Deadline: 17 May 2019
The French Embassy in Nigeria has launched a call for proposals to support projects from local Civil Society Organizations through the development fund called “Innovative Projects from Civil Societies and Coalitions of Actors” (PISCCA) in 2019.
Objectives
- Socio-economic development and professional integration of women and young people:
- facilitating empowerment among women and young people;
- creating employment opportunities and income generation.
- Promotion of human rights, inclusive participation to the public life and citizen involvement:
- improving access to social, economic and political rights;
- raising awareness on human rights issues;
- promoting civic engagement;
- encouraging citizen’s control on public action
Priorities Area
The following activities will be key priorities during the selection process:
- activities aimed at reducing gender inequalities, promoting combat against gender-based violence and gender stereotypes (while mobilizing men and boys), projects led by women that directly benefited other women is considered as a strong asset;
- activities aimed to structure, integrate and mobilize youth engagement;
- activities aimed at mitigating the negative impacts of climate change and environmental degradation, in line with the notion of sustainable development;
- activities presenting a capacity-building component, supporting training and education needs and methods of civil society actors and/or strengthening project development and implementation capacities of civil society actors.
What are the financing conditions?
- The timeframe for the project should be maximum 6 months (from July to December 2019). Short durations are considered an asset;
- The contribution by PISCCA should be between 30.000€ and 150.000€;
- The expected contribution of the applicant should be at least 10% of the total cost of the project;
- The grant will be disbursed in one installment when the contract between the French Embassy and the beneficiary is signed, in accordance with certain terms and conditions;
- Co-funding of the projects by other partners/donors is possible and strongly encouraged.
Results Expected
- The sustainable emergence of a competent network of local CSOs capable of contributing to social cohesion between generations, women and men, different nationalities or ethnic groups coexisting in the same neighborhood, village or city;
- The Nigerian civil society thus enhances its leading role in defining priorities and development strategies;
- The Nigerian civil society is able to raise citizen actions that support socio-economic development, especially regarding youth and gender equality issues;
- The Nigerian civil society reinforces its commitment to promote and address human rights and gender issues.
What types of projects are supported?
The selected project should:
- respond to a need already identified by the community, directly benefiting to it in an inclusive way and beyond the initial circle of the project holders;
- enhance the use of innovative methods and techniques or original development dynamics;
- achieve tangible realizations or improvements that are sustainable when external funding comes to an end;
- anticipate the necessary running and maintenance costs;
- promote networking and coalition of actors.
Examples of projects/activities that cannot be supported by PISCCA:
- operating costs such as salaries;
- working capital or micro-credit reserve funds;
- infrastructure construction or rental;
- land purchase or rental;
- vehicle purchase or rental;
- prestige and/or commercial operations without well-defined social and/or economic objectives;
- projects limited to seminars/conferences and/or construction work;
- projects limited to emergency and/or humanitarian related activities;
- projects limited to advocacy related activities;
- one-off operations (scholarships, invitations, mission of experts, logistic support, etc.);
- annual or regular events/celebrations.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants to this Fund must be member of a Nigerian Civil Society Organization (associations, local and international NGOs, cooperatives), especially organizations supported by women or young people, or any non-profit-making legal person governed by private law, officially registered for at least 24 months by the Nigerian authorities;
- Entities that have already carried out concrete activities in the sector for which this grant is requested;
- The programme strongly encourages synergies, partnerships and coalitions of actors.
Selection Process
The French Embassy’s Cooperation and Cultural Affairs Department is in charge of the first examination of the proposals and will check the following elements to ensure the preselected proposals meet all the requirements:
- The nature of the project must be aligned with PISCCA’s main objectives and priorities;
- The proposal meets all the eligibility criteria and financial conditions;
- The total duration of the project may not exceed 6 months;
- The proposal includes a gendered approach;
- The proposal includes sustainable development notions;
- The applicant is well acquainted with the specific local context and have a previous experience in implementing similar projects;
- The projects have an innovative approach and the willingness to coordinate its implemented activities with development actors and public policies;
- The budget of the project is realistic and the project is cost-effective to ensure its sustainability;
- The development of innovative partnerships between structures from different sectors as well as cofinancing will be valued criteria.
How to Apply
Applicants can download the application form via given website.
For more information, please visit https://ng.ambafrance.org/Call-for-proposals-to-support-small-scale-projects-in-Nigeria