National Grants Committee launches call for proposals from non-profit organisations |29 August 2019

Roseline Hoareau

The National Grants Committee is launching a call for proposals from non-profit organisations for projects geared towards addressing the country’s national priorities and the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The national grant is a means by which the government allocates funds to non-profit organisations for the realisation of impactful projects in line with the country’s national priorities.

According to the manager of the National Grants Committee, Roseline Hoareau, the initiative which falls under the umbrella of the Ministry of Finance, Trade, Investment and Economic Planning, was formerly called the Small Grants programme but has since been revised by the government to allow for more transparency, accountability and good governance.

In order to benefit from the grant, non-profit organisations are required to submit a comprehensive project proposal inclusive of financial and budget information for the project. The National Grants Committee, comprising representatives from the private sector, representatives from the Citizen’s Engagement Platform (Ceps) as well as representatives from the ministry, then evaluates the applications and the projects and decides on which projects to fund.

“The government appropriates a budget annually and has formed a national committee which goes over the projects and those who meet the criteria are approved and the funds disbursed for them to materialise their projects. As you know, it was previously the Small Grants programme but the government has moved away from that to make it more transparent. The way that projects are now funded is based on the numerous criteria set out by the government,” Ms Hoareau explained.

There are numerous criteria that have to be satisfied by applying organisations if they are to be considered and to qualify for the grant. Firstly, the organisation must have been a legally registered not-for-profit entity that has been operational for at least one year. Furthermore, it is imperative that the organisation’s financial accounts are audited and in order and that it is in good standing with the Registrar of Associations.

Upon receiving the applications, the national committee assesses the projects and the funding required. Projects that satisfy requirements are then approved and tabled before the National Assembly for their go-ahead and the funds are then disbursed by the committee on a quarterly basis.

Organisations also need to ensure that they can contribute 10 percent of the project total either from internal or external sources of finance, which Ms Hoareau notes serves to assure that they are serious about the projects.

“In the past, it was often the case that the funds were being used to cover administrative costs and expenses but this is no longer the case under the National Grants. The government’s policy now is to fund specific projects and activities and it is no longer supporting projects geared towards the administration of the organisation,” she said.

“Therefore, some important considerations are the objectives and aims of the project. The government’s focus is on aiding organisations by providing funding for some of their activities so they can achieve their objectives while at the same time having a positive social or environmental impact,” Ms Hoareau noted.

Projects that have been funded under the grants scheme include a health campaign by the H.I.V Aids Support Organisation (Haso) as well as other organisations involved in environmental protection and conservation.

There are a number of projects which cannot be funded under the grant including research projects, scholarships and other administrative projects.

Once projects have been approved, funding is disbursed on a quarterly basis subject to evaluation and monitoring of the projects.

“We want their projects to be implemented well. At the end of the day, we want taxpayers’ money to be spent in the right way and we want that when projects are completed, we can see the changes that it has brought about and that it has had an impact. Even if the government has approved the project, as per the funding agreement, it is imperative that the committee is satisfied that the project is being materialised as it was approved. If we are seeing that the project is not in line with what was approved in the first place, we will go back to the organisation and address this with them. We are trying our best to have a close working relationship with the organisations being funded so we can advise them if we feel that the projects are not on track or having the desired outcome, the policy allows the committee to retain the funds, although so far the committee has not retained the funding for any projects,” Ms Hoareau added.

To facilitate the evaluation process, organisations are required to submit an action plan detailing the project timeline in their project proposal as well as a progress report submitted mid-term in which they detail the progress on their projects including the desired outcomes of the project. Applicants may also make use of the progress report to highlight any difficulties and challenges they face in implementing the projects to allow the ministry to make necessary changes to the procedures in future, if necessary.

The deadline for the call for proposals for projects to be implemented in 2020 is September 11, 2019. Interested organisations who meet the criteria are being invited to attend an informative session to be held at Care House on Saturday August 31 from 9am to 12 noon in which information about the procedures and application will be given. For those who have already prepared projects, the committee will be present to advise them as to whether the project qualifies for the grant.

“We are organising the session to ensure that everyone is on equal footing. We urge them to assist with their respective projects or to attend to learn what the project is about, how it can benefit their organisation, what they need, the procedures in place so they can also benefit under the grants,” Ms Hoareau stated.

A total of 22 projects amounting to R8,731,769.96 were funded this year under the grants scheme and to date, R4,628,505.24 has been disbursed.

One of the projects that were funded this year is the educational campaign by the National Consumers’ Forum (Natcof) who submitted its project last year, and received funding to materialise it this year.

The executive director of Natcof, Norlis Rose-Hoareau, noted that Natcof benefitted from a R857,000 grant for its consumer education campaign which aims to educate consumers of their rights and responsibilities as consumers and encouraging consumers to make good choices in terms of pricing and quality of products.

The organisation also implemented an awareness campaign on smart products such as smart phones, smart watches and other digital devices geared towards the youths, the main consumers of such technology in Seychelles.

Natcof will be taking the campaign in professional centres across Seychelles.

More information about the grants scheme and procedures will be given during Saturday’s informative session.