Fund for Local Cooperation: Call for Proposals in Lebanon 2025
The Embassy of Finland in Beirut supports Lebanese civil society initiatives for development through the Funds for Local Cooperation (FLC). The deadline for project proposals is on Sunday 25 May 2025 at 23:59 Beirut time.
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.
The Embassy’s FLC Program aims at improving the capacity of local civil society actors to implement target-oriented projects. As a development policy instrument, FLC supports the goals and principles of the Finnish development policy and its priority areas. All proposals must be in line with these, as well as incorporate to the goals and principles of Finnish Government report on international economic relations and development cooperation.
The 2025 Call for Proposals is looking for projects falling under two priority areas:
- promoting the rights of people belonging to the most vulnerable groups (especially the LGBTIQ+ -community and Palestinian refugees)
- strengthening inclusive, peaceful and democratic societies
How to Apply
The deadline for project proposals is on Sunday 25 May 2025 at 23:59 Beirut time. Please note that applications received after this time will not be taken into consideration. Inquiries and applications should be sent to the Embassy’s email [email protected] and titled “Fund for Local Cooperation Application”. The application package should include:
- The filled out Template for Project Proposals (see attachment)
- The detailed Budget (using the template in Annex I)
- Results Framework (using the template in Annex II)
- 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.
- Latest Annual and Audit reports of the organisation.
- 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.
For further information, see the attachments.
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.
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 or foundations.
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
Criteria, Eligibility & Information on FLC Projects
Guidance Note on Human Rights Based Approach
Guidance Note on Results Based Management