DEVELOPMENT AWARENESS FUND

GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES 2005/06

Revised June 2004

This document is intended to help organisations or networks prepare grant applications for projects under DFID’s Development Awareness Fund. 

This document also explains DFID’s accounting and reporting requirements. There are four sections: 

1. The Criteria 

2. The Scope of the Development Awareness Fund 

3. The Administration (including Reporting Requirements) and Presentation of Project Proposals 

4. The Substance of the Project Proposal 

The Development Awareness Fund budget for supporting new projects in 2004/05 has been provisionally set at £1.5 million. 

1. The Criteria

The policy of the government is set out in its two White Papers on International Development, published in November 1997 and December 2000. The central focus of the policy is a commitment to the internationally agreed target to halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2015, together with associated targets including basic health care provision and universal access to primary education by the same date. 

In support of this, the Government is committed to building greater awareness and understanding of international development issues across the UK. Our strategy paper Building Support for Development sets out how we plan to take forward this work in partnership with a range of organisations and groups across society. We will concentrate our work, and focus the Development Awareness Fund, around four main target groups: formal education, the media, business and trade unions and churches and faiths. However, we will also look for opportunities to spread our work more widely. 

Within this strategy, the Fund’s overall aim is to support activities that promote the following: 

• Knowledge and understanding of the major challenges and prospects for development, in particular the poverty reduction agenda; but also of developing countries themselves. 
• Understanding of our global interdependence, and in particular that failure to reduce global poverty levels will have serious consequences for us all. 
• Understanding of and support for international efforts to reduce poverty and promote development including the international development targets. Recognition of progress made, and that further progress is both affordable and achievable. 
• Understanding of the role that individuals can play; enabling them to make informed choices.

Proposals to the Fund should set out clearly the specific learning outcomes envisaged, and the proposed content of key messages. While difficult and controversial issues can be addressed, we would expect them to be tackled in a balanced way, and consistent with the criteria above. 

In previous years, many projects were unsuccessful because they failed to show how they met these criteria. Although there is a significant degree of flexibility in the guidelines, projects that do not contribute to DFID’s aims cannot be considered. In preparing your application, you need to make explicit the link between your project and these criteria. 

In particular, a large number of unsuccessful applications lacked a ‘global’ and international development element. Other project proposals failed to make a link with poverty reduction. You should show how your project will bring about an understanding of the importance of reducing poverty elsewhere in the world. This does not mean that your project has to be about poverty, but you must illustrate how your target audience’s appreciation of the importance of poverty reduction will be enhanced. 

The implementation of the 'Enabling Effective Support (EES)' initiative, which aims to develop regional strategies to ensure that teachers have local access to resources and support to enable them to bring the global dimension to their teaching will be implemented over the coming years. All project proposals that target the formal education sector must clearly show how they are built around, and will focus on the delivery of, the curriculum provision relating to a global dimension in education in their region.

Remember: it is up to you to make the link between your project and the aims of the Fund. Do not expect the assessors to make the link for you.

Applicants should plan to meet a proportion of project costs from their own resources or from other sources. Only in exceptional circumstances will DFID consider being the principal funder. 

2. The Scope of the Development Awareness Fund

The Development Awareness Fund is primarily focused on UK audiences, but we may also support activities within the project which promote awareness internationally. 

The fund will also give priority to projects working with new partnerships rather than funding existing partners with projects entering a second phase. 

A: Who can apply? 

The Fund is open to any UK-based organisation or network which shares our commitment to raising awareness and understanding of development issues and has the capability to account properly for any DFID funds received. 

The Development Awareness Fund will no longer accept proposals from Partnership Programme Agreement (PPA) agencies. When negotiating the new PPA's and renegotiating the existing ones. DFID will seek to include explicit development awareness outcomes where appropriate.

B: What kind of initiatives can be funded? 

The Development Awareness Fund will support activities primarily aimed at UK audiences. However in exceptional circumstances we may support activities focused on overseas audiences, particularly where this is likely to contribute to greater awareness and promotion of the International Development Targets. Within this framework we will consider a wide range of initiatives which meet the criteria set out earlier. 

Funds are not available for the following: 

• Projects involving construction works. 
• The provision of items of equipment, other than as an integral part of a wider project. 
• The production of materials or resource packs as the primary focus of the project.
• Seminars or Conferences (Unless they form part of the wider project).
• Scholarships, for full time study even if part of a wider project. 
• Initiatives which clearly fall within the criteria of other funding programmes operated by DFID. 
• Initiatives which involve direct lobbying of the UK government or of international organisations of which the UK is a member, or which involve lobbying for or against activities of particular companies, individuals or institutions. 
• Initiatives which focus on development activities overseas. 

It is not possible to provide an exhaustive list of suitable projects, but if you have any questions, please contact   the Development Awareness team (see Point 3 for details) 

C: How much funding can DFID provide?

DFID contributions from £100,000 per annum to £100,000 per annum towards the total project costs can be considered under the Fund. 

A Mini Grants Programme for applications under £10,000 per annum for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is administered on our behalf; details of the organisations administering the scheme can be found in Appendix A. 

