[WiLT] Civil Society Challenge Fund open to UK based CSO's to give poor people a voice - concept note by 15th June

[WiL Admin]

The Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF)

The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the British
government's fight against world poverty. We work with many partners
in order to achieve this, including civil society organisations
(CSOs).

The Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF) is DFID's main central channel
of support for UK-based CSO projects overseas. The fund is managed by
the Civil Society Team in the Information and Community Partnerships
Department (ICPD), based in our East Kilbride HQ office.

The CSCF is an annual competitive fund which can provide up to
£500,000 for 5 years for projects which give poor people voice in
decisions which affect their lives, develop innovative service
delivery methods, or deliver services in difficult environments. It
also has an important role in helping build awareness of development
in the UK.

All projects supported under the CSCF must clearly demonstrate how
they will address the following key cross-cutting issues:
* How will the project actively promote gender equality? This is a
requirement for all projects.
* How will the project address the needs of marginalised groups,
including disabled people and people living with HIV/AIDS?
* How will the project address the needs of children, youth and the
elderly?
If the project involves children, how are child protection issues
being addressed?

Who can apply to the CSCF?

The CSCF is open to not-for-profit UK-based civil society
organisations, networks or coalitions which share DFID's overall goal
of poverty eradication. We welcome applications from non-governmental
organisations, membership groups, faith based organisations, trade
unions and others. Applicants need not be organisations whose primary
purpose is international development.

To be eligible for funding, you must demonstrate that your
organisation or network:
* Has a UK-based office with significant autonomy. If your
organisation is part of a larger international family, we will require
documentation to show that you have your own UK board of trustees and
annual audited accounts which show that less than 50% of your annual
income is derived from other non-UK based branch organisations. Where
these criteria cannot be met, we will require additional evidence that
your UK office has not been set up with the primary purpose of
accessing UK government funds.
* Has an established and effective relationship with local civil
society organisation(s) in the countries where the project will be
implemented. This link must be more than just a channel for
transferring funds. The UK organisation must also add value to the
achievement of the project outcomes.
* Has the necessary skills and experience to manage its inputs to the
activities proposed.
* Has the capability to manage and account properly for total project
funds.

What can DFID fund under the CSCF?

The CSCF aims to provide lasting benefits to poor communities and
under-represented people in the developing world. There is a need for
a flow of information to poor pepole about their rights as citizens,
and the factors which perpetuate poverty. Therefore all applications
must include an element of raising awareness of entitlements and
rights. This would include information on what governments are
providing and what governments have agreed to provide. All projects
must fall into one or more of the following categories:

Improving the capacity of Southern civil society to engage in local
decision-making processes: This includes enabling poor people to
engage in local strategy processes, decisions about allocation of
resources and monitoring state performance at local level.
* Improving the capacity of Southern civil society to engage in
national decision making processes: This includes representing the
interests of poor people in processes such as formulating and
monitoring poverty reduction strategies, national budgets, legislation
and national sector programmes.
* Improving the capacity of Southern civil society in the South to
participate more effectively at international level: This includes
international advocacy and influencing the work of international
institutions and policy makers.
* Providing innovative service delivery: These are projects that
develop innovative approaches to service delivery which provide
lessons that can be shared and built upon. In order to ensure long
term long lasting benefits, all such programmes are required to
include components of empowerment, capacity building and advocacy.
* Providing service delivery in difficult environments: There are
circumstances in which CSO basic service delivery could be the only
viable approach to helping poor people. In such circumstances, whilst
a large part of project funding might support direct service delivery,
applications are expected to include elements of empowerment, capacity
building and advocacy. Examples of such circumstances include: areas
not reached by government services and unlikely to be reached in the
foreseeable future; post-conflict environments, particularly where
systems have been destroyed; communities whose lifestyle does not
conform to a universal service delivery system.

The flowchart below shows the process from submission of a Concept
Note through to final decisions.
* Applicant submits Concept Note to cscf at dfid.gov.uk  1 February - 15
June
* DFID sends automated acknowledgement of receipt, followed by a
Concept Note reference number
* Applicant receives a decision on Concept Note within 4 weeks of
receiving CN reference number
* Applicants submit proposals by 31 July
* DFID offices comment on proposals and technical appraisal is carried
out August - January
* DFID makes funding decisions
* Applicants informed of funding decisions March

If there are any areas where you would like clarification or further
guidance, please contact us on 01355 843897 or send your query to
cscf at dfid.gov.uk

For full details, downloads etc., go to
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/funding/civilsocietyguidelines08.asp