Development Awareness Fund

Mini Grants Guidelines 2005/2006

June 2004

The Development Awareness Fund (DAF) is aimed at UK audiences.

The DAF Mini Grants Scheme is aimed at organisations or networks with an interest in development education work in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales who want to undertake 1-3 year projects which seek to raise awareness and understanding of international development issues; of our global interdependence; of the need for international development; and of the progress that has been made and that is possible.

This document is intended to help organisations or networks to prepare applications to the Mini Grants Scheme and includes guidance on:

• The aims of the Development Awareness Fund
   
• Meeting the Aims of the Development Awareness Fund
   
• DFID's preferences including who is eligible to apply
   
• What your proposal should demonstrate
   
• DFID's contribution to your project
   
• What DFID cannot support
  
• How to apply
   
• Application format
   
• Where to send your completed application

The grants are administered in:

The DAF'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 Millennium Development Goals (previously known as 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.

However, it is highly recommended that you read DFID's strategy paper, Building Support for Development, BEFORE submitting an application to the DAF Mini Grant Scheme. The strategy paper sets out how DFID plans to build greater awareness and understanding of international development issues across the UK.

For your application to be successful, you must demonstrate how your project will raise awareness in the UK of international development issues. DFID looks for projects that generate knowledge and understanding of the Millennium Development Goals, and the values that underpin them, amongst new and wider audiences.

Although there is a significant degree of flexibility in the Mini Grant guidelines, projects that do not promote DFID's aims cannot be considered. Successful applications are those that are clearly defined as projects, rather than core programme work and have clear and realistic development education objectives, directly contributing to DFID's aims.

In preparing your application, you should show how your project will make the link to the DAF objectives, and specifically, how it 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 detail how your target audience's appreciation of the importance of poverty reduction will be enhanced.

In previous years, many projects were unsuccessful because they lacked a 'global' and international development element, failed to show how this element would contribute to DFID's aims, or failed to make a link with poverty reduction.

Example

If your project is teaching Gambian dance to people in the UK so that people in the UK know about Gambian dance, you will not receive a grant from this Fund. However, if the reason you are teaching Gambian dance is to lead into a process of raised awareness of issues of interdependence between the UK and Gambia, and for this in turn to raise awareness of global interdependence and the need to reduce global poverty, then your project may be supported.

Please contact the Administrator for your country (details provided on page 9) if you want additional examples of successful applications.

All project proposals that target the formal education sector must clearly show how they contribute to the delivery of the "Enabling Effective Support" implementation plan for their region or country. If you want further information on the EES initiative please contact the Administrator for your country.

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

Any organisation with an interest in development education work is eligible to apply. Please note, however, that applicants in England must be locally or regionally based.

Provided your project contributes to the aims of the Fund, preference will be given to proposals that demonstrate one or more of the following qualities:

• Partnerships made up of traditional development education organisations and organisations new to development education.
  
• Projects which seek to engage new audiences and organiszations.
  
• Organisations operating mainly within a defined local or regional area (England).
  
• Projects led by or involving Black and Ethnic Minority organisations at a local or regional level.
  
• Projects which build on genuine partnership at a local and regional level.
  
• Innovative projects at a local or regional level.
  
• Capacity-building projects at a local or regional level.

It is important to set out clearly how you will engage your target group(s) in activities to develop global perspectives. This means making use of effective learning methodologies that actively seek out and explore the connections, as well as the injustices and inequalities, at local and global levels.

This learning should explore participants' own experience of the impact of the global at the local level, challenging existing thinking and developing practical skills and confidence to be "active global citizens". Thus, a key component of development education is to encourage action by learners that will effect positive change locally and globally.

Within Development Education, learning outcomes are grouped together under three headings:

• Knowledge and understanding
   
• Thinking, social and practical skills
   
• Values and attitudes

When planning your project, think carefully about the "learning outcomes" for your target group(s) and how you will measure the impact and effectiveness of your work. What new information, concepts and values will they learn as a result of your project, and what changes are you hoping this will bring about in the immediate, and longer term?

More information about Development Education concepts and measuring the effectiveness of your work can be found in:

Development Education Association, "Developing a Global Dimension in the School Curriculum".  www.dea.org.uk/schools/publications.html

Development Education Association, "Measuring Effectiveness in Development Education".  www.dea.org.uk/dea/publications.html

Charities Evaluation Services, "Your Project and Its Outcomes".
 www.ces-vol.org.uk/html/about_monitoring.htm

Projects can be for one to three years. Each year of the project should correspond to DFID's financial year, ie running from 1 April to 31 March.

