FCRA PROJECT: DANISH FOREIGN MINISTRY - LOCAL GRANT AUTHORITY

Name of funding agency: Danish Foreign Ministry

Name of grant programme: Local Grant Authority

Background: The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports civil society organisations in the South through local agreements with the Danish Embassies, through the Local Grant Authority scheme.

Types of grant: The Local Grant Authority (LGA) is a flexible and largely non-bureaucratic funding instrument available to local civilsociety organisations, authorities or enterprises in developing countries. The budget for the LGA is administered by Danish Embassies, which are authorised to approve grants without consulting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Grant size: Under the LGA, Danish Embassies can fund projects up to a maximum grant size of DKK 5 million (€670,000)

Own contribution: Not Specified.

Funding Priorities: All proposed project activities should follow the general objectives and principles of Danish development policy as laid down in the annual “Priorities of the Danish Government for Danish Development Cooperation”, the Strategy for Danish Development Policy “Partnership 2008” and other relevant thematic policies. Moreover, applications should make reference to the specific Danish country strategy, if applicable. However, the target country of the project proposal does not need to be one of Denmark’s programme countries. The cross-cutting issues of gender, sustainable development and human rights and democracy should be mainstreamed into the project proposal if possible.

Eligibility Criteria: Civil society organisations from developing countries are eligible to apply for Danish Embassy funds without a Danish partner organisation. Project proposals under the Local Grant Authority of Danish Embassies will be appraised based on the following criteria:

• The project’s feasibility and effectiveness in regard to the problem it intends to address

• Sustainability of the proposed activities and coherence with national poverty reduction strategies

• Sound project budget and appropriate timeframe

• Capacity of the local executing partner to manage the project and to properly report on the funds received.

• The applying civil society organisation must be legally established and have audited annual accounts

Project Duration: Project duration will be negotiated with the local Danish Embassy on a case-by-case basis.

Deadline: No set deadlines.

Application forms: Contact the Danish Embassy or representation in your country for an application form.

Application procedures: Interested organisations from developing countries should contact the local Danish Embassy to get more information about the availability of funds under the LGA.

Tips:

Southern civil society groups can contact the Project Advice and Training Centre if they are interested in forming partnerships with Danish NGOs.1 Another resource is IBIS, the Danish NGO platform, who can also be contacted for more general information on development cooperation and on accredited NGOs.