1. INTRODUCTION

This announcement is intended to provide information to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on a grant competition to support cooperation between local and displaced civil society organizations (CSO) conducted by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) within the framework of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP) and to explain the procedure for submitting project proposals. The announcement sets out the criteria for meeting the requirements of the call, the process of submitting and selecting project proposals, as well as the criteria for evaluating projects that will be selected within this competition.

The competition will be held in the following target area:

UN_RPP_3_2022_11_SY: Supporting cooperation between local and displaced civil society organizations and the development of synergies in response to local community war-related challenges in Ukraine

2.  INFORMATION ON THE UN RECOVERY AND PEACEBUILDING PROGRAMME

The UN RPP is implemented by four UN agencies: UNDP, UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The Programme is supported by twelve international partners: the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the US Embassy in Ukraine, as well as the governments of Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The UN RPP addresses key priority needs in the spheres of stabilization, peacebuilding, economic development, and governance in eastern Ukraine. Due to a full-scale war in Ukraine, UNDP, within the framework of the UN RPP, is seeking partners to implement a rapid response to the most urgent needs of the war-affected population in both their places of residence and host communities.

The Programme activities are grouped according to the following key components, which reflect the priority needs:

Component I: Economic Recovery and Restoration of Critical Infrastructure

Component II: Local Governance and Decentralization Reform

Component III: Community Security and Social Cohesion

This grant competition was announced as part of Component III (Community Security and Social Cohesion) in response to the war and active hostilities that led to an increase in the urgent needs of the host communities.

Funding under the grant competition will be provided with the EU support.

Financial management of the grant competition is the UNDP responsibility.

3. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE APPLICANTS AND THE PROJECT TERRITORY

3.1. Consortia (alliances) formed from local and displaced CSOs (the consortium must include at least one local CSO and an internally displaced CSO) are invited to participate in the call at the stage of developing a grant application. The establishment of a consortium must be confirmed by a signed Memorandum clearly defining the purpose of establishing such a consortium and the distribution of responsibilities among its members.

Consortia are expected to work on issues related to community security and social cohesion within a particular sector according to the organizations’ mission, previous experience in the sector, and the nature of local challenges addressed in the Project. Examples of such “sectors” could be integration of internally displaced persons (IDPs), youth work, support for volunteering, social cohesion, eco-activism, environmental solutions, police-community interaction based on partnership principles, etc.

One partner (Consortium Leader) with letters of support from other CSOs (Consortium Partners) will submit the application. The grant application should provide a clear illustration of the role of all Consortium Partners in joint activities.

The Consortium Leader — an applicant — must have proven experience in developing partnerships and the institutional capacity of NGOs, with a focus on strengthening the capacity of citizens/volunteer groups and/or other social initiatives, as well as experience in cooperating with international organizations, including implementing grant projects.

3.2. Public or charitable organizations that will submit project proposals for this call (lead partner on behalf of the consortium) must meet the following requirements:

• Be officially registered with the status of a legal entity in the territory of one of the following oblasts: Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zakarpattia, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Kherson;
• Have the status of a non-profit or charitable organization (non-profitability codes are 0032, 0034, 0036, 0038, 0039, or 0048);
• Be able to implement the Project in certain geographic areas under current conditions;
• Have the appropriate expertise and professionals to implement the Project (Project Manager, Financial Planner/Accountant, and other staff according to the needs of the Project);

• Have proven experience of at least two years in developing partnerships and the institutional capacity of NGOs;
• Have proven experience in implementing and reporting on at least two projects in the field of community security and/or social cohesion.

3.3. The staff involved in the Project must meet the following requirements:

• The project team should at least consist of a Project Manager (responsible for the overall coordination of the Project and submission of relevant reports to the UN RPP), an Accountant (responsible for accounting and financial reporting), and persons directly involved in the Project.
• Higher education in law, sociology, economics, public administration, social sciences or other relevant fields for the Project Manager and higher education for other team members. The Project Manager must have at least three years of experience in the public sector.
• Language proficiency: fluency in Ukrainian.
• The Accountant must have higher education (related to accounting) and work experience in accounting for at least two years.
• Willingness to implement all rules and regulations of cooperation proposed by the international donor.

3.3. Project territories:

Projects that will be funded by this grant can be implemented on the territory of one of the following oblasts that host IDPs from communities affected by the war:

• Host communities of Dnipropetrovsk, Zakarpattia, and Lviv oblasts

One successful project will be supported in each of the target oblasts.

3.4. The parameters that will determine whether an NGO can receive UNDP funding will be based on the Capacity Assessment Checklist (CACHE).

