Fund for Local Cooperation
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. Projects must support Finland’s Development Policy goals. The Embassy of Finland in Lebanon manages the local cooperation fund for Lebanon, at this time the funding is not available for Syria or Jordan.
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.
Applicants should be registered civil society organizations (non-governmental organizations, independent media, or community based organizations, chambers of commerce, business associations or trade promotion agencies).
Activities of government, ministries, municipalities, unregistered associations or organizations, individual businesses, activities of a political party, basic research, charity or humanitarian aid, international non-governmental organizations or cultural events. As a rule, the FLC does not support infrastructure projects.
How to apply for funding?
The latest application period for the Funds for Local Cooperation (FLC) was organized in May 2023. Applications were 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 quality criteria include a human rights based approach to development cooperation (HRBA) and results-based management (RBM).
Additional information: Coordinator Camilla Antila, camilla.antila@gov.fi
