GUIDELINES FOR FELLOWSHIP APPLICANTS Call for Applications under 2017 EaP Civil Society Fellowships Supporting Young Civil Society Leaders in Eastern Partnership Countries NOTICE This is an open call for fellowship applications. Applications for 2017 CSO Leadership Programme are accepted via the online application system. The deadline for the submission of applications is 18.00 (CET) on Monday, September 25, 2017. Please check the eligibility criteria before applying. When submitting their application applicants must follow all instructions contained in the guidelines and complete the on-line application form. Failure to submit the required information and documentation within the deadline specified may lead to rejection of applications. Should you have questions regarding your application, please contact fellowships@eapcivilsociety.eu. Table of Contents 1. Timetable... 3 2. Description... 3 3. Objectives and Methods of Implementation of the Fellowship Programme... 3 4. Financial support available for fellows... 4 5. Eligibility criteria... 4 6. How to apply and the procedures to follow... 6 7. Evaluation and selection of applications... 10 8. Implementation of action... 12 Annexes... 13 1 P a g e
List of abbreviations CSO EU EaP TA team Civil Society Organisation European Union Eastern Partnership Technical Assistance Team 2 P a g e
1. Timetable DATE TIME Call opens 15 Aug 2017 Not applicable Call for Applications announced 15 Aug 2017 Not applicable Deadline for requesting clarification 24 Sept 2017 18.00 CET TA team responds to queries from candidates 15 Aug 2017-17.00 CET 25 Sept 2017 Applications due 25 Sept 2017 18.00 CET Notification of award 10 Oct 2017 18.00 CET Approved and rejected applicants are informed of the 10 Oct 2017 18.00 CET selection process results Successful candidates receive a fellowship contract 24 Oct 2017 Not applicable Orientation for fellows: Fellows are invited for the 24 Oct 2017 - introductory meeting Implementation of action plans in selected formats Nov 2017-April - 2018 Fellows submit final reports to TA team to demonstrate the results of proposed actions 20 days from completion of the action phase - 2. Description The European Union is committed to supporting civil society in Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries. Developing leadership capacities and skills of future civil society leaders is one of the commitments made by the European Union in its policy on achieving '20 Deliverables for 2020. Focusing on key priorities and tangible results'. Investment in leadership potential is expected to bring high returns in terms of professionalisation of civil society organisations and thus, their capacity to engage in constructive policy and societal dialogue in Eastern Partnership countries. This support is an investment in the development of young current civic activists or civically minded individuals from the EaP region, who display the interest and ability of taking leading roles in the growth of their societies. The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Fellowships are an integral part of the European Union's Eastern Partnership Civil Society Facility. 3. Objectives and Methods of Implementation of the Fellowship Programme The fellowship programme aims to identify young ambitious/ high-potential/ forward-thinking CSO activists from the EaP region and support the development of their leadership skills. 3 P a g e
The Fellowship programme is designed with the purpose to allow selected fellows to implement their ideas for increasing their leadership capacity. 4. Financial support available for fellows The maximum amount of financial support available within the Fellowship Programme is EUR 5,000 per person. 5. Eligibility criteria There are three sets of eligibility criteria, relating to: (1) the applicants: (2) the actions: (3) the costs. 5.1 Eligibility of applicants In order to be eligible for a fellowship the applicant must: be a natural person; be a national and/or a resident of one of the Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine); be between 18 and 36 years old; have a proven track record of working in a CSO or taking a leading role in their communities in one form or another. This CSO Leadership Programme is designed for young CSO activists/ junior CSO professionals from the Eastern Partnership region who are affiliated with a civil society organisation in these countries or have significant experience volunteering or seeking to address problems in the lives of their communities. As proof of eligibility an applicant should provide the following documents: 1. scanned copy of passport or national identity card as proof of nationality and age; 2. scanned copy of a document confirming an applicant s residency and/or proof of address; 3. a letter of nomination from a relevant CSO or a letter of recommendation from a community organisation. 5.2 Eligible actions Definition An action is composed of a set of activities. Duration The planned duration of an action may not be less than 1 month nor exceed 6 months. Eligible Sectors The fellowship programme will provide support in the following broad areas of activities: 4 P a g e