DFID contribution to a project will be a minimum grant of £1,000 and a maximum grant of £10,000 per year. We would expect applicants to provide some funding towards the project, though 100% funding will be possible in exceptional circumstances.

Administration costs can be included in your application, provided they relate specifically to your project.

• Core funding (such as salaries of permanent staff, office rental and general running costs, except where these are directly attributable to the project).
  
• Conferences (unless they form part of a the wider project).
  
• Scholarships, exchange visits, travel to or from overseas, grants or bursaries.
  
• Production of materials or resource packs cannot be the primary focus of the project.
  
• Capital expenditure (such as buildings or infrastructure).

Please read this section carefully as applications submitted in an incorrect format will not be considered.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 5pm on Friday 29 October 2004. Applications will then be assessed by a process of peer review. The Panel in each country comprises Development Education practitioners with experience of DE work in schools, community and BME organizations.

We hope to notify applicants of the outcome of the assessment process in January 2005. While projects can start from 1 April 2005, payment of the first installment may not arrive until April/May, so please ensure you allow for this in your project plan.

Six copies of your project proposal should be sent to the appropriate address listed below. Applications must be signed by a senior member of staff or member of the management committee. Faxed applications cannot be accepted, however, e-mailed applications can but these must be supported by a hard copy.

One copy of each of the following documents should be enclosed with the application:

• A copy of your organisation's Equal Opportunities statement.
  
• Latest annual report.
  
• Latest audited accounts.
  
• 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.

There is no application form for this grant. However, a recommended format is laid out below, outlining all of the points you should cover.

Your completed proposals should be no more than 6 sides of A4 size paper (appendices are extra) and the font size should be no smaller than 11 points.

SIDE 1

TOP SHEET

• Name of the project - which should give some indication of is focus or the area it covers
  
• Name and address of the organisation or network applying including telephone, fax and e-mail details
  
• Name and position of main contact
  
• Main aims of your organisation and date when it was set up, with brief examples of activities you have carried out to support these aims.
  
• Number of people involved in running your organisation (give figures for full-time, part-time and volunteer staff)
  
• 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.
  
• How you found out about the Development Awareness Fund Mini Grants Scheme.

SIDES 2-5

DETAILS OF THE PROJECT

• What is the main aim of the project for which you are seeking funding, and what are the key objectives?
   
• What are the key activities (with dates)?
   
• What are the expected results including specific learning outcomes?
   
• Who are the main target groups you will be working with?
  
• What evidence is there that this project is needed within your local/regional area and who have you actively involved in the preparation of this proposal?
  
• Who will be your partners in delivery of the project?
   
• How will your project be monitored and evaluated?
   
• Look carefully at the aims of the fund as set out on page 2, and explain clearly how your project supports these aims
   
• How will your project contribute to challenging stereotypes and discrimination (eg racism, sexism)?
   
• How will the principles of equal opportunities be embedded into delivery of the project?
   
• How will the benefits of the project continue to have an impact after our grant ends?

SIDE 6

BUDGET

• Give a breakdown of the total project costs for each year of the project, according to DFID's financial year, 1 April to 31 March.

- Where possible, show how each total has been calculated eg unit cost x quantity, or days worked x daily rate

- Headings may include: staffing; administration; , overheads; , materials; , publications; , travel and subsistence; , events; evaluation; promotion and publicity

- In-kind costs should not be included in the breakdown

• What is the total cost of the project in each financial year?
   
• What amount are you applying for from DFID in each financial year (note that 100% funding will only be given in exceptional circumstances)?
   
• What other sources of funding will be secured to support the project, and how much will be provided by each source? Please indicate whether funding is agreed or anticipated.

Please send your completed application to the appropriate address below:

England

Michila Critchley
Funding and Grants Officer
Development Education Association
33 Corsham Street
London N1 6DR
Tel: 0207 490 8108
E-mail: michila.critchley@dea.org.uk

Northern Ireland

Stephen McCloskey
One World Centre for Northern Ireland
4 Lower Crescent
Belfast BT7 1NR
Tel: 02890 241879
E-mail: stephen@owcni.org.uk

Scotland

Kristin Higgins
Co-ordinator, IDEAS
The Courtyard Rooms, Simon Laurie House
Holyrood Road
Edinburgh EH8 8AQ
Tel: 0131 557 8114
E-mail: kristin@ideas-forum.org.uk

Wales

Dominic Miles
Cyfanfyd
Temple of Peace
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3AP
Tel: 02920 668999
E-mail: info@cyfanfyd.org.uk

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