Irish Aid in India – encouraging new ideas

IRISH AID 

In-country Micro Project Scheme (India)

 Guidelines for applicant NGOs – 2013

The Embassy of Ireland has funds from the In-country Micro Project Scheme of Irish Aid available to assist NGOs in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The scheme is focussed on projects that tackle the root causes of poverty and injustice. Priority is given to sustainable projects.

The objectives of the In-country Micro Project Scheme are to prevent hunger, improve access to essential services, empower women and marginalised communities, social justice, help local communities advocate for themselves and to combat climate change.

The scheme is administered by the Embassy of Ireland, New Delhi. The Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance (Government of India), are joint reviewers of the applications.  Applicants are requested to send a short proposal (500 words maximum) by e-mail or by post. If the project is suitable, they will be requested to complete a more details proposal form. We cannot engage in detailed discussions with unsuccessful projects.  

A visit is arranged before funding is considered. Funded projects are inspected and audited regularly to ensure funds are used properly. Successful projects will work closely with the Embassy of Ireland and Irish Aid on all reviews.

Geographical Priority: Due to modest resource allocation for Irish Aid program in the country, the priority focus is on Delhi NCR.  Secondary focus is on Orissa. 

Thematic Sectors: The primary thematic focus will be on Basic Education, Primary Health Care (Maternal and new born health care) and secondary focus on Micro-enterprise Development, Water and Sanitation, and Training and Capacity Building towards good governance and HIV/AIDS. Most successful projects cross cut a number of issues.

Size of grants and Budget aspects: The maximum ceiling for funding is 70% of project costs, 30% must be covered by the NGO or other donors. The maximum monetary amount is €26,000 per year. The grant will be decided on a case to case basis. Projects are funded for a maximum of three years.

Duration: The duration of grants approved under the scheme is between 1 and 3 years.

Exclusions from funding: The following activities will NOT be eligible for funding support under the ICMPS scheme:

·         Welfare support(s) and that are not sustainable

·         Individual or family support.

·         Major infrastructural schemes

·         Educational scholarships

·         Projects that involve evangelization for the proselytizing of religious beliefs.

·         Retrospective Expenditure (i.e. cost incurred prior to the date of submission of the application)

·         International Travel.

·         Emergency projects that are in response to natural or human disasters.

Organisational Eligibility: NGOs must be registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA1976/amended 2010). Projects will not be considered if the NGO’s registration and mandatory reports with FCRA department are not up to date. Applicant organisations are expected to have references and have successfully completed projects in the past. References will be requested and checked.  All organisations which have contact with young children and vulnerable adults must provide a child protection policy setting out the procedures to be followed and safeguards in place.

Application Procedure: Applicants should send a short proposal by e-mail or by regular mail. The maximum length is 500 words. Applicants may wish to provide two references from other donors. Applicants will only be contacted if they are successful. If you do not receive a response, your application has not been successful. We cannot engage with detailed discussion with unsuccessful applicants. Applications will not be discussed over the phone. Please send all queries in writing to

  

The Program Officer,

Development Cooperation Section,

Embassy of Ireland,

C-17 Malcha Marg, Chanakyapuri,

New Delhi – 110 021

Email: ndemirishaid@dfa.ie

Related Items

RELATED LINKS

·         Irish Aid: http://www.irelandinindia.com/home/index.aspx?id=73710

Giving Back - NGO India

Giving Back - NGO India (www.giving-back.in) is the CSR initiative of UBM India. As part of its commitment to sustainable business, UBM globally, has developed an exciting initiative, UBM’s Community Engagement Series that aims to provide a platform for the sharing of knowledge, skills, experiences and good governance across the voluntary sector.

Giving Back - NGO India is a large scale exhibition supported by a high-content led conference designed to bring together NGOs in India to share best practices and engage with key stakeholders including local and international corporates, foundations, government and the general public. NGOs can exhibit at the event for free. The year 2013 will host the second edition of the event after the grand success of the launch event in 2012 at Gurgaon, NCR, India.

This is 100% NOT-FOR-PROFIT initiative by UBM India which attempts to provide a platform for interaction and knowledge-sharing between the voluntary sector, the corporate community and the government.

The 2013 edition of the event will take place on the 14th and 15th June 2013 at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre, Goregaon (E), Mumbai, India. This two-day event will have an exhibition and a co-located conference.

In 2013 Giving Back-NGO India is back and it wants to leave a bigger impact both in the voluntary sector as well as in the Indian corporate community.