Proposals from organizations/consortia that do not meet the above requirements will not be accepted. Applications submitted by individuals, businesses, state agencies and organizations, local authorities, trade unions, political parties, and religious organizations will not be considered.

4. DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSIGNMENT AND THE EXPECTED OUTPUTS

Due to the significant population displacement caused by the war, host communities, local authorities, and volunteers are forced to work with additional, often excessive, stress. At the same time, the displaced population is a resource for the host community; for example, a large proportion of IDPs are active members of community organizations and have experience in implementing community development projects in eastern and southern Ukraine. This creates a unique opportunity for synergies and potential partnerships between displaced persons and local CSOs to: i) find solutions to the challenges faced by IDPs and host communities, ii) mobilize own and external resources for effective responding to the crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, and iii) promote the development of host communities.

The main goal of the call is to promote partnerships between local CSOs and those that have relocated from dangerous oblasts of Ukraine and have experience in community security and social cohesion in war-affected areas, as well as those that are already working to strengthen the role of civil society in host communities.

Such partnerships are expected to strengthen and develop the capacity of local and displaced CSOs in communities that have accepted IDPs in the fields of community security and social cohesion. Project activities should be carried out through close cooperation and direct involvement of displaced NGOs that have relocated to communities in western and central Ukraine (see project target oblasts), using their capacities and resources. Synergies in the work of such alliances can help build long-term partnerships and trust, reduce tension in host communities, and work with residents and local authorities to find effective solutions to the problems that have arisen or been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.

A successful consortium/alliance will:

• propose and implement a programme aimed at building the capacity and supporting the resilience of local and displaced CSOs and host communities in responding to the current war-related crisis;
• conduct an in-depth participatory assessment with selected target communities and develop medium-term action plans (for at least three communities in the oblast) in the fields of community security and/or social cohesion;
• provide support to local communities a) in the development of initiatives/micro-projects within each of the action plans, and b) in the process of mobilizing resources (both local and external) for the implementation of the initiatives/micro-projects. All jointly developed initiatives should address specific challenges that have arisen or been exacerbated by the war in the target communities[1].
• propose concrete solutions for establishing intersectoral partnerships at the community level, as well as interregional cooperation in the medium and long term.

An indicative list of joint activities may include (but is not limited to) the following activities: dialogues and focus groups, community participatory research, capacity building of communities, groups, and organizations based on current needs assessment, creation of dialogue platforms, capacity building activities, open spaces, forums, etc.

5. PROJECT DURATION

The proposed Project is not expected to last more than six months.

6. PROJECT PROPOSAL COSTS

6.1. Eligible costs

Eligible costs are those that:

• are necessary to achieve the goals and objectives of the Project;
• meet the principle of efficiency and cost-effectiveness (“the highest quality for the lowest price”).

Funds provided within the competition can be used only to pay for:

• work of the organization’s staff and involved experts;
• goods and services necessary for the implementation of the Project;
• communication and information services;
• consulting services required to achieve the objectives of the Project;
• printing, publishing, and copying services;
• consumables and office supplies;
• transportation and other costs associated with the Project.

6.2. Ineligible are the costs associated with:

• preparation of a project proposal for participation in the call;
• payment of debts;
• reimbursement of expenses related to exchange rate fluctuations;
• international business trips;
• office rent and payment of utilities.

Administrative costs of the financial proposal may not exceed 5% of the total cost of the project proposal. Labor costs of project employees may not exceed 25% of the total cost of the project proposal.

7. THE PROCEDURE FOR SUBMITTING PROJECT PROPOSALS AND COUNSELLING IN THE PREPARATION OF PROJECT PROPOSALS

The application package should consist of the following:

1) Full application form (MS Word) describing the organizational and implementation plan of the Project (*.docx/*.doc) (Annex 1);

2) Financial proposal (Excel) prepared in US dollars and calculated in accordance with the UN exchange rate as of June 30, 2022 (30.00 UAH/1 USD) (Annex 2);

3) Scanned copies of the following documents (*.PDF or *.JPG):

• Certificate of registration or extract;
• Certificate from the local tax office confirming the entry of the organization into the Register of Non-Profit Organizations with the code of non-profitability;
• Certificate of a bank account in UAH (a separate bank account in the national currency, not involved in other activities, shall be used for the purposes of the Project).

4) Completed CACHE checklist and supporting documents (Annex 3);

5) CVs of staff and experts involved;

6) Letters of support for participation in the Project from the local authorities of the communities where the Project will be implemented;

7) Memorandum of the consortium signed by its members.