Collecting local evidence: supporting fellows to collect and analyse evidence on key issues of public service delivery at local and national level. Involvement in policy-making: allowing fellows to gain expertise on specific policy issues, drafting policy papers/recommendations and organising advocacy campaigns; helping fellows gain access to government channels in order to better get their ideas across. Capacity development: supporting mentoring and job shadowing schemes in order to build capacities of other members of their organisations, as well as members of other CSOs from relevant networks. Involvement in monitoring public administration activity and results: supporting fellows in developing a multitude of monitoring activities. Improvement of CSO accountability and link to constituencies: supporting fellows in improving the accountability mechanisms of their organisations and in better linking activities to citizens' needs. Cooperation between CSOs: allowing fellows to organise activities bringing various CSOs together on issues of common interest. Innovation for development: utilize or develop ideas for specific ICT solutions for etransparency and eparticipation in order to contribute to the improvement of dialogue and partnership between civil society and governments in the EaP countries. For capacity building actions an applicant can make arrangements with a relevant host organisation or propose an action with an organisation listed in Annex E. All activities supported under this programme shall be designed and implemented in accordance with principles of good governance and human rights, gender equality, cultural diversity, environmental sustainability and the inclusion of socially or economically disadvantaged groups, including, but not limited to national/ethnic/religious minorities, disabled persons, children or IDPs, wherever these issues are of particular relevance. The following types of action are ineligible: actions concerned solely or mainly with constructions, procurement of works or supplies; actions supporting political parties; actions including proselytism. activities that are normally carried out by the applicant and/or affiliated entities. Location Actions must take place in the Eastern Partnership region or in the EU. Number of applications per applicants The applicant may not submit more than one application for this call for fellowship applications. 5.3 Eligibility of costs The Budget for a fellowship contract should be a realistic plan for the future expressed in quantitative terms. The budget should be based on the objectives and activities set out in the fellowship action proposal and it constitutes an essential part of it. The Budget should be based on a combination of 5 P a g e
financial, quantitative and qualitative information. The Budget is an essential part of the financial report for the action financed by the fellowship contract. The provided financial support of the Fellowship Programme shall cover: specific activities outlined in the application form and action proposal submitted by the applicant; travel and accommodation expenses to/from or/and within the host country; service fees for hosting organisation, if required. NOTE: In the case of proposals involving learning and mobility, the host organisations based in the EU Member States will facilitate the visa support. However, the applicants are expected to cover consular fees from the grant received. The eligible costs are to be based on simplified cost options. Simplified cost options may take the form of: 1. unit costs: covering all or certain specific categories of eligible costs which are clearly identified in advance by reference to an amount per unit. 2. lump sums: covering in global terms all or certain specific categories of eligible costs which are clearly identified in advance. The amounts or rates have to be based on estimates using objective data such as statistical data or any other objective means or with reference to certified or auditable historical data of the applicants or the affiliated entity(ies). The methods used to determine the amounts or rates of unit costs or lump sums must ensure that the costs correspond fairly to the actual costs incurred by the applicant and no profit is made and the costs are not already covered by other sources of funding (no double funding). 6. How to apply and the procedures to follow To apply for this call for fellowship applications the applicants need to: 1. Check eligibility criteria. 2. Collect necessary supporting documents. 3. Prepare action proposal, action plan and action budget. 4. Fill in the online application form at http://fellowships.eapcivilsociety.eu/ and submit it before 18.00 (CET) on September 25, 2017. Applications must be submitted in accordance with the instructions in the fellowship application form and the Guidelines for Fellowship Applicants. Applicants must apply in English. The provided application form in Annex D is included for information purposes only. In order to submit an application, an applicant should fill in the online application form and upload all requested documents in the requested format. Questions may be sent by e-mail no later than one day before the deadline for the submission of applications to fellowships@eapcivilsociety.eu. To ensure equal treatment of applicants, the Selection Committee cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of applicants or an action. 6 P a g e