D: Project Timescale

Support for a maximum period of three years can normally be agreed under the Fund. Funding will normally not be provided for follow-on phases of DAF projects as the DAF is intended to give priority to projects working with new partnerships rather than funding existing partners with projects entering a second phase.

3. The Administration (including Reporting Requirements) and Presentation of Project Proposals 

The Fund is administered by the Development Awareness Team, which is part of DFID’s Information & Civil Society Department. 

The team's contact details are as follows:

Postal Address: Development Awareness Team, Department for International Development, Abercrombie House (Room AH502), Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow, G75 8EA.

E-mail: daf@dfid.gov.uk 

Tel: 01355 844000 (Switchboard)

Fax: 01355 843539

They will be happy to deal with any problem or queries you may have about the Fund. 

The administration of the Fund is kept as simple as possible. Some of the more significant points are: 

A: Method by which new project proposals should be sent.

All project proposals should be sent to the development Awareness Team by e-mail to daf@dfid.gov.uk 

If your proposal has any accompanying annexes, then these alone should be sent as a hard copy (clearly marking the project proposal that they are linked/related to) to the Development Awareness Team at the above postal address.

B: When should they be submitted? 

DFID’s financial year runs from the beginning of April to the end of the following March. New project proposals can be submitted at any time up until the end of October preceding the financial year in which the project is scheduled to begin (e.g., if your project is scheduled to begin in May you should submit your proposals by the end of the preceding October). This is not a matter of setting artificial deadlines. Applications for grants under the Fund may outstrip resources and it would be wrong to make decisions on new grants on a first come, first served basis. We may exceptionally consider project proposals outside this timescale. Early submission of new project applications would assist DFID in completing the overall exercise as quickly as possible. 

DFID welcomes the submission of Concept Notes, except during the month of October, which will allow us to advise you on whether to prepare a full proposal. Your Concept Note should be sent as an electronic document to daf@dfid.gov.uk 

Concept Notes must be no more than two A4 pages in length. If you have any questions about what the Concept Note should contain, please direct your enquiry by e-mail to daf@dfid.gov.uk where a member of our Development Awareness Team will respond to any questions raised.

If we recommend that you go ahead, we will also provide guidance on issues which your Concept Note has raised which we expect to see addressed in your full proposal.

Please note that if we invite you to prepare a Full Proposal, this is not a guarantee that your proposal will be successful and that you will receive funding.

If your Concept Note is unsuccessful, we will provide feedback on why your proposal is considered unsuitable. 

The Development Awareness Team will aim to respond to the Concept Note within four weeks of receipt.

C: When will DFID make decisions on new project proposals? 

We hope to notify applicants of the outcome of the assessment process by the end of February 2005. With new proposals coming in until the end of October it inevitably takes some time to assess them and make decisions on which projects can be funded. If any organisation has particular problems about the timing of a new project, they should get in touch with the Development Awareness team.

D: Financial budgets.

Each project proposal should include a financial budget detailing all the project costs, including any elements which will be funded by other sources. We will need a full breakdown of the project’s budget including costs of administration, monitoring, evaluation and so on. The basis of your budget should be as outlined as follows. 

1. Total project costs, including a full breakdown of the budget elements for example costs of administration, monitoring, evaluation and so on.

The following are not acceptable items for inclusion in a budget:

• Contingencies should not be included in budgets. if there is a need for additional and unforeseen expenditure you should contact the officer in the Development Awareness Team responsible for your project, who will endeavour to give an early response on whether this can be accommodated. 
• Core costs: administration and other costs which are not directly related to the project application. 
• Extravagant expenditure: budgets should reflect value for money.

 2. The proportion of the total project costs being claimed from the Fund.
     Please note that up to a maximum of 8% of DFID's contributions is allowable towards administration costs

3. Where the balance of funds will come from

*Applicants must be able to provide evidence that they can meet their share of the cost - and that commitments from other funding sources are firm commitments - before DFID funds can be released. In-kind contributions (volunteer time, donations of equipment, premises, materials etc.) should have a notional value placed on them and must be substantiated.

4. Indicate whether in receipt of other DFID funds.

5. The amount you propose to claim in each DFID financial year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March, for the duration of the project.

E: Narrative Reporting Requirements.

If the project proposal is agreed we will issue a Grant Arrangement Letter, which sets out amongst other things, the size of the grant and our financial and narrative reporting requirements.

As a government department DFID has to ensure that public funds are used properly and that projects funded through the Development Awareness Fund comply with government reporting and accounting requirements.

Progress reports against workplans are required at least every 6 months and  an annual report for the project should be submitted to DFID within 3 months of the end of the reporting period. A Project Completion Report should also be submitted to DFID within 4 months of the end of the project.

Reporting is an integral part of project planning, implementation and evaluation. The composition of reports should ideally be a process of joint reflection, expressing the views of various project partners. It has two main purposes. It helps to:

• Ensure accountability, not just to DFID but to the organisation's own constituency. 
• Encourage learning and good practice, both for the implementing organisation(s) but also for DFID, other development education organisations and donors.

