© Chulie De Silva | The children and some of their mums sit at the door step of a rice mill turned into a camp, waiting for the lunch to cook. Nanaddan, Sri Lanka, November 2007. The displaced by conflict, is as old as the conflict. This latest wave of displaced from the Muslim and Tamil minority communities have swelled conflict-induced internally displaced people (IDPs) in Sri Lanka to be around 500,000. In a country of approximately 20 million, it is ranked as one of the largest displacement crises in Asia in absolute terms and particularly in terms of the proportion of the population displaced, says the International Displacement Monitoring Center |
About the Program The Civil Society Fund (CSF) supports activities related to civic engagement by providing small grants administered through World Bank Sri Lanka Country Office. The Civil Society Fund seeds and supports activities that empower and enable citizens to take initiatives to enhance and influence development outcomes. Activities strengthen mechanisms for inclusion, accountability, and participation. Activities also strengthen partnerships with public sector, other civil society organizations, and the private sector. Winners of Civil Society Fund 2008
- Environment and Community Development Information Center - LowerUva Development Center - Marga Institute - People’s Service Council - Saviya Development Foundation - Uva Farmers Development Foundation - Women for Peace and Good Governance Read more...... Guidelines for Civil Society Organizations Sinhala| Tamil Before You Apply Who Can Apply? What Kinds of Activities are Supported? What Kind of Activities are not Supported? Selection Criteria for Grants What Size of Grants are Awarded? How to Apply for a Grant? Who to Contact? Download Application Form - English | Sinhala | Tamil Box1 Outcomes of Civic Engagement Civic Engagement can… § Promote public consensus and local ownership for reforms and for national poverty reduction and development strategies by creating knowledge-sharing networks, building common ground for understanding, encouraging public-private cooperation, and sometimes even diffusing tensions; § Give voice to the concerns of primary and secondary stakeholders, particularly poor and marginalized populations, and help ensure that their views are factored into policy and program decisions; § Strengthen and leverage impact of development programs by providing local knowledge, identifying potential risks, targeting assistance, and expanding reach, particularly at the community level; § Bring innovative ideas and solutions to development challenges at both the local and global levels; § Improve public transparency and accountability of development activities, contributing to the enabling environment for good governance. |
Before You Apply The CSF is able to fund only a very small percentage of the requests it receives. Many requests are declined, not because they lack merit, but because they do not match either the current objectives, or the criteria of the CSF as closely as the selected proposals. Your activity may fall within the objectives and criteria, but the demand far surpasses the availability of funds. Before applying, please take time to read the Guidelines to determine if there is a match. Who Can Apply? · Civil society organizations based in Sri Lanka and working on issues of development can apply for a grant. · Civil society organizations must be in good standing and have a record of achievement in the community and record of financial probity; · Priority will be given to organizations not supported by the Program in previous years (organizations are not eligible for more than three grants from The Civil Society Fund within a five-year period). What Kinds of Activities are Supported? The Civil Society Fund supports activities whose primary objective is civic engagement. In addition: · Activities may include, but are not limited to workshops and seminars to enhance civic engagement skills and/or knowledge; appropriate communication campaigns to influence policymaking or public service delivery; or innovative networking efforts to build the capacity of the particular sector. · The activity should be completed within one year of the date the grant is awarded. · Priority shall be given to organizations that have not been supported by the Program in previous years. What Kind of Activities are not Supported? CSF cannot fund: Research programs, formal academic training programs, operational projects, provision of basic services, ongoing institutional core support (such as equipment), scholarships, fellowships, study programs, individuals applying on their own behalf, or non-legal entities. Proposed activities should not compete with or substitute for regular World Bank instruments; the activity should be clearly distinguishable from the Bank’s regular programs. Under the categories above, examples of items and activities that are usually not eligible include the list below: · Direct service delivery; · Medical equipment, such as hospital equipment, hearing aids, crutches; · Computer equipment and installation; · Overhead costs, such as rent, maintenance, or general office supplies; · Workshops on training of business skills, unemployed, HIV/AIDS awareness, unless there is a primary civic engagement objective; · Building the capacity of CSO’s so that they could become consultants/employees in Bank projects; · Meeting basic needs, such as provision of water, heat, meals; · Construction of facilities, such as libraries or sanitation facilities; · Job creation or employment; · Disease control campaigns; · Food aid; · Full-time salaries of, for example, the director of the NGO; · Infrastructure projects, such as water systems, wells. Selection Criteria for Grants The following are the key selection criteria Effectiveness: Does the proposal address the objective of civic engagement? Specifically, does the activity support citizens, either individually or as organized groups, interacting with the public sector to strengthen mechanisms for inclusion, accountability, and participation in order to enhance and influence development outcomes? Feasibility: Is the proposed approach practical? Are the timeline and budget adequate? Organizational capacity: What skills do the organization’s staff and board bring to the project? Are they relevant to the project’s aims? Has the organization succeeded in similar endeavors of equal size and scale to what they are now proposing? Organizational credibility: What kind of reputation does the group enjoy within its community and beyond? Importance: Is the project significant? Is there evidence that the proposal will trigger action or work that the community wants? Will it make a difference in the community it purports to aid or resolve the issue it addresses? Given your other opportunities for funding, is it the right one to support at this time? Balance: The World Bank Sri Lanka Office may choose to balance the portfolio of activities by geography, gender, etc. What Size of Grants are Awarded? Most grants are in the range of $3,000 to $5,000. The Civil Society Fund rarely funds more than half of the proposed budget for an activity, and therefore prefers that its grants help leverage additional contributions from other sources. Applicant organizations are asked to describe how a grant from the World Bank might help them to raise matching funds from other donors. How to Apply for a Grant? The Civil Society Fund is administered out of the World Bank Sri Lanka office and call for applications and the decisions are made only once a year. Grants are awarded by a CSF Committee, convened by the World Bank Sri Lanka Office. Applications are screened and reviewed to ensure that the criteria are met. The Civil Society Fund gives full consideration to all proposals. The review may take up to four months to complete. Guidelines and application for the Civil Society Fund and a small booklet titled “Short Course on Proposal Writing” in English, Sinhala, and Tamil will be available at the reception of the World Bank’s Colombo Office, 73/5, Galle Road, Colombo 3 Who to Contact? To receive copies of the application form by mail or e-mail, please contact Ms. Kerima Thilakasena at the same address or e-mail: kthilakasena@worldbank.org, Tel:5561318 Applicants are advised to read the criteria and the application form carefully before submitting an application to the participating Country Office. Given the very large number of requests, personal visits and phone calls to the World Bank Office by the grantees are discouraged. Additional resources for CSO’s are available from the World Bank website, www.worldbank.lk.
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