Deadline: 15-Aug-24
The Government of Ireland’s overseas development assistance (ODA) programme is entitled Irish Aid, and seeks to reduce global poverty, hunger and humanitarian need.
One element of Ireland’s ODA is the In-Country Micro Project Scheme (ICMPS), which is a funding programme aimed at supporting micro projects as implemented by local, grassroots NGOs in order the tackle the root causes of poverty and injustice. Priority is given to sustainable projects.
Irish Aid’s support to civil society is informed by the Sustainable Development goals (SDGs) and the Irish Aid Civil Society Policy. The two objectives are as follows:
- An enabling environment for civil society to organise and engage with government and its own broader constituencies;
- The role of civil society in (i) promoting participation and good governance, (ii) ensuring pro-poor service delivery and pro-poor growth, and (iii) building a constituency for development, human rights and social justice
Purpose and Objectives of ICMPS
- The In-Country Micro Projects Scheme (ICMPS) provides delegated sanction to participating Missions to directly support local non-governmental organisations to carry out small-scale development projects. The scheme operates in developing countries where Ireland has diplomatic accreditation, but where there is no bilateral Irish Aid programme.
- ICMPS supports projects that address the root causes of poverty and injustice in a way that is strategic and cost effective, enhance local capacity and ownership, have a focus on reaching the furthest behind first and are consistent with A Better World – Ireland’s Policy for International Development.
- The scheme supports interventions that contribute to one or more of the following:
- Strengthening the voice of local communities to influence policy decisions that impact upon them and implementation at local and national levels.
- The prevention of hunger, and the improvement of livelihood security.
- Improved access to essential services, such as education, health care and programmes of HIV prevention, care and support.
- Improved access and control of resources for marginalised communities.
- The promotion and realisation of human rights.
- The promotion of women’s empowerment and gender equality, including initiatives to tackle gender-based violence and women trafficking.
- The promotion of environmental sustainability and in particular, initiatives that combat climate change.
- In applying for an ICMPS grant, applicants should state what they are trying to do and how they intend to do it. Each applicant should explain how its intervention will make a particular contribution to at least one of the above objectives. However, it is not necessary that an intervention contribute to all objectives.
Funding Information
- The maximum grant available will be €6,000 per project.
- Grants approved under the scheme are for one year.
Eligibility Criteria
- Organisational Status: Applicants must be an indigenous, locally managed, not for profit organisations that are independent of the state and are formed voluntarily by members of society to address the root causes of poverty and injustice in their respective communities:
- Locally Registered NGO; registered as a trust or society with relevant authority to receive funds from a foreign source.
- Community Based Organisation; registered as a trust or society with relevant authority to receive funds from a foreign source.
- Non Profit Company or Corporate Foundation; with relevant authority to receive funds from a foreign source.
- Faith Based Organisations involved in development work and registered as a religious trust or charitable trust or society with relevant authority to receive funds from a foreign source. Where developmental and religious work is convergent (e.g. schools/training run by faith based organisations) enforcement of non-discrimination policies should be documented in the application.
- Co-operative
- Farmer Association
- Trade Union
- Focus of Work: The areas of intervention by the applicant organisation must meet the OECD DAC definition of Official Development Assistance and take place in a country classified as eligible for assistance.
- Record of Compliance: Applicants, previously in receipt of ICMPS funds, must have a record of compliance in terms of the administration of such funds. Applicants which have a record of non-compliance with the terms of previous ICMPS contracts may not be considered for funding.
- Funding Status: Applications cannot be accepted from an organisation which is currently in receipt of an ICMPS grant i.e. if the applicant is already receiving payments for a project under an existing contract.
Ineligible
- The following activities will not be eligible for funding support under the ICMPS:
- Interventions that are primarily welfare support(s) and that are clearly not sustainable without external support
- International Travel
- Individual or family support
- Major infrastructural schemes for e.g. dams, roads, hospitals (but is not limited to this list).
- Educational scholarships including study or research fellowships
- Projects that involve evangelisation for the proselytising of religious beliefs
- Retrospective Expenditure (i.e. cost incurred prior to the date of submission of the application)
- Emergency projects that are in response to natural or human disasters
- Marketing, fundraising and entertainment
For more information, visit Embassy of Ireland, New Delhi.