CALL FOR PROPOSALS

SMALL GRANTS FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS SUPPORTING LEARNING CENTRES

Reference No. 4767/21

Project	Joint European Union / Council of Europe project “Building Capacity for Inclusion in Education - INCLUDE”
Awarding entity	Council of Europe
	Council of Europe
Funding	European Union
Duration	Projects shall be implemented by 30 November 2021. Reporting requirements shall be completed by 12 December 2021.
Estimated starting date	19 April 2021
Issuance date	24 February 2021
Deadline for applications	15 March 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.      INTRODUCTION.. 4

II.    BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE PROJECT.. 4

III.  BUDGET AVAILABLE.. 4

IV.   REQUIREMENTS. 4

1.     General objective. 4

2.     Means of action. 5

3.     Implementation period. 5

4.     Target stakeholders. 5

5.     Budgetary requirements. 5

6.     Further to the general objective, preference will be given to: 6

7.     The following types of action will not be considered: 6

8.     Funding conditions: 6

9.     Reporting requirements: 6

V.     HOW TO APPLY?. 7

1.     Documents to be submitted: 7

2.     Questions. 7

3.     Deadline for submission. 7

4.     Change, alteration and modification of the application file. 7

VI.   EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURE.. 8

1.     Exclusion criteria: 8

2.     Eligibility criteria: 8

3.     Award criteria. 9

VII. NOTIFICATION OF THE DECISION AND SIGNATURE OF GRANT AGREEMENTS. 9

INDICATIVE TIMETABLE.. 9

Appendices:

-   Appendix I - Application Form

-   Appendix II - Provisional budget (Template)

-   Appendix III - Template Grant Agreement (for information only)

 

I.                   INTRODUCTION

This call for proposals is launched in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe Project “Building Capacity for Inclusion in Education - INCLUDE”, implemented by the Council of Europe and co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe.

The call aims to support activities of the Civil Society Organisations (CSO) in Kosovo* who run learning centres (LC), with the aim of strengthening the functionality of the LC by carrying activities with children attending them and their parents and coordination with the mainstream schools.

The distribution of grants is subject to submission of proposals by the CSOs, on what the needs of the LC are and how the grants will be used. One CSO can apply for supporting maximum three learning centres.

Selection of the initiatives for funding will be done by an Evaluation Committee comprising members from the Council of Europe, the European Union Office in Kosovo and the Ministry of Education and Science. The Council of Europe will sign Grant Agreements with the selected COSs and the results will be published on the website of the Council of Europe Office in Pristina.

Project proposals shall aim to produce an added value to the Council of Europe efforts in this domain.

II.                BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE PROJECT

The joint European Union and Council of Europe project “Building Capacity for Inclusion in Education – INCLUDE” is a four year project, co-financed by the European Union and Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. The project started on 1 January 2020 and will be implemented until 31 December 2023.

The main objective of the project is to improve access to quality education of students from disadvantaged groups in pre-primary, primary and secondary education - in line with the Beneficiary’s domestic policies and priorities and Council of Europe standards and practices.

One of the specific outcomes of the project is improved attendance and learning outcomes of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children in pre-primary, primary and secondary education. This will be achieved through the support to the functioning of the learning centres so that they can continue to provide educational support to the children in need.

III.             BUDGET AVAILABLE

The indicative available budget under this call for proposals is 60,000 € (Sixty thousand Euros). The Council of Europe intends to support a total of 4 (four) Civil Society Organisations with a maximum amount of 15,000€ (Fifteen thousand Euro) each, covering project activities in maximum three learning centres, with a maximum budget of 5,000 EUR (five thousand Euro) per learning centre.

Subject to the availability of funds and extension of the Project initial duration, the Council of Europe reserves the right not to award all available funds, and/or to redistribute the available funds in a different manner depending on the project proposals received and on the outcome of the call for proposals.

IV.              REQUIREMENTS

1.      General objective

The grants will fund projects designed to support learning centres in developing and implementing student-led projects in their learning centres, schools and/or communities.

The general objective is to propose a project that will support the learning centres to offer better services for children and the community so that children can improve their learning outcomes in schools as well as their analytical and critical understanding skills.

Further to the general objective, preference will be given to:

Civil society organizations supporting learning centers with a strong record of civic education projects at grass roots level and of community development projects.

Note: The methodology proposed may be modified / optimisedfollowing each cycle based on the lessons learned / experience gained.

2.      Means of action

Projects may include one or more of the following actions, but are not limited to:

-          Project-learning/service-learning: support students in designing, implementing and reflecting upon their projects;

-          Peer learning and observation;

-          Experiential learning: process of learning from experience through i.e. interactive games, presentations, simulations, drama, and role plays, case studies etc.

-          Awareness-raising and communication campaigns, including but not limited to the organisation of a local community-based awareness-raising

-          Educational tools and didactic materials.

