The Grant Facility serves the purpose to enable civil society organizations to contribute to Gross National Happiness by receiving funds that will be used to promote sustainable development and strengthen good governance at local and national level. The grant fund will, through the implemented activities of civil society, lead to an active and inclusive participation of CSOs and citizenry in democratic consultations and decision-making processes Whereas the Grant Facility promotes citizens’ participation and political empowerment processes, it will also be possible to seek support to economic empowerment initiatives, especially from women, youth and marginalized groups. However, this may not exceed 20% of the project proposal’s budget.
Civil Society Organizations in Bhutan can apply for the Grant Facility, on the condition that that they adhere to the information provided in this guideline and they:
However, the Grant Facility will pay special attention to support CSOs that have activities in the 10 poorest Dzongkhags and 10 poorest Gewogs of Bhutan.
The CSO grants will be awarded to CSO according to the following categories:
Category A:
Organizations registered with the CSO Authority.
40% of the total grant funds will be disbursed to CSOs in category A.
Category B:
Community based organizations. These include
60% of the total grant funds will be disbursed to CSOs/ CBOs in category B.
In line with the objective of the EU funded project: Support to Civil Society in Bhutan, CSOs can submit proposals that fall within the following categories:
Cluster 1: Civic awareness and actions
Cluster 2: Women’s political and social empowerment
Cluster 3: Socio -economic empowerment initiatives, especially for women and youth groups in
Cluster 4: Vulnerability reduction initiatives
A Technical Committee, comprising members of civil society and RGOB agencies will assess the project proposals based on 10 criteria and the scoring is on a scale from 1-5. The first six criteria will carry the weight of 1, and the final four criteria will carry the weight of 0.5.
Calls for proposals will happen every 6 months. Applications received after the said deadlines will not be considered and shall have to be re-submitted at the next call for proposals:
Round | Call for proposal | Deadline for proposals |
1 | 1st December 2017 | 31st December 2017 |
2 | 1st May 2018 | 31st May 2018 |
3 | 1st December 2018 | 31st December 2018 |
4 | 1st July 2019 | 31st July 2019 |
The duration of projects shall be minimum 12 months and maximum 18 months.
Administrative costs cannot exceed 15%.
The maximum and minimum amounts that can be applied for are:
Project duration | A: PBO/MBO | B: CBO | Joint proposals [ A+A ] | Joint proposals [ A+B ] |
---|---|---|---|---|
12 months | Max. 30,000 / Min. 10,000 | Max. 20,000 / Min. 5,000 | Max. 60,000 | Max 50,000 (for 2 org.) Max 60,000 (> 2 org.) |
Project proposals can be submitted in either English or Dzongkha. Proposals that do not follow the outline of the application form will not be accepted. Applications will only be accepted if they are submitted in electronic form, either .doc or .pdf versions.
The project proposal shall be accompanied by:
Applications shall either be emailed to csogrant@helvetas.org or via post to:
HELVETAS Bhutan
P.O. Box 157
Dungkar Lam, Lower Mothitang
Thimpu-11001, Bhutan
Should applicants have any further queries that are not covered in this guideline, contact the Project Manager for the Support to Civil Society project: Yuden.Dorji@helvetas.org. All applicant CSOs will receive notification that the proposal has been received. Applications received after the deadline has passed will not be accepted and will be deferred to the next round of applications.
DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM HERE
All persons involved in the Grant Facility, both Grant Management Committee members and applicants, shall be guided by a Code of Conduct, including an Anti-Corruption Clause. The Code of Conduct shall ensure that the management and decision making process is adhering to the fundamental principles of good governance and high ethical standards.
Should an applicant have a grievance or complaint during any step of the grant management cycle there are two paths to make an official complaint to the HELVETAS Bhutan Project Manager Yuden.Dorji@helvetas.org or HELVETAS Bhutan Country Director Tashi.Pem@helvetas.org
Grievances or complaints shall be in written and signed by the complainant. Every effort will be made to ensure the security of the compliant, by protecting that person’s identity (if they wish) and by keeping the content confidential. All grievance and complaint submissions shall be acknowledged by a return call to the person filing the claim, within one day of receipt of the complaint.