EEA and Norway Grants logo

ACTIVE CITIZENS FUND – LARGE PROJECTS - VULNERABLE GROUPS ARE EMPOWERED
Deadline: Oct 31, 2018  
CALL EXPIRED

 Disadvantaged People
 Sports
 Gender Equality
 Minority groups
 Violence
 Migrants and Refugees
 Human Rights
 EEA and Norway Grants

Understanding on the Implementation of the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021” between

Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway (the Donor States) and Portugal, in force since 22 May 2017.

The Financial Mechanism Office, the programme operator of the Active Citizens Fund in Portugal,

has selected the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation as Fund Operator in Portugal, in consortium with

the Bissaya Barreto Foundation. The Active Citizens Fund is operated in Portugal under the terms

and conditions of the ‘Programme Implementation Agreement’ (PIA), signed on 9 July 2018.

The present call for applications lays down the specifications to apply for large projects under

Outcome 3 of the Programme – “Vulnerable groups are empowered”, one of the four areas of the

Active Citizens Fund in Portugal as set forth in Article 3 of the Programme Rules.

Applications shall be submitted online through the website: activecitizensfund.pt and shall follow the

evaluation and selection procedures detailed on this notice.

Without prejudice to the specifications contained in this notice, the provisions of the Programme

Rules shall apply fully to this call for applications and should therefore be consulted by applicants,

especially regarding the rules on eligibility of applicants and the selection procedures. The

Programme Rules, the Promoter’s Manual and other useful information can be found on the

Programme’s website.

1. Objectives

1.1 The projects to be selected under this Outcome shall aim primarily at empowering vulnerable groups and shall consider the overall objectives of the Programme as set forth in Article 2 of the Programme Rules.

1.2 In order to attain the above-mentioned objectives, Outcome 3 - “Vulnerable groups are empowered” encompasses namely the following project types:

  1. Adoption of participatory methods and/or innovative solutions in addressing the needs of vulnerable groups;

  2. Inclusion and response to social needs, namely regarding people with disabilities;

  3. Support for youths at risk of social exclusion, including from marginalised communities, in order to promote successful social and professional paths;

  4. Support for victims of domestic and sexual violence, including their physical, psychological and social rehabilitation;

  5. Support for the integration, in its various components, of refugees, migrants, Roma and other minority groups;

  6. Support for the integration of former prisoners, homeless people and other marginalized or at-risk groups, including through the use of the arts, sport or culture;

  7. Provision of training for the economic empowerment of vulnerable individuals, in order to promote their integration in the labour market;

  8. Support for the mobilisation of older peoples’ knowledge for the benefit and inclusion of newer generations in marginalised communities, in particular through intergenerational cooperation and mentoring initiatives.

1.3 Each supported project shall contribute at least to one outcome and deliver at least one output, to be selected from the indicators set for the Programme and quantified according to its nature and objectives.

1.4 The output indicators established for this Outcome are:

  1. Number of vulnerable individuals trained in economic empowerment;

  2. Number of NGOs specifically working with youth at risk of social exclusion;

  3. Number of NGOs adopting participatory methods with vulnerable groups.

 

2. Eligible Applicants

2.1  Project promoters must comply with the general conditions of eligibility of the Programme established in Articles 9 and 10 of the Programme Rules.

2.2  In the context of this call for applications it is mandatory that projects are implemented through partnerships. Partner entities must comply with Articles 9 and 12 of the Programme Rules.

2.3 Under Outcome 3, projects addressing specific vulnerable target groups shall in principle involve organisations created and composed by members of these groups, either as promoter or partner entity, as referred in paragraph 5 of Article 11 of the Programme Rules.

2.4  Each entity, either as promoter or as partner, must comply with the limits on accessing support stated in paragraph 4, Article 19 of the Programme Rules.

2.5  Applicants may also have access to bilateral cooperation initiatives for match-making and search for project partners, and to prepare donor partnerships for large projects under a separate call for applications. Information and notice available at activecitizensfund.pt.

 

3. Size and duration of projects

3.1  Large projects under this area shall have a total supportable cost above 30 000 euros and less than or equal to 150 000 euros, with the eligible costs of the project co-financed at a rate of up to 90%.

3.2  Projects under this area shall include a capacity building component, representing 10% of the total project cost with a minimum of 5 000 euros. The threshold and ceiling indicated in 3.1 already encompass this cost.

3.3 The maximum duration of large projects to be selected under this call for applications shall be 36 months.

 

4. Grants, eligible expenditure and financial contribution

4.1  Expenditures of entities that meet the requirements stated in Article 9 of the Programme Rules, shall be eligible under the present call for applications, for the purposes of calculating the grant.

4.2  Eligible costs are those actually incurred by the project promoter or the eligible partners according to the criteria laid down in Article 17 of the Programme Rules.

4.3  The project promoters and partner entities’ financial contribution can be provided in cash or in- kind (up to 50%) as voluntary work, calculated according to the formula set out in paragraph 4 of Article 18 of the Programme Rules.

 

5. Territorial scope

Projects under this call have to be implemented in the territories referred to in Article 8 of the Programme Rules.

 

6. Submission of applications

6.1  The applications shall be submitted, electronically, via SIPPCA (the Programme information system) using an application form available on the Programme’s website: activecitizensfund.pt.

6.2  Applications must be submitted through SIPPCA from 11 July 2018 until 31 October 2018, at 17:00 (GMT/Lisbon time).

6.3  After the electronic submission of the application form, the promoter must submit to the Programme Management Unit (PMU), by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt, an original version of the liability waiver within 10 days. This document needs to be signed by those responsible, under the law, for the entity.