3.      Implementation period

The implementation period of the projects should start on 19 April 2021 (see indicative timetable under VIII. below) and shall not extend beyond 30 November 2021.

Reporting requirements shall be completed by 12 December 2021 at the latest.

Projects completed prior to the date of submission of the applications will be automatically excluded. As regard projects started prior to the date of submission of the applications, or prior to the date of signature of the grant agreement, only those costs incurred after the date of submission of the grant application could be eligible (provided the agreement concerned so provides).

4.      Target stakeholders

Projects should target in particular the following key stakeholders:

-          Students from vulnerable groups;

-          Learning centre staff, teachers, parents, as well as community members;

-          Public institutions and civil society organisations.

The above list is not exhaustive, and projects may propose to target other relevant stakeholders, while keeping in mind the general objective of the Project.

5.      Budgetary requirements

Project proposals shall be accompanied by a draft budget (See Template Budget, in Appendix II) amounting to a maximum of 15,000 € (fifteen thousand Euros) per CSO, with 5,000 € (five thousand Euros) per learning centre. The estimated budget must be consistent, accurate, clear, complete and cost-effective, in the light of the activities proposed. The grantee will need to ascertain that the expenditure in Euros.

Each grantee shall also be required to contribute to the project either by way of its own resources, in-kind or by contribution from third parties. Co-financing may take the form of financial or human resources, in-kind contributions or income generated by the action or project. Proof of contribution from other sources will need to be presented with the budget.

6.      Further to the general objective, preference will be given to:

·         Projects/actions proposed by NGOs in cooperation with schools;

·         Projects/actions targeting cooperation with schools and parents of children attending the learning centres

·         Projects/actions involving both girls and boys/ women and men

7.      The following types of action will not be considered:

·         Projects/actions providing financial support to third parties (re-granting schemes);

·         Projects/actions concerning only or mainly individual scholarships for studies or training courses;

·         Projects/actions supporting political parties.

8.      Funding conditions:

The funds for each grant should in principle be distributed as follows:

·         80 % will be paid when the Grant Agreement between the two parties is signed;

·         the balance will be paid based on actual expenditures incurred, and after the presentation and acceptance by the Council of Europe of the final narrative and financial reports for the Grant implementation.

9.      Reporting requirements:

·         narrative reporting requires a full narrative report on the use made of the grant and a copy of the register of the persons present during each of the activities, including names and signatures of participants;

·         financial reporting requires in particular a statement in the currency in which the Grant Agreement will be concluded (Euros), in English, stating the payments made for the implementation of the activities, certified by the responsible financial officer of the Grantee, accompanied by “appropriate original supporting documents” (see below). The Council of Europe reserves the right to ask for summary translations of invoices into English. If for legal reasons the original documents must be retained by the Grantee, certified copies must be submitted with the financial statement.

“Appropriate original supporting documents” refers to signed contracts, invoices and acceptances of work (for all transactions), payment authorisation for all transactions should also be provided in case the Grantee uses such practice, and reliable evidence of payment (authorised payment order and bank statement).

As regards round tables / conferences, presenting “appropriate original supporting documents” requires presentation of a programme indicating the title, dates, venue, and agenda of the event; the names of persons facilitating the event, a signed list of participants, the contracts with the owner of venue of the event (e.g. hotel) for the rent of premises, food and beverages of participants, invoices from the owner of the venue of the event for the above services, and a report on the results of the event (see narrative reporting above).

As regards consultancy services, presenting “appropriate original supporting documents” requires presentation of evidence of the outputs produced, contracts with experts and consultants containing a specific description of services to be carried out, invoices produced after the works have been performed and delivered (the specialities of the consultants shall correspond to the nature of activities for which they are contracted).

As regards travel fees / lodging of experts and participants, presenting “appropriate original supporting documents” requires presentation, where relevant, of contracts with a travel agency for travel fees and lodging, invoices of the travel agency indicating destinations, dates, ticket costs, and names of the travelling persons, a programme of the event indicating the names of the experts and signed lists of participants.

The above description is not comprehensive. Any doubt regarding the interpretation of the notion of “appropriate original supporting documents” should lead the Grantee to consult the Council of Europe.

V.                 HOW TO APPLY?

1.      Documents to be submitted:

Each application shall contain:

·         the completed and signed Application Form (See Appendix I);

·         a provisional budget (using the template reproduced in Appendix II), with proof of contribution from other sources, including in-kind contribution.

·         the other supporting documents:

-          Documents certifying the registration of the CSO;

-          Bank/financial statements authorised by a financial officer of the CSO;

-          CVs of staff members who will be involved in project implementation;

-          Proof of minimum 5 years’ experience in carrying out activity in the field of education;

-          Contact details of three relevant donors as referees.

