Frequently Asked Questions
Civil Society Capacity Building and Advocacy – Grant Program
| Q1: In which language should be written the project-proposals? |
| Answer 1: The project-proposals can be written in the English language/or in the local language. In case you will submit the project-proposal in your local language, you shall write a maximum of two page description of the proposal in the English language, as per the format included at the Application Form document. |
| Q2: Considering that will be granted only 2 project per country, and the probability to win is small – can the proposal be repeated in another call? |
| Answer 2: The Grant Programme: Capacity Building and Advocacy Grant Program for sustainable rural development in the Western Balkans, will award at least two projects in each of these countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. There is no rule to prevent you from submitting the proposal in another call for applications. |
| Q3: Where I can access the application package? |
| Answer 3: The application package can be found at the official site of the project: http://www.balkan-noborder.com, or at the website of the implementing organization of the project in your country: www.idmalbania.org / www.anrd.al |
| Q4: We have been established in the beginning of 2016 and have only one financial annual report. The same is for our co-applicant which has been registered officially only this year, however it has a long activity experience with local community and youth in its area of operation in XXXXXXXX. Do we qualify to apply as a partnership in this call for projects? |
| Answer 4: Yes, you could apply and provide last annual financial reports what you have. In scoring of the project application relevant experience and capacities will be evaluated. |
| Q5: Is it possible the co-financing to come by an organization outside the region covered by the call for example from the Czech Republic? |
| Answer 5: Only organizations registered in one of the seven countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey) covered by the project are eligible to apply as partners within this call. Co-financing may be provided from an organization outside of this region, but the funds should be transferred to the applicant’s main bank account. In doing so, that co-financier (donor) must not be a partner in the project. |
| Q6: Is it eligible part of the activities to be performed outside the region covered by this Call, for example: LAG visits to countries outside this region? |
| Answer 6: Activities should be carried out exclusively in the region covered by the call. |
| Q7: Is it necessary to submit a document for confirmation of provided co-financing? |
| Answer 7: It is not necessary to submit a confirmation document for the provided co-financing during the application. |
| Q8: Can the project be focused on formation of LAG (trainings, workshops, strategy development and supporting documents)? |
| Answer 8: Yes, the project can include activities related to formation of LAG. |
| Q9: I am addressing you in front of the LAG “XXXXX”, based in XXXX, in connection with the project “ALTER – active local territories for the economic development of rural areas”. Namely, given that the goals and priorities of the program coincide with the goals of our local action group, and that we are currently working on the implementation of a project with a similar theme, we are very interested in participating in the realization of this project The question I would ask is about the conditions for applying – specifically whether there is a limitation on the length of the existence of CSOs, since our Local Action Group was formed and registered this year? |
| Answer 9: There is no limit on the period of existence. More information can be found in the guide. Questions and answers will be published soon on www.balkan-noborder.com and I recommend that you follow it. |
| Q10: I am addressing myself to you in behalf of Public Institution XXXX National Park, XXXXX, Bosnia and Herzegovina. I was reading WBF’s call for applications Capacity Building and Advocacy Grant Program for Sustainable Rural Development in the Western Balkans and would like to ask you few questions about it. First of all I would like to know if XXXXX National park as Public Institution is eligible as an applicant and can we apply? Also, would like to know do we have to have a partner from other Western Balkan country? |
| Answer 10: Only Civil society organization or representative networks of CSOs working on one or more thematic areas of relevance to this Call for Proposals are eligible for this call. Please find more details in Guideline 2.4 Eligibility. Yes It’s possible to have partners from other Western Balkan countries. Please find more details in Guideline 2.4 Eligibility. |
| Q11: What does the National Network mean? |
| Answer 11: Networks must be registered as non-profit associations and no limits according to the working area. National networks means networks active at national level without any need to be recognize by any authority as national |
| Q12: Can they apply CSOs that were founded one or two years ago, because they do not have financial reports for 3 years? |
| Answer 12: Yes, you could apply and provide last financial reports available. Only in scoring relevant experience and capacities will be evaluated. |
| Q13: Can the organization receiving the grant be released for tax exemption at the Tax Administration? |
| Answer 13: Depend the country, but national coordinators will provide information soon. |
| Q14: Are the Regional Development Agencies as a non-profit-making company, founded by representatives of the public, civil and business sectors, in the wider interpretation of the CSO definition, through this Call treated as an acceptable applicant/partner? |
| Answer 14: Depend of the status of registration. Please have in mind chapter 2.4. Eligibility Organizations registered in the following seven countries will be eligible for financial support: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. – Eligible organizations may be any of the following civil society organizations, – Legal persons, – Non-profit-making, – Civil society organization or representative network of CSOs working on one or more thematic areas of relevance to this Call for Proposals.Applicants should: – be active, verified by excerpt from national registry, – Maximal annual budget are equal or less than 17.000 EUR per applicant and each co-applicant in partnership, in last two years, – have main field of work as rural development with a track record in sustainable development, and/or working on one or more thematic areas of relevance to this Call (proved by the Statute and list and summary of previous projects and activities). |
