Fund for Local Cooperation: Call for Proposals 2021
The application period for submissions has been extended. The new deadline for project proposals is on Friday 1 October 2021 at 23:59 Beirut time. The Fund for Local Cooperation (FLC) is a funding instrument managed by Finnish Embassies in eligible countries to support sustainable development cooperation efforts by civil society, mainly local Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Community-based Organisations (CBOs), and the private sector. This year the Embassy is looking in particular projects focusing on advancing the political participation of women and girls or activities promoting income generation.
Introduction
The Fund for Local Cooperation (FLC) is one of the Finnish development cooperation instruments and aims at supporting the civil society to participate in the development process of Lebanon. The funds are channeled through Lebanese civil society organizations to complement the bilateral cooperation of Finland, towards poverty reduction, promoting rights of women and girls and supporting resilience of the society.
The Embassy’s FLC Program aims at improving the capacity of local civil society actors to implement target-oriented projects. Projects supported through the FLC must serve Finland’s foreign and security policy objectives. As part of Finland’s official development co-operation the funded projects should adhere to the cross-cutting themes of Finnish development policy to reduce poverty, promote gender equality and strengthen the rights of the most vulnerable.
The 2021 Call for Project Proposals is looking in particular for projects that advance the political participation of women and girls or activities promoting income generation.
How to Apply
The application period for submissions has been extended. The new deadline for project proposals is on Friday 1 October 2021 at 23:59 Beirut time. Project proposals that have been already submitted should not be resubmitted. Please note that applications received after this time will not be taken into consideration. Inquiries and applications of a maximum of two pages in PDF-format should be sent to the Embassy’s email [email protected] and titled “Fund for Local Cooperation Application”.
The application process consists of a two-step selection procedure. In the first round, all applicants are asked to send a maximum two-page (2) project idea using the template for proposals found at the end of this page. The free-standing proposal should include the following information:
- Short presentation of the project (project plan)
- An indicative budget
- How the project is related to the priority areas of the call for proposals
- Planned results at outcome and output levels
- Description of the project management, monitoring and reporting
- Name, official registration number of your association, contact details and a signature of the authorized representative of the organization.
Applications will be evaluated according to their compliance with the objectives of Finland's development policy and the FLC priorities of the Embassy, as well as the quality and feasibility of the project plan.
A limited number of selected project proposals will be contacted and asked to provide a more in-depth project plan and a budget. The proposals for the second round will receive a package of guiding documents to accompany the application.
The attached Criteria, Eligibility & Information on FLC Projects provides all practical information on applying for FLC projects and it is advised to consult it and other documents in the attachment section before applying.
What kind of projects can be funded and who is eligible to apply?
The FLC seeks to promote the activities of local civil society for the implementation of projects with a clear aim. Projects carried out under FLC funding strengthen the civil society and its members in Lebanon and support institutional and private-sector actors in projects with verifiable development impacts.
Projects carried out under FLC 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.
The FLC is available for Lebanese 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.
FLC funding cannot be granted:
- to Finnish non-governmental organisations (separate application through the MFA unit in question)
- for projects of friendship associations in Finland (separate application through the MFA 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)
Legal and Normative Context
The FLCs are governed by Finnish legislation, particularly the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (688/2001), and the FLC Internal Instructions (6/2014) of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Finland. The Internal Instructions set out the main principles concerning eligibility criteria for partners and use of the FLC funds.
The local Lebanese partners implementing FLC projects must abide by the relevant local legislation. As a rule, all projects must be implemented by the local partners themselves and in Lebanon. Only small procurements of a maximum of €15.000 from external agents may be allowed. If any procurement of goods or services for the value of over €15.000 is needed, or in case more than 50 per cent of the value of the procurement in question is covered by a transfer received from the Finnish government, the procurement shall be carried out in compliance with the Finnish legislation on competitive bidding.
FLC Partners are requested to apply key elements of Finnish development policy and quality standards, namely the Results Based Management (RBM), Human Rights Based Approach to Development (HRBA) and Cross-Cutting Objectives (CCOs) in their project plans. They are an important part of the selection criteria for FLC applications, and projects which are assessed as Human Rights blind cannot be funded. If needed, a capacity development plan can be part of the Project Plan for a systematic integration of the quality standards throughout the project cycle.
Attachments
Template for Project Proposals
Criteria, Eligibility & Information on FLC Projects
Guidance Note on Human Rights Based Approach