WB China Office Launches a Small Grants Program -- china.org.cn

The World Bank Office, Beijing launches the FY03 Small Grants Program. To reinforce the empowerment dimension of poverty reduction, the Small Grants Program focuses on civic engagement for the empowerment of marginalized and vulnerable groups.

The program aims to support the empowerment of citizens to have greater ownership of development processes, thereby making these processes more inclusive and equitable. The intended beneficiaries of the Small Grants Program are Chinese civil society organizations engaged in initiatives for this purpose.

Activities supported by the Small Grants Program should:

Promote dialogue and dissemination of information; and

Enhance partnerships with key players in support of the development process. Key players could include government agencies, civil society organizations, multilateral and bilateral agencies, and private sector.

Activities may include, but are not limited to, workshops and seminars, costs for publications or audio-visual materials, or other innovative networking efforts that small organizations generally find difficult to fund through their regular program budgets. The activity should be completed within one year of the date the grant is awarded.

Most grants are in the range of US$3,000 to US$7,000 with a maximum of US$15,000. The Small Grants Program rarely funds more than half of the proposed budget for an activity, and therefore encourages grantees to use the World Bank grant to leverage additional contributions from other sources.

The deadline for application is April 10, 2003. The Small Grants Committee will meet and make decisions on grants allocation in late April.

Administration of the Small Grants Program has been decentralized since FY1999. The Program supported five or six Chinese civil society organizations each year over the past four years. Examples can be found on WB China Office's web site.

Chinese civil society organizations are welcome to submit proposals to the Small Grants Program.

Attachments:

Guidelines for Civil Society Organizations

Grants Application

Guidelines for Civil Society Organizations

About the Program

The Small Grants Program provides grants to civil society organizations through participating World Bank Country Offices. To reinforce the empowerment dimension of poverty reduction, the Small Grants Program focuses on civic engagement for the empowerment of marginalized and vulnerable groups. The purpose of the Small Grants program is to support the empowerment of citizens to have greater ownership of development processes, thereby making these processes more inclusive and equitable.

Crucial ingredients for empowerment of vulnerable groups include: access to information, access to organizational links outside the local domain, capacity to influence the public arena and to negotiate with local and national authorities, the existence of trustful national and local institutions, and the presence of enabling policy and legal frameworks for civic engagement. Civil society organizations perform a valuable role in engaging their fellow citizens in the fight against poverty and exclusion. Thus, the intended beneficiaries of the Small Grants Program are civil society organizations engaged in initiatives aiming at empowering groups and individuals that have been marginalized and excluded from the public realm.

Before You Apply

The World Bank Small Grants Program is able to fund only a very small percentage of the requests it receives. Many requests are declined, not because they lack merit, but because they do not match either the current objectives, or the criteria of the Small Grants Program. Your activity may fall within the objectives and criteria, but the demand far surpasses the availability of funds. Before applying, take time to read the Guidelines to determine if there is a match.

Who Can Apply?

Civil society organizations registered in China and working on issues of development can apply for a grant.

Civil society organizations must be in good standing and have a record of achievement in the community and record of financial probity;

Priority will be given to organizations not supported by the Program in previous years (organizations are not eligible for more than three grants from the Small Grants Program within a five-year period).

What Kind of Activities are Supported?

The Small Grants Program supports activities related to civic engagement for the empowerment of marginalized and vulnerable groups. Civic Engagement is the process through which civil society organizations actively engage in relationships and actions with the state and other development actors to address issues of public concern.

Activities should:

Promote dialogue and dissemination of information; and

Enhance partnerships with key players in support of the development process. Key players could include government agencies, civil society organizations, multilateral and bilateral agencies, foundation, and private sector.

What Kind of Activities are not Supported?

Small Grants can not fund: Research programs, formal academic training programs, operational projects, ongoing institutional core support (such as equipment), scholarships, fellowships, study programs, individuals applying on their own behalf, or nonlegal entities. Proposed activities should not compete with or substitute for regular World Bank instruments; the activity should be clearly distinguishable from the Bank's regular programs.

What Size of Grants are Awarded?

Most grants are in the range of $3,000 to $7,000 with a maximum of $15,000. The Small Grants Program rarely funds more than half of the proposed budget for an activity, and therefore prefers that its grants help leverage additional contributions from other sources. Applicant organizations are asked to describe how a grant from the World Bank might help them to raise matching funds from other donors.

How to Apply for a Grant?