The theme of the expo and conference this year is “sustainability” and it attempts to enable NGOs receive support and expertise from the Indian corporate to become “self sustainable”. Also, the event will offer a platform for the Indian corporate to learn and interact with CSR experts and industry heads on “how to leverage CSR strategies for Brand Sustainability”.

The two days of the event will be packed with intense action, conferences, seminars, performances, workshops as well as networking. Its main highlights are that the event is endorsed by its Brand Ambassador Kajal Aggarwal who has gained increased fame in Bollywood since her brilliant performance in Ajay Devagan starred Singham. The event will witness very well-known speakers such as Dr. Bhaskar Chaterjee and Dr. Kiran Bedi. The event will also play host to bollywood star and socialist Shreyas Talpade and the honorable Mayor of Mumbai Shri Sunil Waman Prabhu. The event will also be graced with the presence of Shri R.R. Patil, Home Minister of Maharashtra

This is a perfect platform for the Indian corporate community to:

·         Meet, interact and learn the multiple causes by NGOs and foundations from all over the world

·         Network with peers in the industry and learn the best CSR practices

·         Understand strategies to leverage CSR for brand sustainability

·         Present your organization as a “socially responsible brand” by actively participating in the exhibition and conference

·         Interact with the media onsite and present your CSR initiatives

For more information’s please visit: http://www.ubmindia.in/giving-back/home  or

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Giving-Back-NGO-India/154074181408786?ref=hl

Workshop on Grant Proposal Writing - Learn tips for a successful proposal

Workshop on Grant Proposal Writing

Writing a grant proposal is a science and art. A successful grant proposal is one that is well-prepared, thoughtfully planned, and concisely packaged.

The art part is writing; the science part is research, strategy, observation, and thorough work. The workshop aims to include all necessary information and knowledge that you seek while writing a grant proposal.

In this Workshop:

This one day interactive workshop on grant proposal writing focuses on the format and structure of the successful grant proposal writing.

This workshop intends to provide attendees with an overview of each part of grant proposal and concludes with essential proposal writing techniques.

Using group exercises and case studies, the workshop will help participants to understand -

      ·         How to be well-prepared for the grant proposal writing process 

·         What to include and exclude in your proposal

·         What funders look for in the proposal? 

Speaker:

Apurba Saha – Assistant Director Central Social Welfare Board, Ministry of women & Child Development,is a very well experienced professional. Mr. Saha is also a health specialist and has worked with HIV/Aids/RCH/STD issued and various street children projects. He has also worked with Delhi State Aids Control Society. He hasexperience in NGO & Govt. Sector and helped many NGOs in understanding the intricacies of field work & policy formulation mechanism.

He has a passion for improving the way organizations converse, both internally and externally. He does this by humanizing their writing, information design and presentation and suggesting better processes and technologies to both share information and empower users of that information.

Date – 30^th January 2014, Venue – India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road, New Delhi

Registration fee – Rs. – 6000 per participation. Inclusive of resource materials, lunch, tea and refreshments

For registration contact:  Email: nandita@safrg.org     programs@safrg.org       

Call – 011 4148 9060

RTI News

ViiV Healthcare Positive Action for Children Fund Call for Proposals 2014

Agency Name: ViiV Healthcare

The Positive Action for Children Fund (PACF) is an integral part of ViiV Healthcare’s commitment to communities affected by HIV and AIDS. We support organisations to deliver prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV services, which empower mothers and children across the globe. Every year, we continue to form new partnerships with community focused organisations; who strive to alleviate the devastating effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic

The 2014 Call for Proposals is now open. The deadline for submitting applications is Tuesday 11th March at 23:59 GMT. You can find information on how to apply for funding in the ‘Guidance notes’ further down this page. There will be a ‘2014 Call for Proposals’ discussion group on www.pacfonline.com. Please use this group to ask any questions regarding your application so that others with similar questions may see our response to your query. 

You will need to go through a very simple registration in order to access PACFonline. If you experience any problems, please don’t hesitate to contact us at positiveactionforchildren@viivhealthcare.com  

See more at: http://www.viivhealthcare.com/community-partnerships/positive-action-for-children-fund/overview.aspx

Grants OAK Foundation

Oak Foundation consider requests for funding that meet the overall mission and goals of the Foundation. We fund a variety of time-bound projects, core costs, technical assistance and collaborative activities. However, each programme has its own funding criteria, geographic scope and requirements. Please review programme pages in detail for further information.

Oak Foundation occasionally initiate its own programmes or form initiatives in our areas of interest by issuing calls for proposals on specific topics, or convening policymakers and practitioners to explore solutions to critical issues.

