Local Cooperation Fund (LCF) in Egypt
Announcement for the 2019 call for project proposals
Planning an intervention - Participatory planning is a highly promoted principle of successful development
Introduction
The LCF is one of the Finnish development cooperation instruments and aims at supporting the civil society to participate in the development process of Egypt. The LCF has been operating in the Embassy since 2003. The Embassy team is happy to confirm that this support will continue this year through this call. Please find hereunder general information on what organizations are eligible for support and how to apply for the 2019 call for proposals. There will be only one call for proposals for the available 2020 LCF budget.
Projects supported through the LCF must serve Finland’s foreign and security policy objectives. As a development policy instrument, LCF projects must in particular support the goals set for Finland’s development policy: eradication of poverty by means of economically, socially and ecologically sustainable development. The implementation of Finnish development policy is guided by the 2016 Government Report on Development Policy. Our activities are based on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted within the UN in September 2015. The objective of the LCF is to complement other Finnish development efforts in the Finnish development policy's priority areas.(Link to another website.)
Organisations that are familiar with the Embassy's calls for proposals will notice that the formats, process and conditions have changed as compared to previous years. In order to assist interested organisations, we have developed detailed Guidelines for Applicants that can be downloaded at the bottom of this webpage.
The Guidelines for Applicants provide all practical information and guidance for completing your application successfully. The instructions also provide applicants with information on the selection process and assessment criteria for the received proposals and shortlisted organisations. It is therefore recommended to consult the Guidelines and other supporting documents available in the download section before applying for LCF support.
Focal areas for 2019 support:
Projects supporting women’s access to economic opportunities and participation in the work force through
- Facilitating the access of women graduates to employment
- Capacity building and skills development for women with lower levels of education
Projects targeting sustainable private sector partnerships in marginalized areas are prioritized.
Who is eligible to apply?
The LCF is available for Egyptian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other local non-profit civil society actors, such as: science and technology communities, universities and other educational and research institutions, independent media, public bodies and cultural institutions (for example, museums, libraries and theatres), chambers of commerce and commercial associations, organisations engaged in the promotion of export and investment, businesses, cooperatives, interest groups of companies and employees, foundations or religious communities. Applying organizations need to submit proof of registration with the relevant Egyptian authorities in accordance with the existing legislation.
The LCF cannot be used for supporting activities of the national or local government and political parties, Finnish institutions or organizations, projects in which the beneficiary is a single person or private business, or projects serving purely religious or charity purposes.
However, the Embassy does encourage civil society organisations to work with the national and/or local government. In all cases, the civil society organisation selected for funding is the Embassy's contractual partner.
Support for research and cultural projects is restricted by a set of criteria applying to the use of development cooperation funds. According to the instructions of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), support for basic research cannot be counted as development aid (= ODA eligibility); to be eligible, a research project must clearly promote economic development and welfare or the building of the actors' capacity in the host country. Support related to culture is accepted as development aid in case the objective is to promote the host country's cultural development or the actors' capacity-building. Supported projects are expected to produce sustainable development impacts (for example, through development activities such as training, or strengthening of capacity). Therefore single cultural events, such as different types of performances or mere exchange of visits cannot be supported from LCFs.
LCF funding cannot be granted:
- to Finnish non-governmental organisations (separate application through the unit in question)
- for projects of friendship associations in Finland (separate application through the unit in question)
- to Finnish government agencies or public bodies (separate application through the ICI instrument)
- to Finnish municipalities (separate application through the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities)
- to Finnish businesses
- to the government, ministries or municipalities of the host country
- to an unregistered association or organisation (however, taking into consideration the special circumstances in the host country)
- to support the activities of a political party
- for basic research
- for single cultural events (that have no permanent impact)
- for charity
- for humanitarian aid
- in the form of a grant, scholarship or assistance for the applicant’s personal use;
- for purchasing land
- to a fund
- for building the capital of microcredit systems (however, development projects and training are possible)
What kind of projects can be funded?
The LCF seeks to support projects that put in place support structures or undertake interventions to support the groups that are mentioned in the focal areas above. Projects carried out under LCF funding strengthen the civil society and its members in the host country and support institutional and private-sector actors in projects with verifiable development impacts. Once-off events such as the organization of a conference are not supported through the LCF. Projects carried out under LCF funding must always be classified as development aid (including, for example, projects that support business partnerships) in accordance with the OECD/DAC ODA criteria.
Every proposal must take into consideration the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) and be designed according to the Result-Based Management (RBM) principles. Guidance notes on HRBA and RBM can be downloaded at the end of this page.
Gender equality, reduction of inequality in society, and climate sustainability are cross cutting themes in the Finnish development policy strategy, and one or more of these themes must be addressed in the proposed project as a binding principle.
When to apply?
Next deadline for submitting applications is 30 September 2019 at midnight.
One organization can submit maximum two project proposals.
Applications arriving late and applications not completed properly or missing required information cannot be considered for funding.
How to apply?
Before preparing a project proposal, applicants should first carefully consult the guidance notes below.
In order to submit your project proposal to the Embassy, please fill in the project proposal template (In English) and its annexes (3). The documents can be downloaded at the end of this webpage. Before developing the project proposal we recommend applicants to carefully consult the "Guidelines for Applicants" first.
Together with the project proposal and its annexes organizations must submit three additional documents:
Scanned copy of the official registration certificate of the organization in the original language. If the organization has an official translation of the registration certificate available, it can be submitted in addition to the original registration certificate.
Proof of an existing bank account in name of the applying organization in the original language.
Brochure of the organization and/or a link to the organization's website.
All documents should be sent by e-mail to [email protected] . As mentioned above, incomplete applications will not be processed.
Download Section
Further Information:
Embassy of Finland
3, Abu El Feda Street, 13th Floor
Zamalek, Cairo
Tel: +20-(0)2-25869000
Email: [email protected]