Administration of the Small Grants Program has been decentralized to participating World Bank Country Offices. In China, grants are awarded by a Small Grants Committee headed by the China Country Director and Chief of Mission of the World Bank Office, Beijing, and attended by the Deputy Chief and Sector Coordinators or their representatives. Applications are screened and reviewed to ensure that the criteria is met. The deadline for application is April 10, 2003. The Small Grants Committee will meet and make decision on grants in late April. Applicant organizations should apply at least four to six months in advance of the date of the grant activity. Applicants are advised to read the criteria and the application form carefully before submitting an application.

Applications should be sent by mail, fax or e-mail to:

Ms. Li Li
Coordinator, Small Grants Program
The World Bank Office, Beijing
9th Floor,Building A, Fuhua Mansion
No. 8, Chaoyangmen Beidajie
Dongcheng District
Beijing 100027,P.R.China

Examples of Activities Supported by the Small Grants Program

Workshop on Good Governance, Democracy and Participatory Development: This activity includes organization of 16 local level workshops with grassroots women, men, local government, civil administrators, members of civil society and NGOs for fostering democracy and enhancing good governance. Key themes of dialogues included, reducing gender gaps, participatory development, ensuring accountability, informing the rules, guidelines and responsibilities of the local government, people's participation in empowerment of women and poor, defining the role and responsibilities of different groups of people for ensuring a combined initiative in establishing democracy, transparency, accountability, information disclosure and good governance.

Regional Workshop for the Settlement of the Urban Poor: This international workshop was organized to facilitate appropriate policy regimes in favor of the urban poor, especially, resettlement of the urban poor, pro-poor urban housing and land use policy, planned urban development, rural-urban migration, urban social/cultural/environmental consequences and the GO/NGO responses, legal arrangement for tenure security and squatter rights - role of the municipal authorities, government and NGOs, and slum resettlement. Follow-up activities includes opinion-sharing and coordination meeting with the members of city corporations, NGO leaders, staff, seminar, workshop, press conference and rally for raising awareness, and enrolling slum dwellers in Voter List.

Improving Community Relations: This project aimed to improve social and legal protections at the community level and to develop community solidarity through improved interpersonal and intergenerational connections and new ways of interacting with municipal authorities. The organization conducted five seminars for local governments, municipalities, and communities, and published a brochure on community relations.

Mobilizing Communities: This activity hoped to mobilize people to take action to help themselves. This marginalized community faced several disadvantages, including living in small settlements in rural areas, low levels of education, high employment rate, social exclusion and discrimination, and lack of information. Through a video film that introduced several successful income generating projects by this population to encourage others from the community. This project was co-financed by a local foundation and the film was distributed through the local minority governments.

Grant Application

Small Grants Program
WORLD BANK OFFICE, BEIJING

Executive Summary (Please type using no more than one page)

1.Date:
2.Name of organization:
3.Contact person and title:
4.Address:
5.City, Country, Postal Code:
6.Telephone: Fax:
Email: Website (if available):
7.Mission statement of the applicant organization:
8.Purpose of funding request and how this activity relates to civic engagement:
9.Target population and number benefiting from the proposed activity:
10.Period this funding request will cover:
11.Amount of request (Details under Activity Income):
12.If your organization has received previous support from the World Bank, please list the year, amount, and describe for what purpose:
13.Authorizing signature of the applicant organization's executive director or board chair:
Signature:
Name (print);
Title:

Purpose of the Grant

14.Describe briefly the need or issue you will address. Include a description of the constituency served (including number participating) and how they will participate/benefit?
15.How will the proposed activity promote civic engagement for empowerment? How will the activity enable marginalized citizens to have greater control over local and community level development activities?
16.List the activity goal(s) and measurable objective(s).
17.Is the activity new or ongoing on the part of the applicant organization? If the activity is ongoing, how will your organization support this activity in the future?
18.Provide a brief timetable for implementation of activity.
19.What other organizations, if any, will be participating in the activity? Describe their roles.
20.List the names and qualifications of key staff/volunteers responsible for activity implementation.

Evaluation

21.Please list the specific outcomes of your activity. What assessment methods/strategies will you use to track and measure outcomes? (e.g. interviews, surveys, focus groups, community feedback, etc.)
22.Describe briefly what will be different at the end of the grant period.
23.How will the activity's results be used and/or disseminated?

Activity Income

Budget for the Proposed Activity

Please (1) provide the necessary information for each budget item, and (2) indicate the funding source(s) that will cover the expense. Use as much space as necessary. All items must be related to the activity.

Attachments

Please attach the following documents to your proposal, if available:

Complete list of the applicant organization's senior staff and board of directors;

Most recent annual financial statement listing income sources (audited if available);

Organization's projected income and expense budget for current fiscal year, listing income sources;

Copy of the applicant organization's registration status;

Latest annual report.

(China.org.cn January 10, 2003)