submission of Proposals – 30 October 2013 16.00pm local time (GMT+2)Evidence of timely submission by post or courier service will be constituted by the
sending date of the postmark or the date of the deposit slip.
• Announcement of Results – January 2014• Signature of Contracts and initiation of implementation February 2014
Thank you
• Information– Pantelis Dimitriou – NGO Programme Manager– [email protected] – www.eeangofund.org.cy