No individual replies will be given to questions. All questions and answers as well as other important notices to applicants during the course of the procedure, will be published at www.fellowships.eapcivilsociety.eu, as appropriate. It is therefore advisable to consult the abovementioned website regularly in order to be informed of the questions and answers published. 6.1 Action Proposal The submitted action proposal is expected to demonstrate the applicant's understanding of the proposed action and to clearly present the envisioned activities and their impact. Should the offer contain quotations, these must be clearly identified and sources indicated. The action implementation should start no later than December 31, 2017. The Action proposal should be submitted electronically by attaching Action Proposal file in PDF format at the relevant section of the online application. The total length of the listed below sections of the action proposal should be respected (font minimum Times New Roman 12 or Arial, 11). Action Description (max 5 pages) Indicative action plan for the implementation of the action (max 1 page) 7 P a g e Provide a description of the proposed action, including all the information requested below, referring to the overall objective(s)/impact and specific objective/outcome, possible intermediary outcomes, outputs: State how the action will improve your leadership skills and your technical and management capacities. Identify and describe in detail each activity (or work package) to be undertaken to produce results, justifying the choice of activities and specifying your role in the activities. Do not repeat the action plan to be provided in the next section but demonstrate coherence and consistency of project design. Describe the expected impact of the action Describe a dissemination plan and the possibilities for replication and extension of the action outcomes (multiplier effects), clearly indicating any intended dissemination channel. Provide a detailed risk analysis and contingency plan. This should include a list of risks associated with each proposed action, accompanied by relevant mitigation measures. A good risk analysis will include a range of risk types including physical, environmental, political, economic and social risks. Describe the main preconditions and assumptions during and after the implementation phase. Explain how the action will be made sustainable after completion. This may include necessary follow-up activities, built-in strategies, ownership, communication plan, etc. Describe/highlight eventual changes of the information provided in the concept note. Applicants should not give a specific start-up date for the implementation of the action but simply refer to month 1, month 2, etc.
It is recommended to base the estimated duration of each activity and the total period on the most probable duration and not on the shortest possible duration, by taking into consideration all relevant factors that may affect the implementation timetable. The activities stated in the action plan should match those described in detail in the Description section. Any months or interim periods without activities must be included in the action plan and count toward the calculation of the total estimated duration of the action. The action plan of implementation should be sufficiently detailed to give an overview of the preparation and implementation of each activity. The action plan will be drawn up using the most appropriate format. It should be submitted as part of the Action Proposal file in PDF format. 6.2 Action budget Action budget Action Budget template is presented in Annex A. Complete Annex A with reference to the guidelines: the budget of the action (worksheet 1), for the total duration of the action; justification of the budget (worksheet 2), for the total duration of the action. Please note that the cost of the action and the financial support requested within this programme must be stated in EURO. The action budget should be submitted as a separate excel file in section 6 of the application form. While preparing the action budget please keep in mind that: The Budget is a planning tool. An organisation with objectives and activities in the form of a budget will be able to plan and make better decisions. The Budget is a control tool. A budget helps an applicant to control expenditure by setting cost guidelines, benchmarks, estimates and criteria. The Budget must reflect all expenditure in line with the planned activities. The Budget is a tool for financial compliance. The contractually agreed budget categories and lines are overall spending limits. The Budget mirrors the financial report. Actual expenditure incurred will be presented in the financial report and be compared with budgeted expenditure. Fellowship applicant should: Draw up a reliable, plausible, transparent and realistic Action Budget in line with the objectives, activities and time period defined for the action. 8 P a g e
