Call for Cameroonian Civil society Organizations looking for Micro-project Funding

Deadline: 30-Jul-23

You are a Cameroonian civil society organization, committed to ecological transition throughout the territory, and you are looking for funding for a micro-project that you are carrying out? As part of the co-constructed project entitled “Cameroonian civil society at the heart of ecological transition”, the French Embassy and the Conseil pour le suivi des recommandations du Nouveau sommet Afrique-France (Conseil-NSAF) are launching a call for proposals (CFP) on ecological transition.

Aims

• The aim of this Call for Proposals is to finance micro-projects committed to the ecological transition throughout Cameroon.
• It aims to strengthen, structure and professionalize civil society organizations, encourage networking and synergies between civil society players, foster the emergence of new actors in the public debate, and enhance their credibility as development stakeholders.

Sector and Geographic Priorities

• The project submitted must be aligned with several of the following themes:
  • Community conservation of forests and natural areas rich in biodiversity
    • The projects submitted will aim to ensure the conservation, based on a community approach, of forests and natural areas with a rich biodiversity, particularly in terms of threatened species of wild fauna and flora. Projects offering ecosystem services in partnership with decentralized local authorities will be favored. Projects promoting concrete action on the one hand, and advocacy on these issues at a more national or even international level on the other, will be favored.
  • Citizenship, youth and local democracy around the theme of ecological transition
    • Projects promoting the participation of citizens and their associations, especially young people, in the challenges of ecological transition will be favored, particularly those in partnership with local authorities (setting up participative structures, co-designing or evaluating local public policies, etc.). Projects promoting concrete local action on the one hand, and advocacy on these issues at a more national or even international level on the other, will be favored.
  • Women’s civic and political participation in the ecological transition
    • Priority will be given to projects promoting equal rights for men and women, and the political and civic participation of women in the ecological transition. They must include specific actions to reduce gender inequalities and promote women’s political and civic participation. Projects promoting concrete action on the one hand, and advocacy on these issues at a more national or even international level on the other, will be given priority.
    • Funded activities can take place anywhere in Cameroon, and will not be excluded on a geographical basis. However, particular attention will be paid to projects in rural and remote areas.

Focus Areas

• The main areas of intervention are:
  • agriculture
  • forests
  • energy
  • environment
  • biodiversity
  • health.

Funding Information

• Funding requested must be between €10,000 (6,559,558 FCFA) and €50,000 (32,797,850FCFA);
• The funding requested must represent a maximum of 90% of the total amount of the project. A minimum of 10% co-financing of the total amount must be provided by the selected CSO or by a financial partner (private or public sector);
• Indirect project costs must not exceed 10% of the total budget. These indirect costs relate to the organization’s operating expenses;
• Among the project’s direct costs, expenses related to project implementation activities must represent at least 70% of the budget, and expenses related to the project’s human resources (HR) must not exceed 30% of the budget;
• A final technical and financial report with all supporting accounting documents will be submitted at the end of the project.

Ineligible Funding

• The following cannot be financed:
  • The purchase of real estate, and building construction projects (school, health center) without a development project justifying it;
  • The purchase or repair of vehicles;
  • Prestige or opportunistic operations with no economic, social or cultural purpose;
  • Operations of a purely commercial and profit-making nature or individual projects;
  • Humanitarian and emergency actions;
  • One-off actions (scholarships, invitations, expert missions, logistical support);
  • Budgets should not include per diems for simple participants in activities (only defrayals).

Eligible Projects

• Preference will be given to projects:
  • Relying on a network, or contributing to the structuring of a network of civil society actors;
  • Associating several CSOs on a common theme or territory (complementarity);
  • Conducted as part of a partnership approach involving local authorities (decentralized territorial authorities, notably communes, traditional authorities);
  • Complementary to the actions of other technical and financial partners.
• Structures involving French or Cameroonian volunteers affiliated to France Volontaires will benefit from a close look at their application.

Eligibility Criteria

• This call for proposals is open to Cameroonian CSOs. They must:
  • Propose a project that meets the priorities announced in this Call for Proposals.
  • Be an association, a common interest group, a network of associations or a nongovernmental organization (microfinance institutions are not eligible for this call for proposals).
  • Be legally constituted.
  • Have a management committee close to parity between men and women (40%).
  • Have been in existence for at least 2 years and have recently carried out activities in the main area of intervention (during the last two years).

For more information, visit French Embassy in Cameroon.