Lifeforce.org.ukApplication Criteria
Small Project Grants under Lifeforce humanity development projects
Criteria
Project proposals must comply with all of the following criteria:
Priority regions: At the moment LFO will fund projects in all countries outside USA. LFO will give priority to cases and projects with a clear community or familial focus (e.g. needs which benefit to activities that seek to improve community co-operation or action at the level of a shared trans-boundary.) Such project will normally seek to build opportunites, harmony and promote lasting benefit to the stakeholders.
Priority actions: A wide range of funding activity can be considered, including humanatarian grants in certain case. However, priority will be given to secular projects aimed at generating or sustaining activity that can provide longer term sustainable growth within the needs of the community and stakeholders.
Local Population: A project proposal should not only state the objectives of a project in terms of family, community and child development & participation. It should demonstrate that the case has valid humanatarian values to justfy its objectives to regulatory bodies and sponsors. It should also show that the project or grant:
(a) Will not adversely affect the position of the various local stakeholders i.e. that on the basis of being awarded the grant that the reciprients will seek or see themselves as the “authorities” in the community.
(b) Seeks to harmonize with the needs, views, expertise and experience of local people and associate them with the management (this will ensure that risk of (a) above is reduced and also promotes growth amongst the wider community.
(c) Is based, whenever possible, on a participatory approach. Culture: As a general rule, project activities must explicitly integrate cultural aspects. More specifically, the project should seek to improve the position of the wider cultural scenario, or it should at least avoid detrimental effects on cultural status quo.
In the context of development & participation, special attention should be paid to differences between the needs of the recipients and with the respect to valid distribution of resources; access to services and especially participation in decision-making.
Applicants must ensure that there projects support promotion of equal opportunities to all community members, irrespective of gender or age.
Synergy: Priority and higher funding will be given to collaborative/ network proposals or more than one person or group(s) seeking to work together. However, only one of the groups will be endorsed as the recipient.
A group will normally be expected to demonstrate that resources other than the LFO funds have been obtained towards project costs-these may be in cash or in kind.
Administrative Criteria
The following administrative criteria will be used when appraising a project proposal. Appraisals for this will be normally undertaken by the project managers in the field, in conjuction with the international project co-ordinator panel with LFO participation.
- Grant Recipients. Proposals can be submitted by individuals or organisations.
- Priority given to applicants with proven capacity to implement similar types of projects, or at the discrection of LFO management team on a case by case basis..
- Sufficient capacity to manage and steer the proposed project.
Project proposals should clearly indicate why those involved can benefit from direct aid, or in the case of larger projects, how they can successfully implement the proposed project (i.e. capacity in terms of project management, transparent management procedures, qualification and/or experience of personnel, etc.). Previous experience with comparable projects (if any) should be indicated.
Format of proposal: Only project proposals prepared and submitted according to the enclosed format will be considered.
Project duration, completion, and final report: Maximum duration of a project is 12 months (excluding ongoing development and training). Your report submitted to the Local project management team and International project co-ordination panel within 1 month on completion of the project including a report on utilization of the grant.
- Urgency of funding. The LFO panel will appraise new project proposals four times a year. These four rounds of appraisal will occur at fixed periods. The deadlines for the submission of proposals for these appraisals are 1 March, 1 June, 1 September and 1 December. In emergency situations, however, a request for urgent funding of actions is possible. Urgent actions are field or humanitarian grants for which immediate assistance is needed. The maximum amount that can be allocated to an urgent action is US$ 100. Decision on funding of urgent actions will be made within one month after reception of the proposal, and are solely at the discretion of our field project managers, alongside the discrection of the international project manager.