Explain in the justification sheet the assumptions used to draw up the Budget and the methods and sources used to. The applicant should be able to provide on request of the Selection Committee and in addition to the Budget and the justification sheet further explanations, documents and sources used to draw up the Budget. Failure to do so casts doubt on the reliability and plausibility of the Budget. Only eligible costs can be covered by a fellowship budget. The categories of costs that are eligible and non-eligible are indicated in section 5.3 above. Applicants must clearly indicate in worksheet no.1 of Annex A, each heading/item of eligible costs concerned by this type of financing, i.e. add the reference in capital letters to "UNIT COST" (per month/flight etc) or "LUMPSUM" in the Unit column. Additionally, in Annex A, in the second column of worksheet no.2, "Justification of the estimated costs" per each of the corresponding budget item or heading applicants must: describe the information and methods used to establish the amounts of unit costs, lump sums and/or flat-rates, to which costs they refer, etc. clearly explain the formulas for calculation of the final eligible amount. At contracting phase, the Selection Committee decides whether to accept the proposed amounts or rates on the basis of the provisional budget submitted by the applicants, by analysing factual data of similar actions. Recommendations to award a fellowship are always subject to the condition that the checks preceding the signing of the fellowship contract do not reveal problems requiring changes to the budget (such as arithmetical errors, inaccuracies, unrealistic costs and ineligible costs). The checks may give rise to requests for clarification and may lead the Selection Committee to impose modifications or reductions to address such mistakes or inaccuracies. It is not possible to increase the amount of the fellowship as a result of these corrections. It is therefore in the applicants' interest to provide a realistic and cost-effective budget. The Budget should be clear, transparent and comprehensive. The Budget should be realistic. Rough estimates and amounts which are not explained cast doubt on the reliability of the Budget. This involves a high risk of over- and underestimates. Quantitative and qualitative data should be clear and plausible taken into account action objectives and activities. Budgeted expenditure should be properly classified to avoid overruns which may result in ineligible expenditure. The arithmetical accuracy of the Budget should be checked. Budgeted expenditure should be eligible in accordance with applicable contractual conditions. 9 P a g e
7. Evaluation and selection of applications Applications will be examined and evaluated by the Fellowship Selection Committee with the possible assistance of external assessors. All applications will be assessed according to the following steps and criteria. If the examination of the application reveals that the proposed action does not meet the eligibility criteria stated in section 5, the application will be rejected on this sole basis. STEP 1: ADMINISTRATIVE CHECKS AND EVALUATION OF SUBMITTED APPLICATION FORM The following will be assessed: Compliance with the submission deadline. If the deadline has not been met, the application will automatically be rejected. All requested supporting documents are provided. If any of the requested information is missing or is incorrect, the application may be rejected on that sole basis and the application will not be evaluated further. The Applications that pass the first administrative check will be evaluated on the relevance and design of the proposed action. STEP 2: EVALUATION OF ACTION PROPOSALS The quality of the applications, including the proposed budget and capacity of the applicants, will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria in the evaluation grid below. There are two types of evaluation criteria: selection and award criteria. The selection criteria help to evaluate the applicant(s)'s motivation and operational capacity to ensure that they: are committed to values associated with respect for fundamental human rights; have appropriate language skills for the chosen location of proposed action; are directly responsible for the preparation and management of the proposed action; have capacity to maintain the activity throughout the proposed action; have the management capacity and professional competencies required to successfully complete the proposed action. All selection criteria have to be met by an applicant in order to proceed to the next stage (award criteria stage). The award criteria help to evaluate the quality of the applications in relation to the objectives and priorities. They cover the relevance of the action, its consistency with the objectives of the Call for Fellowship Applications, quality, expected impact, sustainability and cost-effectiveness. The Applications will receive an overall score out of 100 using the breakdown in the evaluation grid below. The evaluation will also check on compliance with the instructions on the Action Proposal, which can be found in section 5 of The Guidelines of the fellowship applicants. 10 P a g e