While each programme has its own areas of focus, as a whole, we adhere to six funding principles. These include funding initiatives that:

Target root causes of problems

Are replicable either within a sector or across geographical locations

Include plans for long-term sustainability

Have secured co-funding

Strive to collaborate with like-minded organisations

Value the participation of people (including children) and communities

Funding Restrictions

For further details visit:  http://www.oakfnd.org

Source: http://www.ngoportal.org/funding-agencies-210-Oak+Foundation.html

ICYO-Youth Information Invitation - Self-Managing Leadership Workshop in Ahmedabad

ICYO invites to attend ‘Self-Managing Leadership Workshop’ to be held from January 23-25, 2014 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The workshop is organizing by Manav Sadhana, Ahmedabad, Prithvi Foundation, Mumbai alongwith Indian Committee Of Youth Organizations (ICYO).

Self-Managing Leadership Workshop (SML) is built around the idea that good leadership is before all a matter of ‘internal leadership’ and that in order to provide credible leadership in an environment of turbulence, challenges, competition, cynicism and negativity, it is essential to learn how to manage ourself – self motivation, focus, thoughts and emotions. Ability to lead people depends on how well leader understand them; leader ability to understand people depends on how well you understand our self.

Date, Timing:

Thursday 23^rd January 9am to Saturday 25^th January 2014 at 5 pm

Contribution: Participants are invited to contribute to the cost of organizing the workshop. It is approximately Rs.2000 per person for the food and stay); Those who do not want to stay (non-residential) it is Rs.1200 only. The organizer have limited learning scholarships are available to those who need them.

Please note: Travel need to be borne by participants or Sponsoring organization

Registration : Please register your name with your profile with us before Jan 21. For further details contact  Sheena Sunrays , Co-coordinator,  Young Experimenters Group. E-mail :youngexperimenters@rediffmail.com or icyoindia@gmail.com or call Vijay Bharatiya : +919427700762

India is still a hunger hotspot | Business Line

India is still a hunger hotspot | Business Line

Registrations open for upcoming workshops of SAFRG

Greetings from South Asian Fund Raising Group and a very Happy New Year!

SAFRG announces its upcoming workshops in New Year.

Attend one day workshop on Grant Proposal writing on 30^th January 2014 in New Delhi.

Writing a grant proposal is a science and art. A successful grant proposal is one that is well-prepared, thoughtfully planned, and concisely packaged.The art part is writing; the science part is research, strategy, observation, and thorough work. The workshop aims to include all necessary information and knowledge that you seek while writing a grant proposal… click here to know more http://safrg.org/140107.htm

Attend one day workshop on Google for Non-Profits on 6^th February 2014 in New Delhi.

Various Non – profits are using Google in exciting, unexpected and effective ways. There are several reasons why you can’t ignore Google applications, tools, grants and more for your non-profit organization. Workshop contents and sessions exclusively designed for NGOs by Expert from Google India. Explore various Google applications for non-profit organisations and how they can be used in communications and engagement... click here to know more http://safrg.org/140102.htm

For more details and registration contact:

Email: nandita@safrg.org     programs@safrg.org

Call – 011 4148 9060

Visit – www.safrg.org

South Asian Fund Raising Group – Building Fundraising capacity since 1989!

Relief by courts against cancellation of S.12 A and S.80 (G)

Cancellation of S.12 A registration

As tax authorities are more and more resorting to cancellation of charitable status of Trusts, a Punjab High Court decision would come as a relief.

As per the decision, Income Tax authorities must record findings in writing that a Charitable Trust is either not undertaking its activities in accordance with its objects or the activities stated are not genuine, before issuing an order for its cancellation of S. 12A registration.

This is a pre-condition before cancellation of the registration, since the Trust originally is registered under S. 12A after due consideration of its activities.

[Case CIT, Ludhiana vs Ved Niketan Dham, Public Chaitable Trust, (2013)]  

Denial of S.80 (G) Relief 
In another case, Delhi High Court rejected an appeal by tax authorities for denying S.80G relief to a charitable trust.

The tax authorities argued before High Court that the charitable trust did not maintain regular accounts as required under S. 80G (5) (iv). However the Court rejected appeal by the tax authorities on the ground that Director IT (Exemptions) order only talked of minimal level of activities undertaken by the Trust and did not elaborate on non-maintenance of accounts. Hence the Tribunal Order setting the same aside was valid.
[Case Director Income Tax vs Neel Gagan Charitable Trust, (2013)]  

From the above two decisions it is clear that order issued by the Tax authorities must be read very carefully. It is essential that order complies with all requirements of the legislation  to be legally compliant.

