Deadline: 18-Sep-20
The Embassy of Finland in Pretoria hereby invites South African civil society organizations and innovation support organizations to submit concept notes to apply for funding from the Fund for Local Cooperation (FLC).
Finnish Government development policy’s focus is on supporting efforts to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality and on promoting sustainable development.
Objective
All actions take into account the following cross-cutting objectives: gender equality, non-discrimination, the position of people with disabilities, climate resilience, and low emission development. The objectives of this call for concept note are two-fold;
- 1) to promote circular economy development in South Africa,
- 2) to strengthen civil society in good governance and democracy related work.
Finland’s Development Policy lays particular emphasis on
- Strengthening the status and rights of women and girls,
- Strengthening of the developing countries’ economic base and job creation,
- Education, well-functioning societies and democracy,
- Climate change and natural resources.
Funding Information
- Strengthening of the private sector and job creation through innovation development and entrepreneurship in the circular economy: A maximum of 2 – 3 project innovation support organizations will be selected and supported. Funding per project will be between 130 000 – 250 000 EUR and can be granted for a duration of one to two years. After the initial round, there may be additional funding made available.
- Good governance and vibrant democracy: A maximum of 3 – 4 project partners will be selected and supported in South Africa. Funding per project will be between 90 000 – 120 000 EUR and can be granted for a duration of one to two years.
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. Actors working in this field can apply for funding for projects in the following areas:
- Strengthening of the private sector and job creation through innovation development and entrepreneurship in a circular economy: The Embassy of Finland aims to support the development of innovative circular economy solutions in South Africa through funding to innovation support organizations providing acceleration services for innovative startup companies with circular economy business models. Such models include e.g. product as a service, renewability, sharing platforms, extending the product life cycle and resource efficiency, and recycling. The key objectives of the current funding are as follows:
- Support innovation support organizations who provide acceleration services to start-ups
- Support the growth of startup companies with innovative circular economy solutions and business models
- Support implementation of South African policies and goals related to Green and Circular Economy, and Just Transition.
- Promote job creation as well as business and economic opportunity improvement
- Support initiatives which have broader socio-economic or environmental benefits
- Good governance and vibrant democracy: The focal area focuses on strengthening the civil society’s role in advancing human rights, good and accountable governance and vibrant democracy. Corruption and misuse of funds prevent the achievement of development and realization of human rights. Strengthened transparency can inspire community action around issues that matter to residents, and promote participation in problem-solving. The projects sought for funding can be aimed e.g. at promoting good governance, promoting access to information, increasing participation in the South African democratic political system, and fighting against corruption.
Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility of all applications is reviewed based on the below-mentioned set of criteria. Applicants should justify the relevance of the proposed activities and demonstrate the potential for impact in line with the FLC objectives. Preference is given to results-oriented, reputable organizations with experience, and necessary organizational structures in place. The projects proposed should lead to verifiable development impacts.
- be ODA eligible
- be a South African 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 a 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 sufficient infrastructure and human resources in South Africa
- demonstrate experience of working with an international donor or other external financiers
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3h5NDyN