Fund for Local Cooperation (FLC) Call for Proposals June 2024

The Embassy of Finland hereby invites Kenya civil society organizations and private sector to submit proposals to apply for funding from the Fund for Local Cooperation (FLC). FLC is a development cooperation instrument managed by the Embassy in Nairobi. The fund provides grants to well-defined projects in selected priority areas of Finland in Kenya. The support is intended for project-based support only.

    Background to this Call for Proposals

The Fund for Local Cooperation is governed by Finnish legislation and policies, particularly the Act on Discretionary Government Grants (688/2001) and the FLC Internal instructions (6/2014) of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Finland.

The local partners implementing FLC projects must abide by the relevant local legislation. As a rule, a local partner should implement the project.

The focus of the “Call for Proposals” is on democratic governance, peace and security with the following outcome areas;

• Accountability and transparency in democratic processes improved
• Women and youth rights protected and advanced

• Citizen resilience against manipulation enhance 

Application process

The call for proposals opens on 1^st July 2024 and will be closed on 30^th August 2024 at 16:00 local Kenyan time.

The applicants (NGO & Private sector) should use this format (press to download) NGO Application format 2024. Private companies should fill in this form and attach to the proposal Private Company Application Form 2024. Private sector eligible projects see Special conditions for private sector projects 2024. The cover letter must be signed and dated.

 

Focus area: Democratic governance, peace and security

1. Accountability and transparency in democratic processes improved

Corruption and misuse of funds prevents the achievement of development and realization of human rights. Through transparency, societies can act against corrupt decision and plans that are not in their interest. The proposed initiative should seek to strengthen democratic institutions, enhance civic engagement, and ensure transparency and accountability in governance. Preference will be given to organizations that have experience, expertise, and past projects relevant to this sector/theme.

Objectives:

• Increase capacity of citizens and facilitate them with practical mechanisms to effectively participate in governance and influence policy processes, monitor performance of government and demand accountability.  

• Increase capacity of decision-makers at the local level to be more transparent in their processes and be more responsive to citizens’ needs and promote access to information
• Increase and enhance representation of marginalized groups in governance processes

The support is to one project partner. The maximum funding available is EUR 200 000.  The grant will be for a duration of two years.

2. Women and youth participation in peace and security protected and advanced

Engaging women and youth in peace processes helps to break cycles of violence by addressing root causes and promoting social cohesion. Their active participation fosters a culture of peace and dialogue, which is essential for long-term stability. This call aims to support innovative projects that empower women and youth, promote peace, and enhance security in Kenyan communities. The Embassy is particularly interested in initiatives that aligns with the WPS and YPS agenda. Preference will be given to organizations with experience, expertise and has past projects relevant to WPS and YPS.

Objectives:

• Empower women and youth and engage them as champions in conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding within their communities.
• Advocate for policies that enhance women and youth roles in peace and security

The funding is for two (2) partners, one on women peace and security and the other on youth peace and security. The funding will be a maximum of 130 000 and 80 000 EUR respectively.

3. Citizen resilience against manipulation enhanced

Misinformation poses significant threats to the society. The spread of false information can have wide-ranging consequences, affecting various aspects of life. The Embassy is particularly interested in initiatives / organisations that have proven track record in implementing media literacy and/or countering mis/disinformation projects and/or have relevant expertise for such initiatives.

Objectives:

• Equip the public with skills to critically evaluate information and recognize misinformation and stop the spread of fake news
• Strengthen fact-checking mechanisms
• Advocate for policies that promote transparency and accountability in information dissemination

The maximum funding available is 100 000 EUR for one project partner for a duration of one or two years.

 

    Eligible actors

The fund supports initiatives of local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Civil Society Organization/ Foundation, Community Based Organizations (CBO) and private sector entities registered in Kenya. The organizations must abide by the relevant local legislations.

    Proposal assessment criteria

• Applicant is a FLC eligible organization
• Alignment with Finland’s development policy and the above mentioned priority areas
• Clearly defined results logic with project outcomes and targeted outputs supported by adequate indicators, baseline data
• Realistically planned project activities that contribute to the desired outputs
• Budget supports the achievement of the expected project's outputs, is clear, detailed, and includes all relevant items (unit costs included; salary costs detailed; breakdown of costs per year if the project is covering two calendar years; audit costs).
• Application includes a separate results framework. The expected results of the project (outputs, outcomes and impact) are concrete and realistic, and logically linked to each other.
• Project applies Human Rights Based Approach and takes Cross-Cutting Objectives into consideration
• Clear risk analysis and management plan
• Description of the approach: methods to be used, how different social groups and interests would be taken into consideration and sustainability plan
• Previous documented experience and management capabilities of the applicant in the same sector/theme
• The applicant must have sound financial record, as well as sufficient human resources for the implementation of the project

    Administrative costs

To keep the administrative costs low and to build ownership, the partner organizations' overhead costs are not to exceed 8 % (cost to their human resources, office space, equipment and facilities for the project activities). The organizations’ own contribution should be clearly stated in the project proposal. The budget should be presented in Kenyan shillings.

FLC funding cannot be granted:

• To government ministries or counties
• To unregistered association or organization
• To support the activities of a political party
• For charity purposes, humanitarian aid, donations, scholarships events and kind support
• To Finnish beneficiaries
• For research projects
• To businesses at ideation
• To entities that have engaged in human rights violation such as child labour, racism, discrimination on gender including for vulnerable groups

    Submission and deadline 

The proposals should be submitted only through e-mail: [email protected] . The deadline for submitting applications is Friday 30^th August 2024 at 16:00 local Kenya time. Late applications will not be considered.

    Enquiries

Any enquiry of the call for proposals can be sent to [email protected] latest by 31^st July 2024. Answers to the questions shall be published on the Embassy webpage by 7^th August 2024. Answers to the enquiries can be found here: https://finlandabroad.fi/web/ken/current-affairs/-/asset_publisher/TV8iYvdcF3tq/content/q-a-for-fund-for-local-cooperation-call-for-project-proposals-2024-1/384951. 

The proposals will be evaluated within 1-2 months from the due date.  Responses to the applicants, including both accepted and rejected will be sent by 30^th November 2024. The list of accepted projects will be published on the Embassy’s website.

Further Information can be requested from:

Fund for Local Cooperation

Embassy of Finland

P.O. Box 30379 - 00100 Nairobi

E-mail: [email protected]