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Description of process

Following the requirements from the grants announcement on national grants, NGOs will look for partners from other sectors of society (government, institutions, universities and businesses), which are working on similar topics. The NGO is recommended to find partner organisations using the following resources:

• personal contacts, other NGOs, local universities, libraries and agencies; and
• REC country offices.

During concept paper preparation, REC country office staff shall assist NGOs with their questions about partners, clarifications regarding with the forms, instructions and so on. In order to assist NGOs to find partners, the country office is encouraged to use previous grants as a source of information, among other tools such as the NGO Directory.

NGOs will follow the concept paper form to propose the project concept. This proposal is shorter and simpler than the full proposal form. The basic information, emphasising the partner or partners, should be included as well as a short introduction to the project. As outlined in the format, the NGOs will estimate the amount required from REC in order to complete the entire project.

The concept papers form is part of the announcement. The statement of cooperation is an optional part of the announcement.
If the statement of cooperation is part of the proposal requirements, the project leader must turn in a signed and stamped statement of cooperation from each cooperative partner in the project. This is an agreement between the project leader and other partners (NGOs, businesses, academics, or other) which indicates that the partners intend to work with the project leader in order to prepare the full proposal. If there is no requirement to use the statement of cooperation as a form, applicants may provide their own forms, as long they provide the information showing the agreement for working together on proposal preparation and grant implementation if proposals are successful.
If the concept paper is selected, they will elaborate the full proposal together, and if the grant is awarded, they will implement the project together. The completed concept paper should not be longer than five pages, not including the statements of cooperation.

The announcement sets a deadline for concept paper submission. In order to avoid ambiguities about the deadline, it is recommended to define it as the time when applications must arrive at the office and to set a time for the closing of the submission process. This approach is followed by the European Commission or other donors. The country office should set a good example of respecting deadlines and treat all potential applicants equally during this phase.

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