Apply for Funding from the Fund for Local Cooperation (FLC)

Deadline: 10-Jan-25

The Embassy of Finland in Pretoria hereby invites civil society organizations and innovation support organizations based in Lesotho to submit project proposals to apply for funding from the Fund for Local Cooperation (FLC).

The objective of this call is as follows: to promote circular economy development in Lesotho, focusing in particular on jobs and private sector development in waste management or water sector, raising awareness and promoting youth economic empowerment, especially among women.

Finland continues its long-term human rights policy of promoting and defending the rights of women, girls, people with disabilities, indigenous peoples and gender and sexual minorities, and other people in particularly vulnerable positions. The work to promote and defend human rights also helps the efforts to tackle human trafficking.

Priorities

• The priorities for the FLC funding of the Embassy of Finland in Pretoria include economic development and entrepreneurship, democracy and the functioning of societies. Civil society actors based in Lesotho and working in the field of waste management or water sector can apply for funding for projects in the following area:
  • Jobs and private sector development in waste management or water sector
    • The Embassy aims to support the development of new waste management and water solutions in Lesotho. It does this by channelling funding to organisations that work in the field of waste management or water sector. More specifically, the Embassy is seeking to fund proposals, which will improve waste management, e.g. through recycling, renewability, resource efficiency, extending product life cycle, and sharing platforms.

Funding Information

• Funding per project will range between 70 000 – 80 000 EUR, and can be granted for a duration of one to two years.

Eligibility Criteria

• Any organisation/project selected for funding has to meet the following criteria and present the information in the proposal document:
  • be ODA eligible
  • be a Lesotho-based civil society or private sector organization
  • be registered and legally competent
  • have been operational for a minimum of three years
  • have at least 10% of funding from at least one other source (not including in-kind contributions)
  • have a functional board of directors
  • be a non-partisan organization
  • demonstrate past success in related area of work to this call for proposals
  • have a solid financial management system including regular financial audits, and a reliable monitoring, evaluation and reporting system
  • have a sufficient infrastructure and human resources in Lesotho
  • demonstrate experience of working with an international donor or other external financier

Ineligibility Criteria

• Funding cannot support:
  • Government entities or political parties
  • Projects in which the beneficiary is a single person, or a single family
  • Construction, purchases of land or any other one –off and ad- hoc events
  • Charity purposes, humanitarian aid, donations, scholarships
  • Finnish beneficiaries
  • Unregistered associations or organisations
  • Basic research
  • Individual cultural events (no permanent impact)
  • As a grant, scholarship or assistance for the applicant’s personal use or project;
  • Use for the capital of microloan

For more information, visit Embassy of Finland, Pretoria.