| Q15: I am addressing you with a question regarding the public call for grants (capacity building of CSOs and advocacy for sustainable rural development in the countries of the Western Balkans). Namely, can the organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia apply as a partner on a project? |
| Answer 15: Yes, it’s possible to have partners from other Western Balkan countries. Only you must be careful with issue of VAT exemption in that case and complexity of VAT exemption of partner organisation from other country. Please find more details in Guideline 2.4 Eligibility. |
| Q16: Our organization XXXXXX has been working in the rural areas of Podrinje for the past 14 years through educational center in XXXXXXX. We would gladly apply for ALTER – “Active Local Territories for the Economic Development of Rural Areas” and we have a question. Our organization is not a member of the Rural Development Network and can apply to you ALTER project. |
| Answer 16: Membership in Rural Development Networks is not condition for applicants. You could apply if your organisation fulfils conditions of the call. Please find more details in Guideline 2.4 Eligibility. |
| Q17: I have a question – who can apply for a grant? I’m interested in whether any Legal Entity can apply? Does an NGO registered 2017 have the right to apply? The same thing as a lead applicant or partner. |
| Answer 17: Non-profit civil society organizations which are legal entities can apply, regardless of the year of establishment. This applies to both the applicant and the partner. Please find more details in Guideline 2.4 Eligibility. |
| Q18: Is an organization formed during 2017 eligible for application? |
| Answer 18: Yes, you could apply. In scoring of the project application relevant experience and capacities will be evaluated. |
| Q19: Is it allowed for project partnerships to be concluded only at national level or they must be regional partnerships? |
| Answer 19: Partnerships are allowed to be concluded at the national level. |
| Q20: Are the costs for visiting LAG in an EU Member State (specifically Bulgaria or Croatia) considered as eligible? |
| Answer 20: The cost of a study visit to LAG in an EU Member State is eligible only if the country is covered by the ALTER project. In this case, the cost of visiting LAG in Croatia would be eligible. |
| Q21: If we have a sub-grant from the Civil Society Facility and Media Program 2014-2015, are we eligible to apply? |
| Answer 21: Yes it’s eligible, only it’s not acceptable to have the same activities and co-financing from the same fund. |
| Q22: Can you please help with the numbers of lot – question in application form, since I am reading guidelines of the call, but I can not see the paragraph explaining NUMBERS of lot. |
| Answer 22: Please keep this cell empty. Within the call are not foreseen lots. |
| Q23: Are projects targeting mainly local government policies’ improvement eligible, or projects need to be mainly related to national government? |
| Answer 23: No limits, project could target mainly local or national government, or both. |
| Q24: What interests us is whether the Social Economy implies an area where we worked specifically with the hard-employ category of people with disability, education of persons with disabilities and active politics employment. We also have a signed protocol on cooperation with the capitol of Podgorica where we have been providing economic and legal consulting for women in business – entrepreneurs in last three years, there are women from the village and rural areas, we educated them, helped them with the form of organization business and writing business plans for applying to IRF and others financial institutions. Is it possible for our organisation to apply? |
| Answer 24: Social entrepreneurship involves working with heavily recruited groups, so we do not see the limitation for your application. Normally it must be directed to rural areas. Please find more details in Guideline 2.4 Eligibility and 2.5 Thematic area |
| Q25: In the last two years our budget was about 40.000 BAM. Can we apply, or will our application be taken into consideration? |
| Answer 25: If annual budget of the organization was over 17.000 EUR per year, in last two years, organization is not eligible to apply. Please find more details in Guideline 2.4 Eligibility. |
| Q26: “The maximal annual budget is equal or less than 17.000EUR per each applicant and co-applicant in partnership, in the last two years…to have rural development as the main field of work, with a track record in sustainable development, and/or working on one or more thematic areas of relevance to the call” This means that the applicant organization in the last two years must have been awarded grants not higher than 17.000 EUR? Later on it is required for the organization to be active, what contradicts with this. An active organization with projects and experiences cannot circulate such low annual values. |
| Answer 26: In the Grant Program Guideline is stated that “Maximal annual budget are equal or less than 17.000 EUR per applicant and each co-applicant in partnership, in last two years”, meaning that per each year in these two last year the annual budget of the applicant organization should not exceed the amount of 17.000EUR. The same counts for the partner(s) organization. The annual budget must vary between 0.1EUR – 17.000EUR. Under the section of the eligibility criteria (2.4) it is stated that Applicants should be active, verified by excerpt from national registry, meaning the applicant organization should prove that they have an Active Status (active VAT) verified by supported documents (the Statute of the organization and Certificate of Registration). The same counts for the partner(s) organization. |
| Q27: Should the application be in partnership with other organizations? |
| Answer 27: Organizations must form local, national and/or regional partnerships with minimum one civil society organisation as partner, to increase the impact of their project and their chances of being awarded a grant. Partners must fulfill the same criteria as the lead applicant. |
| Q28: Can municipalities and willage headmen submit Project proposal |
| Answer 28: No, only CSOs can submit Project |
| Q29: Does a CSOs have to have a partner CSO? |
| Answer 29: Yes. Organizations must form local, national and/or regional partnerships with minimum one civil society organisation as partner, to increase the impact of their project and their chances of being awarded a grant. Partners must fulfill the same criteria as the lead applicant. |
| Q30: Will Any other forms apart from the documents taking place in the call be needed to fill? Is Any other detailed Project documents required. |
| Answer 30: No. Only the parts in applican form will be prepared. |
| Q31: Can proposal be submitted in Turkisk? |
| Answer 31: Yes. But Project summary have to be in English. |
| Q32: Will the applican be submitted online? |
| Answer 32: Yes. |
Frequently Asked Questions (.pdf)
Frequently Asked Questions 2 (.pdf)