F: Payment of Funds

DFID's policy is to reimburse costs quarterly in arrears. The quarters run as follows: Quarter1 - 1st April to 30th June, Quarter2 - 1st July to 30th September etc.

If paying in arrears is not practical for you, for example you cannot cover your costs from your own resources or through a bank facility (the costs of which are claimable from us as an administrative overhead) then we can pay in advance (at quarterly intervals) provided you can demonstrate that this is necessary.

G: How should project proposals be presented? 

Applicants are not required to complete any forms. However, proposals should be no more than 10 sides of A4 paper, excluding the top page and budget. The font size should be no smaller than Arial 12. For the sake of clarity every project proposal must have on the top page: 

• The name and address (including contact details - telephone, fax, e-mail) of the applicant (i.e. the organisation or network). If this is the first time an organisation or network has applied for a grant under the Fund you should attach some background information, annual reports etc. 
• The name of the project (which should give some indication of its focus or the area it covers). 
• The time-scale of the project, including the proposed start and completion dates. 
• The total cost of the project and the sum being sought from DFID. Where funding is requested for more than one financial year, the costs should be broken down by DFID financial years. 
• What are your main sources of funding. 
• What prior contact, if any, including funding have you had with DFID. If yes, which part of DFID.

We will also require one copy of the following documents to be sent by hard copy to the Development Awareness Team (clearly indicating the project proposal that they are linked/related to;

1. A copy of your organisation's Equal Opportunities and Data Protection statements.

2. Latest Annual Report and Audited/Signed Accounts.

3. Any Supporting letters from partners or beneficiaries.

If for any reason you are unable to enclose any of these documents (for example, if you are a new organisation), please state the reason in a covering letter.

4. The Substance of the Project Proposal 

Applicants must demonstrate in their proposal that each project has been carefully researched, that it has clear aims and objectives, and how these contribute to DFID’s aims. Proposals should include effective monitoring and evaluation procedures. 

Some projects may not easily lend themselves to quantification of learning outcomes, but it is important to be clear about what is expected and how progress may be measured (quantitatively and qualitatively). Proposals should also demonstrate that the means adopted to achieve objectives are cost-effective. In the absence of clear objectives it will be difficult to know whether a project is succeeding. 

The following questions may be useful in the preparation of a proposal. The list is not exhaustive, but gives an indication of what we are looking for: 

The Objective 

• Has an objective been clearly identified? 
• How does it relate clearly to the aims of the Fund? 

The Project

• How was the project or idea initiated? 
• What are the components of the project and how will they be delivered? 
• How do these contribute to achieving the overall objective and to the objectives of DFID's Building Support for Development strategy paper? 
• What are the specific learning outcomes envisaged? 
• What is the content of key messages? 

The People 

• Who is the project aimed at? What has been their involvement in the design of the project? 
• Does the organisation understand the characteristics and needs of the people with whom they will be working? 

Outputs

• What will the project actually do? 
• What is the timetable for these activities? Is it realistic? 

Inputs 

• What are the personnel inputs into the project? What is their level of experience and expertise? 
• What are the material inputs? Are they appropriate, and do they represent good value for money? 
• Who are the other sponsors/funders of the project and what percentage of costs is being met by each? 

Learning from others/avoiding duplication 

• What account has been taken of similar work undertaken by others? 
• Have any lessons been learnt? 

Assumptions and Risks 

• What assumptions are being made about attitudes, motivations and opportunities etc.? How realistic are they? 
• To what extent is the project dependent on external forces? 

Monitoring

• How will the progress of the project towards its objectives be monitored? How will its success be measured and by whom? 
• What arrangements are there for the revision of the project during its implementation? 

Evaluation

• What plans are there for evaluating the project? Will there be a formal evaluation exercise? If so how and when will this take place? 
• Will results be shared with others? 

Sustainability 

• Will the benefits of the project be sustained after the project itself comes to an end and, if so, how will this be achieved? 

If for any reason you are unable to enclose any of these documents (for example, if you are a new organisation), please state the reason in a covering letter.

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Appendix A 

Development Awareness Mini-Grant Programme organisations

England  

Development Education Association 
33 Carsham Street
London
N1 6DR
Tel: 020 7490 8108 
Contact: Michila Critchley
e-mail: michila.critchley@dea.org.uk  

Scotland 

IDEAS
The Courtyard Rooms
Simon Laurie House
Holyrood Road
Edinburgh
EH10 5EA
Tel: 0131 557 8114
Contact: Kristin Higgins
e-mail: ideas@ideas-forum.org.uk 

Northern Ireland 

One World Centre. NI
4 Lower Crescent
Belfast
BT7 1NR
Tel: (028) 9024 1879
Contact: Stephen McCloskey
e-mail: stephen@owcni.org.uk  

Wales 

Cyfanfyd
Welsh Centre for International Affairs
Temple of Peace
Cathays Park
Cardiff CF1 3AP 
Tel: 029 20668999 
Contact: Dominic Miles 
e-mail: info@cyfanfyd.org.uk  

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