The evaluation criteria are divided into headings and subheadings. Each subheading will be given a score between 1 and 5 as follows: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good. Scores 1. Operational capacity 15 1.1 Does the applicant have sufficient experience of leading actions? 5 1.2 Does the applicant have sufficient technical expertise? (especially knowledge of the 5*2 issues to be addressed) 2. Relevance of the action Sub-score 30 2.1 How relevant is the proposal to the objectives and priorities of the Call for 5*2 Application? 2.2 How relevant are the described needs of the applicant to the current position in a CSO and level of the applicant experience? 5*2 2.3 How clearly defined and strategically chosen are the needs? Does the proposal address the needs appropriately? 2.4 Does the proposal contain specific added-value elements, such as environmental 5 issues, promotion of gender equality and equal opportunities, needs of disabled people, rights of minorities and rights of indigenous peoples, innovation or best practices? 3. Effectiveness and feasibility of the action Sub-score 25 3.1 Are the activities proposed appropriate, practical, and consistent with the objectives 5*2 and expected results? 3.2 Is the action feasible and consistent in relation to the objectives and expected results? 5*2 3.3 Is the action plan clear and feasible? 5 5. Sustainability of the action Sub-score 15 5.1 Is the action likely to have a tangible impact on the applicant leadership skills? 5 5.2 Is the proposal likely to have multiplier effects? (Including scope for replication, 5 extension and information sharing.) 5.3 Are the expected results of the proposed action sustainable? : 5 1) financially (how will the activities be financed after the funding ends?) (2) institutionally (will structures allowing the activities to continue be in place at the end of the action? Will there be local 'ownership' of the results of the action?) (3) at policy level (where applicable) (what will be the structural impact of the action e.g. will it lead to improved legislation, codes of conduct, methods, etc.?) (4) environmentally (if applicable) (will the action have a negative/positive environmental impact?)" 6. Budget and cost-effectiveness of the action Sub-score 15 6.1 Are the activities appropriately reflected in the budget? 5 6.2 Is the ratio between the estimated costs and the expected results satisfactory? 10 TOTAL SCORE 100 **these scores are multiplied by 2 because of their importance The Selection Committee will select 20 best scoring application ensuring equal representation of civil society activists from each country and also gender balance. The selected fellows will be informed by email of the evaluation results. 5 11 P a g e
8. Implementation of the Proposed Action The selected fellows will sign Fellowship Agreement at the orientation meeting (see the timing table in section 1). The financial support to fellows will be provided in line with the conditions specified in the standard contract (Annex B). The TA team will monitor the implementation of each Action. After completion of the Action each fellow must submit a final report to demonstrate the results of proposed actions. An outline of the report is presented in Annex C. 8.1 Visibility The applicants must take all necessary steps to publicise the fact that the European Union has financed the action. As far as possible, actions that are wholly funded by the European Union must incorporate information and communication activities designed to raise awareness of specific or general audiences of the reasons for the action and the EU support for the action in the country or region concerned, as well as the results and the impact of this support. Applicants must comply with the objectives and priorities and guarantee the visibility of the EU financing (see the Communication and Visibility Manual for EU external actions specified and published by the European Commission at https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/communication-and-visibilitymanual-eu-external-actions_en). 8.2 ALUMNI NETWORK TA team will create the network of alumni during the first intake of fellows. The alumni shall be encouraged to participate in the events organised by the project (for example, contribution to publications, debates to which alumni are invited as speakers, elaboration of small common projects, info sessions and hackathons). The TA team will facilitate activism and networking by maintaining the online alumni community. 12 P a g e
Annexes Annex A: Proposed Action Budget Presented in a separate Excel file. 13 P a g e
Annex B: Standard Fellowship Contract Presented in a separate file 14 P a g e
Annex C: Final Report Outline Agreement ID: Fellowship Recipient Name: Action title: Dates of Fellowship: Host organisation (if applicable): Host Supervisor (if applicable): Report Outline a) Executive Summary b) Objectives of the Action c) Major achievements d) Major challenges e) Follow-up f) Recommendations and personal remarks. Appendix: Financial report 15 P a g e
Annex D: Application Form (for information purpose only) Attached as a separate file 16 P a g e
Annex E: Potential Host Organisations Preliminary consent for hosting received from the following organisations in Armenia, Georgia, Ireland and Ukraine: a) TUMO Creative Technology Centre (Armenia) b) Microsoft Innovation Centre (Armenia) c) Impact Hub (Armenia) d) Сivil Development Agency (Georgia) e) NGO Go Group Media (Georgia) f) Internews Georgia (Georgia) g) NGO JumpStart (Georgia) h) Youth Advocate Programmes (Ireland) i) Reanimation Package of Reforms (Ukraine) j) Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (Ukraine) k) The Eidos Centre for Political Studies and Analysis (Ukraine) l) Maker Hub (Ukraine). 17 P a g e