Applications that are incomplete will not be considered.

2.      Questions

Questions regarding this specific call for proposals must be sent by 8 March 2021 the latest, in English and shall be exclusively sent to the following address: [email protected] with the following reference in subject: Questions and clarifications: Supporting Learning Centres

3.      Deadline for submission

·         The application form, completed and signed, together with the supporting documents, must be submitted in electronic form (Word and/or PDF) to the following e-mail address [email protected]  Emails should contain the following reference in subject: Application - Supporting Learning Centres

Applications must be received before 15 March 2021 (at 23:59 CET). Applications received after the above mentioned date will not be considered.

4.      Change, alteration and modification of the application file

Any change in the format, or any alteration or modification of the original application file, will cause the immediate rejection of the application concerned.

VI.              EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURE

The proposals will be selected by an Evaluation Committee comprising representatives of the Council of Europe, Ministry of Education and Science. Other members shall be involved if necessary. The procedure shall be based on the underlying principles of grant award procedures, which are transparency, non-retroactivity, non-cumulative awards, not-for-profit, co-financing and non-discrimination, in accordance with Rule 1374 of 16 December 2015 on the grant award procedures of the Council of Europe.

The applicants, and their projects, shall fulfil all of the following criteria:

1.      Exclusion criteria:

Applicants shall be excluded from the grant award procedure where they:

a. have been sentenced by final judgment on one or more of the following charges: participation in a criminal organisation, corruption, fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing, terrorist offences or offences linked to terrorist activities, child labour or trafficking in human beings;

b. are in a situation of bankruptcy, liquidation, termination of activity, insolvency or arrangement with creditors or any like situation arising from a procedure of the same kind, or are subject to a procedure of the same kind;

c. have received a judgement with res judicata force, finding an offence that affects their professional integrity or constitutes a serious professional misconduct;

d. do not comply with their obligations as regards payment of social security contributions, taxes and dues, according to the statutory provisions of the country where they are established;

e. are or if their owner(s) or executive officer(s), in the case of legal persons, are included in the lists of persons or entities subject to restrictive measures applied by the European Union (available at www.sanctionsmap.eu).

By signing the Application Form, applicants shall declare on their honour that they are not in any of the above-mentioned situations (See Appendix I, Item 12).

The Council of Europe reserves the right to ask applicants at a later stage to supply the following supporting documents:

-          for the items set out in paragraphs a), b) and c), an extract from the record of convictions or failing that an equivalent document issued by the competent judicial or administrative authority of the country where the applicant is established, indicating that these requirements are met;

-          for the items set out in paragraph d), a certificate issued by the competent authority of the country of establishment;

1.                  for the items set out in paragraph e);

1.                  for natural persons, a scanned copy of a valid photographic proof of identity (e.g. passport)

2.                  for legal persons, an extract from the companies register or other official document proving ownership and control of the applicant.

2.      Eligibility criteria:

In order to be eligible for a grant, an applicant must:

·         be legally constituted as a civil society organization in Kosovo;

·         be entitled to carry out all the activities described in its project proposal;

·         have been active for at least 5 years in the field of education;

·         have sufficient financial capacity (stable and sufficient sources of funding) to maintain its activity throughout the period for which the grant is awarded and to participate by way of its own resources (including human resources or in-kind contributions);

·         have sufficient operational and professional capacity, including staff, to carry out activities described in its project proposal;

·         have a bank account.

Multiple applications are not allowed and shall lead to the exclusion of all applications concerned.

3.      Award criteria

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

•       the relevance of the experience of the applying organisation(s) and staff including in particular experience working with vulnerable groups, Roma and other minorities (35%);

•       the extent to which the action meets the requirements of the call (30%); 

•       the relevance and added value of the project with regards to the objective of the call, at all stages of its implementation. It should also ensure that gender perspective is mainstreamed in all stages of its implementation (25%);

•       the quality, accuracy, clarity, completeness and cost-effectiveness of the application and the estimated budget (10%).

VII.           NOTIFICATION OF THE DECISION AND SIGNATURE OF GRANT AGREEMENTS

On completion of the selection process, all applicants will be notified in writing of the final decision concerning their respective applications as well as on the next steps to be undertaken.

The selected Grantees will be invited to sign a Grant Agreement (See Appendix III, for information only), formalising their legal commitments. Potential applicants are strongly advised to read the draft contract, in particular its requirements in terms of payment and reporting.

INDICATIVE TIMETABLE

Phases	Indicative timing
Publication of the call	24 February 2021
Deadline for submitting applications	15 March 2021
Information to applicants on the results of the award procedure	12 April 2021
Signature of the grant agreements	15 April 2021
Implementation period	19 April 2021 – 30 November 2021
Deadline for submitting the reports	12 December 2021

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