Organizations submitting project proposals must send the complete application package (items 1-7) listed above until 12:00 p.m., August 21, 2022 to grants.ua@undp.org, stating the following subject:

UN_RPP_3_2022_11_SY: Supporting cooperation between local and displaced civil society organizations and the development of synergies in response to local community war-related challenges in Ukraine

The application package (items 1-7) should be sent in one letter in an archive (*.rar), with the size not exceeding 15 Mb.

Project proposals will be checked for compliance with the requirements of the call, and those that meet the requirements will be submitted for consideration by the Competition Committee.

For questions that may arise during the preparation of project proposals, please contact grants.ua@undp.org stating the subject: UN_RPP_3_2022_11_SY: Request for Information. Answers to the received questions will be provided in writing within 1-2 working days.

Please note!

• Call submissions will not be returned or reviewed.
• Participants will be notified of the call results by e-mail.
• The final decision on the Project or application is not subject to review.
• Reasons for rejection or support of the Project will not be reported.

8. EVALUATION OF PROJECT PROPOSALS

8.1. Evaluation of project proposals will take place in several stages:

Stage 1: Review of the submitted project proposals by the Competition Committee. At this stage, the submitted project proposals are evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria, and project proposals with less than 70 points of the total number of points will be rejected. Proposals requiring revision in accordance with the recommendations of the Competition Committee will be returned for revision with a deadline for submitting an updated proposal.

Stage 2: Final approval of the winning project proposals recommended by the Competition Committee for support.

The Competition Committee will consist of representatives of the UN RPP according to the key areas of work and the experts involved. However, the Competition Commission is entitled to seek independent expert opinion during the selection of project proposals or the opinion of the local authorities in whose territory the project activities will be implemented.

8.2. Evaluation criteria:

 

	A summarized form for evaluating a technical proposal	Maximum score
1.	Compliance with the subject and priorities of the call (submitted application complies with the subject and priorities – 20 points; application partially complies with the subject and priorities – 10 points; application does not comply with the subject and priorities – 0 points)	20
2.	Specificity, achievability, and effectiveness of the project activities (project activities are specific – 5 points, achievable – 5 points, and effective – 10 points; activities do not meet the requirements listed above – 0 points)	20
3.	Ability of the applicant (Consortium Leader) to successfully implement the Project with the provided resources and within the specified time period (Consortium Leader has the necessary experience and resources for successful project implementation – 20 points; Consortium Leader partially has the necessary experience and resources for successful project implementation – 10 points; Consortium Leader does not have the necessary experience and resources for successful project implementation – 0 points)	20
4.	Experience of organizations (Consortium Members) in implementing projects on the subject of the call (each of the Consortium Members has proven experience in implementing projects on the subject of the proposal, the role of each organization in the Project is clearly defined – 20 points; 50% or more of the Consortium Members have relevant proven experience, the roles of organizations in the Project require clarification – 10 points; experience of Consortium Members is not proven or not sufficient – 0 points)	20
5.	Feasibility of planned costs and required resources vs. expected outputs (financial proposal is justified and corresponds to the highest quality for the lowest price approach – 10 points; financial proposal requires revision and/or reduction of costs – 5 points; financial proposal is not justified – 0 points)	10
6.	The level of competence (specialized education, work experience) of the project staff (involved staff has the appropriate level of competence – 10 points, does not have the necessary level of competence – 0 points)	10
	Total score	100
	Notes

 

9. REPORTING, MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF GRANT PROJECTS

9.1. Monitoring and evaluation

The grantee is responsible for project monitoring and evaluation. UNDP will monitor the implementation of the grant project through grantee’s reports, meetings with project staff, its partners and beneficiaries, monitoring visits, and participation in project activities.

9.2. Reporting

The grantee will submit reports in a format determined by UNDP:

• Interim reports including a description of activities and results for the agreed monitoring indicators and financial component (to be specified under the relevant grant agreement);
• On-demand brief reports, which UNDP may require from time to time, when information on the grant project will be needed between regular reports;
• A final report, which will include a description of activities and results, as well as a financial report for the entire period of the grant agreement.

Activities under the grant agreement must be carried out in accordance with UNDP norms, rules, policies, and procedures. To read the instructions for implementing grant projects, please follow this link.

10. FUNDING

The grantee organization will receive an advance payment for planned activities under the grant agreement. The amount of the advance and subsequent payments will be fixed in the grant agreement. This amount will be determined individually considering the total size of the grant, types of activities, etc. The next tranches will be allocated after receipt and approval of the organization’s interim reports by UNDP.

Please note! A final tranche of 10% will be made available to the grantee post factum after 100% reporting on the Project, including confirmation of all financial transactions.