Source: http://blog.srr-foundation.org/?p=1610

ViiV Healthcare ‘Positive Action for Children Fund’ Call for Proposals 2014

Deadline: 11 March 2014

ViiV Healthcare is accepting concept notes for ‘Positive Action for Children Fund’ grant program 2014. The grant program is focused on non-governmental and community-based organizations that can deliver change at a community level. The Fund aims to support global efforts towards Countdown to Zero – The Global Plan Towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections Among Children by 2015 and Keeping their Mothers Alive. It also aims to alleviate the impact of HIV and AIDS on women and children’s health by supporting interventions that engage affected communities, developing their capacity to participate and lead.

80% of the fund will go to 15 priority countries (Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Ethiopia,Cameroon, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, Burundi, Chad, Tanzania, Kenya and India) for PMTCT interventions. The maximum funding available will be £300,000 over three years. Minimum grant request to be made is £60,000 (over 3 years).

The PACF Funding Areas are –

§  Pursuing community engagement, participation and leadership;

§  Using patient focused and family-centered approaches;

§  Achieving integration between HIV services, and between HIV and Sexual and reproductive health (S&RH) services;

§  Generating demand for S&RH and PMTCT services;

§  Using an evidence base and generating evidence;

§  Supporting or delivering advocacy; and

§  Strengthening grassroots action and organizations.

Only the proposal relevant to one of the following five themes will be considered for funding -

§  Community interventions addressing loss to follow-up in Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT)

§  Community advocacy for gender equity in education and health, including but not limited to, for positive mothers and their affected families

§  Preventing unintended pregnancies

§  Community intervention to keep HIV negative women negative

§  Early infant diagnosis

‘Positive Action for Children Fund’ Concept Note Preparation and Eligibility

To be successful for ‘Positive Action for Children Fund’, proposed project should consist of new work that should not been previously funded; it can include projects transferred to a new location(s) and/or include the expansion of a recently tested model or pilot. Focused initiatives that demonstrate real change in one or two of the above mentioned themes are more likely to bring best outcome and thus funded by the grant program.

The submitted concept notes must demonstrate how the proposed projects meet one of the following areas -

§  Patient focused and family-centered approaches

§  Greater and meaningful involvement of people living with HIV and AIDS

§  Addressing stigma and discrimination

§  Integration

§  Generating demand

§  Advocacy

§  Evidence-based and evidence-generating

Eligibility Criteria –

§  Any properly registered community-based, not-for-profit/charitable status or NGO that represents, or is working with, or for affected communities is eligible to submit proposals. Projects that are primarily targeted at adolescents up to the age of 19 are eligible.

§  The application should confirm that 85% of the fund will be spent in country.

§  Concept Notes should be submitted with four attachments – a letter of declaration, a list of trustees with contact details, proof of the applicant organization’s registration and a copy of latest audited accounts to be eligible for selection. Also, references that have knowledge of the applicant organization’s work should be given including a named contact with phone number and email. The organization’s income for the last financial year should also be mentioned and proof attached along with the application.

§  More than one application from different country offices of the same organization is accepted as eligible for competition.

§  Applications should be either in English or French.

‘Positive Action for Children Fund’ Application Procedure

While applying for ‘Positive Action for Children Fund’, collaborations with other groups is highly encouraged if they address community needs and make sense diagrammatically with clear roles and responsibilities. One organization will have to submit as lead organization and the online application system will require you to enter both/all organizations details.

A project needs to be new, innovative work, not the simple continuation of previously funded activity. It must have an objective that is achievable and measurable within the period of funding requested. It must be identifiable as a discrete program of work alongside or within any larger program the organization runs; it should have a name that can be used by the implementer and the funder to describe the project.

Application Procedure -

§  Applicants should submit a Concept Note through online method before deadline. Applicants need to register their organization on PACF system to be able to submit the concept note.

§  Applicants will receive a response regarding the Concept Notes by July 2014. If the Concept Note is successful, the applicant will be invited to submit a full proposal by PACF’s board members.

§  Reviewing the submitted full proposals, successful organizations selected for the grant will be announced in October 2014.

While preparing Concept Notes, applicants should consider what PACF is looking for -

§  New needs assessment linked to objectives

§  Appropriate interventions matched to these

§  Clear outcomes for each stated objective

§  Numbers of beneficiaries and cost effectiveness

§  Relevance of projects to local settings

§  Strongest projects in countries with multiple proposals

§  A good spread of themes, focus areas and a balance of interventions

For more information, please visit VIIV Health Positive Action for Children Fund  page at: http://www.viivhealthcare.com/community-partnerships/positive-action-for-children-fund/overview.aspx