EU GRANTS The European Commission awards money in the form of grants in order to implement projects or activities in relation to European Union policies. Grant scheme may be available within fields as diverse as research, education, health, consumer protection, protection of the environment, humanitarian aid, etc. 

EU Grants - Programming Grants are subject to annual or multi-annual programming. Departments of the EC or other designated authorities that manage grant programmes publish their Annual work programmes for Grants on their Internet site

Annual Work Program 2010 - DG ELARG

EU Programs Implementation Depending on the status of the respective country in relation with the EU, implemented in one of three ways: Centralized: managed by the Commission in Brussels Decentralized: managed by the authorities of the beneficiary country as a result of an accreditation process Shared: managed by the authorities of one of the Member States participating in the cross-border program

EU Grants Stages Announcement of grant schemes Applying for EU grants Selection and award of grants to projects Budgeting, contracting, reporting, payments

Announcement of grant schemes Consulting the work programs you may already identify the fields which interest you. Managing Authorities publish calls for proposals on their Internet sites inviting candidates to present, within a given deadline, a proposal for action that corresponds to the objectives pursued and fulfils the required conditions.

Applying for EU grants Guidelines for Applicants (Application Form and Annexes): the purpose of the Call for Proposals, the eligibility rules regarding applicants and partners, the types of action and costs eligible for financing, and the evaluation (selection and award) criteria instructions on how to fill in the application form, what to annex to it and what procedures to follow for applying. The guidelines and any modification are published.

Application Form Concept note Information about the action proposed, including its budget Information about the applicant and partners

Application form – Project design KEY ELEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION FORM PROJECT DESIGN AND PLANNING TOOLS Relevance of the Action LOGFRAME Problems Presentation and analysis, interrelations. Identify specific problems to be addressed by the action. Problem tree Problem analysis Target groups and final beneficiaries - relevance of the proposal to their needs and constraints. Problem dialogue Stakeholder analysis Priorities and requirements presented in the Guidelines relevance of the proposal Review guidelines / EC& national policies

Application form – Project design KEY ELEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION FORM PROJECT DESIGN AND PLANNING TOOL 2. Description of the action and its effectiveness Overall objective of the action, outputs and expected results; Objective tree Proposed activities and their effectiveness; Strategy – SWOT analysis Force field analysis Implementing partners - their role and relationship; Stakeholder analysis Other possible stakeholders Idem

Common problems and difficulties with project design for EU funding

Selection and award of grants to projects Eligibility criteria of the applicant’s of the action - types of activities, sectors or themes, geographical areas Evaluation criteria: evaluation grids. Selection criteria - applicant's financial and operational capacity Award criteria - quality of proposals against the set objectives and priorities Relevance and compatibility quality, expected impact and sustainability cost-effectiveness.

Budgeting, contracting, reporting, payments Co-financing Each program has specific rules on the required level of co-financing. Ineligible costs Some costs maybe not eligible under EU grants such as VAT – this should be taken into account Expenditure verification Reports / audited financial report Procurement contracts Must comply with the rules set.

EU Funding Options IPA (Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance) European Instrument for Human Rights and Democracy EU Community Programs Europe for Citizens Progress (Community Program for Employment and Social Solidarity) Lifelong Learning Program Youth in Action

IPA Components Component I Transition Assistance and Institution Building Component II Cross-Border Cooperation Component III Regional Development Component IV Human Resources Development Component V Rural Development, Other Allocations Multi-beneficiary program allocation

IPA Civil Society Facility Areas of intervention Civic Initiatives and Capacity Building Support “People 2 People” Program Visitor Partnership Actions Activities

The checklist Is my type of project / envisioned activity eligible? Is my organization eligible for a given program or funding source? Is my type of project / envisioned activity eligible? Can I meet the other eligibility conditions? What about my timeframe? What type of financial support can I obtain? Who else is involved in the project? How to apply for funding in my location?

EU Grant Schemes The cycle of your project Let’s start! Evaluation & Audit Identification Implementation Monitoring Reporting Formulation EU Funding

Project Identification & Formulation The Logical Framework The Logical Framework Approach LFA – the process -The Logical Framework Matrix LFM - the product

The Logical Framework Approach Where we are? Where do we want to get? How do we get there?

PROBLEM ? The Obstacle that keeps us to get from where we are to where we want to be where we want to be where we are

PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS The art of closing the gap between the existing and desired situation Existing Situation Desired Situation

PROBLEM SOLVED The gap is closed between the existing and desired situation Existing Situation Desired Situation

PROBLEMS ANALYSIS THE PROBLEMS TREE Analyzing the Cause-Effect relationship among Problems and Arranging them in Levels of Generality/Specificity

Every problem can be in the same time PROBLEMS TREE I feel tired I do not have time to relax I have high blood pressure I have too much to work I do not delegate enough responsibilities I live an unhealthy life I manage my time in an ineffective way I do not have to whom to delegate I do not know how to delegate I smoke I do not make sport Every problem can be in the same time Cause and effect

Apply the problem tree analysis Task Apply the problem tree analysis Our organization does not have enough money to do /provide all the programs, services, products we would like to Self-assessment questionnaire about “how prepared is your organization to do effective fundraising” - 10‘ Build the problem tree by asking (3 times) why, why, why and (1 time) what is the effect of this problem - 45’

The Dialogue with the Problem Why it is a problem? (causes and effects) Whose problem it is? (identifying stakeholders) When it is a problem Where it is a problem?

WHOSE PROBLEM IT IS? STAKEHOLDERS? Persons Groups Organization/ institutions Interested or affected in a positive way are the project beneficiaries: target groups and final beneficiaries

Task Apply on the main problem The dialogue with the problem Stakeholders identification Use the information you generate in order to write a short paragraph for justifying the problem

Setting purpose and objectives If solving the problem is urgent, important, feasible, within your organization’s control, and something your organization is committed to accomplishing, then you need to move to the next stage of this process. The image of an improved situation in the future determines the purpose and objectives of your intervention.

OBJECTIVES TREE In 3 weeks I feel fine and with a renewed pleasure to work I relax at least 1 day a week My blood pressure is under control I delegate office management responsabilities Work day is 8 hour long I will adopt a healthy life style starting with tomorrow Next month I sign up for a time mgmt course We hire a new person as office manager in2 weeks Next week I get coaching on delegating I go swimming once a week I quit smoking tomorrow

Task Turn your problem tree into an objectives tree Means-end logic or the intervention logic

The LogFrame Matrix

The LogFrame Matrix - Intervention Logic If-then causality The first column of the Logframe matrix summarizes the ‘means-end’ logic of the proposed project (also known as the ‘intervention logic’). The objective hierarchy can be expressed :