Development Awareness Fund: Mini Grants Scheme
- Please note that the deadline for receipt of applications under the 2009/10 funding round is 5 pm on Friday 31 October 2008
Guidelines 2009/2010
DFID's Development Awareness Fund is primarily focused on UK audiences.
The 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. DFID's contribution to a project will be a minimum grant of £1,000 and a maximum grant of £10,000 per year.
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:
England |
by DEA |
Northern Ireland |
by the Centre for Global Education (CGE) |
Scotland |
by the International Development Education Association of Scotland (IDEAS) |
Wales |
by Cyfanfyd, the Development Education Association for Wales |
The aims of DFID's Development Awareness Fund (DAF)
The overall aim of the Development Awareness Fund 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
(106
kb), 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.
Meeting the aims of the Fund
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 simply so that people in the UK know about Gambian dance, you will not receive a grant from this Fund as the project will not increase understanding of international development issues.
However, if you are using Gambian dance as part of a learning process that goes on to raise awareness of issues of interdependence between the UK and Gambia, and the need to reduce global poverty, then your project may be supported.
Please contact the administrator for your country:
if you want additional examples of successful applications.
The 'Enabling Effective Support
(EES)'(321
kb) initiative is developing regional
strategies to ensure that teachers have local access to resources and support to
enable them to bring the global dimension to their teaching. All formal
education mini grant project proposals must demonstrate:
- How your proposal relates to; or complements, EES in your region
- How the project will enable the embedding of the global dimension in the curriculum.
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.
What DFID prefers to support
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 organisations.
- Organisations operating mainly within a defined local or regional area (England).
- Projects led by or involving Black and Ethnic Minority organisations.
- Projects which build on genuine partnership.
- Innovative projects.
- Projects that build capacity to deliver development education.
Freedom of Information
DFID is committed to open government and to meeting our responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 . Accordingly, all information submitted to DFID may need to be disclosed in response to requests under the Act. DFID has a policy of active disclosure where possible and we may decide to include certain information in the publication scheme which we maintain under the Act.
Applicant Obligations
If you consider that any of the information included in your application would prejudice your interests if it were to be disclosed to the general public, please identify it and explain (in broad terms together with a time period after which the information could be disclosed) what harm may result from disclosure if a request is received. Applicants must justify why they prefer any information to be withheld.
DFID Obligations
Applicants should be aware that, even where it is indicated in the application that they would prefer information not to be disclosed, DFID may be required to disclose it under the Act if a request is received. DFID recognises the legitimate concerns of applicants and will normally consult with the relevant applicant before disclosing information if it appears to be sensitive in any way. There is a 20 day deadline within which DFID is obliged to provide a detailed reply to all requests received under the Act.
Child Protection
If the project involves work with children, the design and implementation should demonstrate how the issue of child protection is being addressed and you must provide a copy of your organisation's child protection policy.
What your proposal should demonstrate
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?
If your project is running for more than one year your proposal should detail how it will progress from year to year.
More information about Development Education concepts and measuring the effectiveness of your work can be found at:
- Centre for Global Education -
"The Global Dimension in Schools in Northern Ireland"
- Centre for Global Education -
- Centre for Global Education -
- Charities Evaluation Services -
- Welsh Assembly Government -
- Development Education Association -
- Development Education Association -
- International Development Education Association of Scotland -
DFID's contribution to your project
Projects can be for one to three years. Each year of the project should correspond to DFID's financial year, running from 1 April to 31 March.
Match funding is not required. DFID will fund up to 100% total project cost, from a minimum grant of £1,000 up to a maximum grant of £10,000 per annum.
Administration costs can be included in your application, provided they relate specifically to your project. Please note that up to maximum of 8% of DFID's contribution can be allocated towards administration costs.
What we cannot support
- Core funding (such as salaries of permanent staff, office rental and general running costs, except where these are directly attributable to the project).
- One-off events i.e. conferences, seminars, exhibitions.
- 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).
- Activities designed to generate funds for your organisation.
Please note, DFID will no longer accept proposals from Partnership Programme Arrangement (PPA) agencies. When negotiating the new PPA’s and renegotiating the existing ones, DFID will seek to include explicit development awareness outcomes where appropriate.
How to apply
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 31 October 2008.
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 be sent to the administrator for your country by the deadline but these must be supported by six hard copies.
Please note that although six copies of your project proposal are required to be submitted only one copy of each of the following documents is necessary for submission in support of your application:
- A copy of your organisation's Equal Opportunities statement.
- Latest annual report.
- Latest audited accounts.
- Any supporting letters from partners or beneficiaries.
- A copy of your organisations child protection policy - if your project is working with children (aged 16 or under).
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.
Applications will then be assessed by a process of peer review. The panel in each country comprises experienced local practitioners reflecting the full spectrum of development education practice.
We hope to notify applicants of the outcome of the assessment process by 31 January 2009. While projects can start from 1 April 2009, payment of the first installment will not arrive until April/May 2009, so please ensure you allow for this in your project plan.
Application format
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 proposal should be no more than 6 sides of A4 size paper (appendices are extra) and the font size should be no smaller than Arial 11.
Side1
Top sheet
- Name of the project - which should give some indication of its 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)
- Term which best describes your organisation, that is:
- Locally run and managed voluntary organisation
- Local organisation run by and for Black or other ethnic minority communities
- Development Education Centre
- Local branch of a national voluntary organisation
- Community-based group
- Youth organisation
- Faith-based organisation
- Time-scale of the project - including the proposed start and completion dates
- 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? Please provide descriptive evidence of your contact with the target group
- 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 (for example 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.
- Headings may include: staffing, administration, overheads, materials, publications, travel and subsistence, events, evaluation, promotion and publicity
- Please show how each total has been calculated, for example: unit cost multiplied by quantity, or days worked multiplied by daily rate
- 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?
- If applicable, 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 note that up to a maximum of 8% of DFID's contribution can be allocated towards administration costs.
Where to send your completed application
Please send your completed application to the appropriate address below:
Sejal Patel
Education Projects Manager
DEA
32-36 Loman Street
London SE1 OEH
Tel: 020 7922 7935
E-mail:
sejal.patel@dea.org.uk
Stephen McCloskey
Centre for Global Education
9 University Street
Belfast BT7 1FY
Tel: 02890 241879
E-mail: stephen@centreforglobaleducation.com
Angela Higgins
Administrator, IDEAS
Princes House
5 Shandwick Place
Edinburgh EH2 4RG
Tel: 0131 656 0453
E-mail: ideas@ideas-forum.org.uk
Dominic Miles
Cyfanfyd
Temple of Peace
Cathays Park
Cardiff CF10 3AP
Tel: 02920 668999
E-mail: info@cyfanfyd.org.uk
Last updated: 17 June 2008
