Criteria of Project Evaluation and Selection

Grant Program

The Foundation’s grant program was launched in February 2007. The Foundation grants awards through an open ongoing competition as part of its efforts to foster the growth of civil society, specifically in the Foundation’s program priorities of rule of law, independent media, empowerment of women, civic education and engagement of youth.

Financial and technical Support is provided to :

Civil Society Organizations, non-profit Organizations.
Academic institutions.
Professional Associations.
Programs and activities that promote and enhance the Foundation’s areas of interest in the broader Middle East and North Africa.

Grant Mechanisms

The Foundation’s strategy on grant awards is by announcing an open competition as part of its efforts to foster the growth of civil society, specifically in the Foundation’s program priorities of rule of law, independent media, empowerment of women, civic education and engagement of youth. The overarching goal of the Foundation’s efforts is to support democratic reforms by supporting the capacity of local NGOs. This Request for Proposals (RFP) calls for projects aimed at increasing citizen participation in political and economic decision-making processes.

Proposals generally should promote the development of effective mechanisms for citizen participation by strengthening and engaging civil society with a focus on the program priority areas. In reviewing project proposals, FFF will put special emphasis on those proposals that most adequately address the program priorities in innovative ways.

The president and the Foundation advisor have drafted an RFP for the general use of the current phase of awarding grants. Future RFPs will focus on narrow subjects with more restrictive parameters based on the needs recognized locally, nationally or regionally. Future RFPs could be targeted to specific organizations. At this phase however and in the spirit of openness, it may be appropriate to solicit proposals that represent the full spectrum of the Foundation’s program priorities.

In order to increase the Foundation’s transparency and to announce the commencement of the Foundation’s grant-making operations, it is advised that a general request for proposals (RFP) is disseminated. The RFP will be posted on the Foundation’s website and distributed to existing civil society organizations in operation in the region.

Use of Grant Funds

The total proposed budget for grants should be appropriate for the scope of the work being undertaken. Grant funds can be used for project activities up to one year. Grant funds may be used for the following expenses :

Direct costs of project-related events, e.g. organizing meetings, rental of conference facilities, production costs, translation equipment.
Communication between partner organizations, e.g. phone, fax, e-mail.
Modest honoraria costs for project experts (local and international).
Survey and monitoring expenses.
Transportation of project participants to meeting place(s) and related expenses.
Pro-rated portion of salaries for key participants, e.g. director, accountant.
Purchase of a limited amount of equipment (e.g. fax, modem, computer, software) and stationary, necessary to realize the project.
Other expenses directly related to project implementation.

Grant funds may be used only for activities directly connected with the implementation of the project. In accordance to the FFF policy, grant funds cannot be used for covering organizations’ on-going expenses, construction expenses, the purchase of real estate, or the debts of organizations. If salary costs are included in the project budget, a clear justification must be provided for establishing both the salary level and percentage of working time dedicated to the project.

Grant funds shall not be expended for items not considered allowable under applicable cost principles of the Foundation. For more detailed information contact the Foundation directly at grants@foundationforfuture.org.

Eligibility for grants

Non profit, Non-governmental, and independent civil society organizations based in Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen with activities that are related to the Foundation’s areas of interest.

Proposals should also promote the development of effective mechanisms for citizen participation by strengthening and engaging civil society with a focus on the above mentioned areas.

Criteria of Project Evaluation and Selection

The following criteria will be considered in selecting proposals:

Design of the project, and its adherence to the Foundation's program priorities, with justification of its feasibility and the potential for regional cooperation.
Clarity of the goals and importance and scope of the project impact.
Effectiveness of suggested project management plan.
The importance of project goals in strengthening of democratic reforms in the region.
The potential for a common benefit, resulting from the successful completion of the project in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa.
The degree of compliance with the objectives and conditions of the competition, as described in this document.
Soundness and reasonableness of project budget.
The degree to which the project is suited to the FFF framework.

Application Submission Procedure

Applicant organizations shall submit their applications in Arabic, English or French. Applications should be submitted to the Foundation by e-mail at grants@foundationforfuture.org .
Initial applications must be presented as a short concept paper. The applications packages should contain all the information that is requested for submission as detailed above with a tentative requested amount in US Dollars and a concise budget. Concept papers will be reviewed and applicants will be informed if a full proposal is requested together with a deadline for final submission. Applicants will also be provided with an appropriate template for submission of the full proposal.

All the materials and documents submitted as part of this competition will be retained by FFF during the review process and will not be returned to the applicant.

The Foundation guarantees the confidentiality of applications. The Foundation does not use information presented by the applicants for purposes other than review and does not provide this information to any outside persons or institutions, except in cases where it is required by local law, or by the Foundation’s donors.

Proposals submitted must be the original and sole work of the applicant organizations.

Grants Process

Decisions on all grant applications will be made twice a year as per the Calendar for 2010 below, noting that only the shortlisted proposals will be contacted for further communication.

Calendar for 2010:

1- July 2010. Grant approval round, which will be limited solely to:

a. Existing grantees request for cost extensions ;
b. Proposals originating from the following countries: Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, GCC (Gulf) countries & Syria.
c. Proposals submitted on ‘urgent’ issues [e.g. elections, human rights ‘crises’, etc.].

2- December 2010. The main annual round of new grants approval open to all countries within FFF geographical mandate.

Deadlines of submitting the concept notes:

The Foundation for the Future receives concept papers all year round. Organizations can submit more than one application per year. Below are the deadlines for the application with the corresponding Calendar 2010:
• Application due April 15, 2010 considered for July 2010 round
• Application due September 15, 2010 considered for December 2010 round

Range of Grants Awards:

#	Category	Grants Award Range	% requested cost sharing from grantee
a	Small Grant	Up to USD $50,000	5%
b	*Standard Grant	Up to USD $250,000	10%
c	**Large Grant	over USD $250,000	15%

* Audited account and proof of good governance are required

* * The Large Grant is solely considered for regional proposals and proposals originating from Pakistan and Egypt. In addition, audited account and proof of good governance are required.