INVESTING IN SYRIAN HUMANITARIAN ACTION (ISHA) RESPONDING TO A CALL FOR APPLICATIONS GUIDANCE AND SUGGESTIONS

This presentation is designed to provide guidance and suggestions regarding the process your organization could use when deciding if you want to apply to a Call for Applications and preparing your Application. There are two sections: General guidance relevant to all Call for Application processes Information specific to the ISHA Call for Applications Call for Applications are highly competitive and the donor often knows little about your organization. To be successful, you need to comply with their Application rules and demonstrate that your organization is the best choice to achieve their objectives.

General Guidance for Calls for Applications

The Application Process Read the guidance Make sure you understand the donor priorities Discuss with colleagues Ask ISHA questions Decide if you will apply Identify beneficiary needs Identify organizational strengths and priorities Agree project strategy, activities and budget Design the project Review the questions and research your answers Ask specialist colleagues to complete appropriate questions Read the final version carefully to ensure accuracy, completeness and quality Complete the application form

Decide if you will apply The Call for Applications guidance and application form should contain all the information you need to decide if: Your organization is eligible to apply Your project approach is eligible and in line with donor priorities You have access to all the information you need to complete the application form If you have questions after carefully reading the guidance - ASK

Eligibility considerations Your organization Your project Is your organization the type of organization the donor wants to fund? Is your project the type of activities the donor wants to fund? Is your organization located in the right country according to the donor requirement? Is your project budget within the donor’s minimum and maximum amount? Is your organization the right size for the donor rules? Is your project duration in line with the donor requirements? Does your organization have the experience required by the donor? Is your project located in a place the donor wants to target? Are your target beneficiaries in line with donor priorities? Are there any other rules or restrictions regarding programming that you need to consider?

Making the decision If your organization and project are eligible to apply, consider: Are the donor’s priorities in line with your organization’s priorities? Do your staff have the time and skill to prepare a high quality Application? Who is involved in designing the project and completing the form? Who in your organization needs to be part of making the decision if you should apply? When do you need to decide by – when is the submission deadline? Are there parts of the guidance or Application Form you don’t understand – can you ask the donor?

Design the Project Before you design your project, consider: Do you have enough information about the location, beneficiaries and needs to answer the questions in the Application form? Does the Application guidance include any technical criteria you need to include? Can you access enough financial information to complete the budget? Are there any restrictions on how you can spend the funds you need to include in the project design? Are there any requirements or priorities regarding activities, procurement or standards? Do you know what these are and how they apply to your project?

Complete the Application Form Before you complete the Application Form, check: The submission deadline and method The length and format for the completed Application Form If any signatures are required, whose and on which document? If you have all the right information to answer all of the questions What the evaluation criteria is – where will you get the most points for high quality information?

Common Mistakes ISHA’s experience is that most organizations make the same mistakes when filling out the Application Form. The main ones are: Incomplete Application – every question must be answered. If you leave a question unanswered, your Application will be disqualified. Incorrect format – if you change the Application form layout or if it is too long, your Application will be disqualified. Lack of signatures – if one part of the Application needs to be signed, an unsigned Application will be disqualified. The project is not eligible – if the project duration, budget, sector or locations are not in line with the donor requirements, the Application will be disqualified. Number of Applications – check if each organization can submit more than one Application to each Call for Applications before you do; if you cannot, your Applications will be disqualified. Location of your organization – donors often restrict Calls for Applications to organizations from specific countries. If your headquarters is in a country not included in the list of allowed countries in the Call for Applications, your Application will be disqualified. Eligibility of your organization – if your organization does not demonstrate that it meets the eligibility criteria in the guidance, your application will be disqualified.

Before Submission What donors like to see in an Application form Check before submitting the Application One complete Application in the donor format, without any changes and signed where required. Read the Application through one last time – make sure every question is answered, it is the right length and the quality is good. Clear, concise information that directly answers the questions. Make sure it is signed in the right place by the right person. Donor priorities clearly reflected in project design and other information. Check the submission deadline and address – make sure you send the Application in before the deadline and receive an acknowledgement of receipt. No attachments unless specifically requested (unrequested attachments will be ignored)

After Submission Share the Application with others in your organization – if you are successful, lots of staff will be involved in future design and implementation activities. File the Application somewhere you can find it later – if you are successful, you will need to refer back to it. Celebrate - Applications are hard work so congratulations on finishing it!

ISHA Call for Applications Key information Success factors Hints and tips

Key Information - Organization Submission deadline 31 January, 2017 at 11:59 PM Submission email nfi.project.isha@gmail.com – if you do not receive a confirmation of receipt, resubmit! Language Arabic or English Signature requirement page 2 of the application form Number of applications allowed One (1) Type of organization Syrian-led civil society organizations Location of headquarters allowed Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Jordan Size of organization annual portfolio of under USD 2,000,000 (USD 2 million)

Key Information - Project Project sector vouchers and non-food items for humanitarian response Project duration 6-9 months Project budget USD 100,000 – USD 200,000 Geographic locations see page 9 of the Call for Applications Technical and organizational criteria see page 11 of the Call for Applications Planned project start date July 1, 2017

Success Factors Applications that have been selected by ISHA demonstrate the following: A strong commitment to capacity strengthening and a focus on growth and development Strategic thinking and approaches to the organization’s long-term role in Syria A clear understanding of beneficiary needs with a project strategy evidently addressing the identified needs Strong reasons for the selected program modality (vouchers or NFI) with a good assessment of the location market Well-defined approaches for including vulnerable groups throughout the project design and implementation Good monitoring and oversight of project implementation, particularly in locations with poor access and security concerns

Hints and Tips Read the guidance! Everything you need to know is there. If you still have questions – ask! Everything is posted at: www.apply4isha.org Check the website – other organization’s questions are useful and ISHA might post new information here. Don’t change the format – focus on answering the questions rather than presentation Don’t add attachments or links – ISHA will not look at anything outside the application form