6.4  The above-mentioned document shall be sent to the following address:

Programa Cidadãos Ativ@s Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian Avenida de Berna, 45 A 1067-001 Lisboa – Portugal

 

6.5  Only complete applications that comply with the deadline to send the above-mentioned document by registered mail, shall be considered for evaluation and selection purposes. Clerical errors made during the online submission of documents may still be corrected within two working days, as mentioned in paragraph 2 of Article 22 of the Programme Rules, following the procedure indicated in the Promoter’s Manual.

6.6  Applicants are responsible for the truthfulness and authenticity of all submitted documents and are expressly informed that they may be required to present the original documents to the PMU at any stage of the application process.

 

7. Methodology of analysis, evaluation and scoring of applications

7.1  The PMU shall review the applications for compliance with the administrative and eligibility criteria set on Article 22 of the Programme Rules. Applicants whose applications are rejected at this stage shall be informed and have a period of 10 days to appeal, counted from the day after the notification. Appeals may be sent by registered mail to the address indicated on paragraph 6.4 above; received appeals shall be analysed by the PMU which then proposes the final decision to the Board of Trustees of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

7.2  The evaluation and scoring of the applications shall be performed by two independent experts according to the selection criteria referred to in Annex 1 of the Programme Rules, with the weights set in this notice as follows:

 

Criteria

  1. Coherence between project’s objectives, activities, results and expected impact and clarity and appropriateness of the proposed methodology to tackle problems identified in the diagnosis (20)

  2. Relevance of the project towards achievement of Programme’s objectives and subsequent results, through the relevant outcome, including value for money (20)

  3. Project sustainability (10)

  4. Experience and ability of the Promoter NGO (10)

  5. Experience, knowledge and skills of the appointed Project Manager (12)

  6. Composition/participation of donor country entities, consistency, adequacy and management of the partnership (10)

  7. Proposed mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation (8)

  8. Relevance of the capacity building component to the project and to the promoter (10)

Total 100

 

7.3  The scores shall be assigned on a scale between 0 and 100 points, and the final classification of the application will be the simple average of the two scores assigned by the two independent experts except in the cases foreseen in paragraph 7.4.

7.4  If the difference between the two scores is more than 30% of the higher score, the application shall be assessed independently by a third expert, and in such cases, the final classification shall be the average of the two closest scores.

 

 

8. Selection process and reserve list

8.1  Only applications with a score equal or above 50 points may be selected to receive a grant.

8.2  After the evaluation and scoring of all candidate projects, the PMU submits the lists ranked by score to the Selection Committee. The selection will be made on the basis of the best classifications, up to the limit of the available budget.

8.3  Applicationsreferredtoinparagraph8.1whichcannotbeselectedunderthetermsofparagraph 8.2 are eligible to join the reserve list mentioned in Article 26 of the Programme Rules. The reserve list is ranked according to the score of each application up to a limit of 30% of the budget available for this call.

8.4  The list of selected projects and the reserve list are approved by the Board of Trustees of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation on the basis of the recommendations made by the Selection Committee.

8.5  The Programme Manager may draw applications from the reserve list to be granted, should funding become available due to savings or unused funds in previously approved projects. The reserve list is valid for up to 4 months following the notification decision, meaning that applications which are not selected to receive a grant until that date are automatically considered as not selected.

 

9. Grant contracting

9.1 Promoters of selected projects shall be notified individually of the Board of Trustees’ decisions as foreseen in Article 27 of the Programme Rules.

9.2 Prior to grant contracting, the PMU shall organise meetings with promoters and partners where they will be informed of the outcome of the technical analysis made by its staff and of the recommendations made by the independent evaluators, in order to improve, develop and/or specify the content of the project, its budget and targets as indicated in Article 28 of the Programme Rules.

9.3 Once the PMU considers the information provided sufficient and appropriate for drafting the grant contract, a grant contract is drafted and sent to the promoter, to be signed as stated in Article 28 of the Programme Rules.

9.4 The final list of selected projects and promoters is advertised on the Programme’s website - activecitizensfund.pt - upon receipt of all grant contracts signed.

 

10. Payment system

10.1 The project promoter shall inform the PMU of the bank account number (IBAN) to be associated to the implementation of the project on the terms and for the purposes set in Article 36 of the Programme Rules; this information is a prerequisite for the signing of the grant contract and the processing of any payment to the project promoter.

10.2 Once the grant contract is signed by the promoter and the partnership contract is received by the PMU, the approved grant is disbursed according to the payment system set in Articles 37 and 40 of the Programme Rules.

 

11. Specific Support to Applicants

11.1 A specific support, as established in Article 20 of the Programme Rules, is available to applicants that have an annual turnover up to 150 000 euros.

11.2 In addition to the conditions mentioned in 11.1, applicant NGOs can only receive specific support if one of the following conditions is met:

a) They are located in under-served geographic areas (outside the Lisbon and Porto Metropolitan Areas);

b) Irrespective of the geographic areas they are located in, they have been created and are composed of youth, migrants or minority groups.

 

12. Budget Allocation

12.1 The total budget allocated to this call is 1 300 000 euros.

12.2 Whenever part of the budget allocated to this call isn’t fully used to fund the applications selected and the applications on the reserve list, the remainder budget is transferred to future calls of the same Outcome.

 

13. Publicity and additional information

13.1 This notice and other relevant information, including the Programme Rules, the application forms and the Promoter’s Manual, are available on the Programme’s website: activecitizensfund.pt.

13.2 Any amendments to the terms and conditions set forth in this notice shall also be publicised in the above-mentioned website, with a minimum of three working days prior to the date of its entry into force.



Public link:   Only for registered users


Looking for a partnership?
Have a look at
Ma Région Sud!
https://maregionsud.up2europe.eu