Funding Copy

KIOS CALL FOR GRANT PROPOSALS FROM NEPAL

KIOS is opening a call for human rights grant proposals in Nepal. Applications to this call can be submitted by 20 June 2022. For Africa there will be no open call for proposals this year. Organisations that have recently received KIOS funding are welcome to submit their applications throughout the year outside the official call for proposals.

Find other donors like KIOS that support activists, civil society organisations and small, informal civil society groups from the CIVICUS donor directory.

INFORMATION ON THE CALL FOR NEPAL

BASIC INFORMATION AND TIMELINE

KIOS is opening a call for human rights grant proposals in Nepal. The call is based on the KIOS Strategic Plan of Action 2021-2024 and is part of the implementation of our new programme 2022-2025 “Stronger and More Resilient Civil Society Advancing Human Rights”.

Applications to this call are to be submitted by the end of Monday 20 June 2022 11.59PM Kathmandu time UTC+5.45.

Those applicants whose applications are not eligible for this call, will be informed as soon as possible.

Grant decisions on eligible applications will be made between November 2022 and January 2023. All applicants will be informed of the decision concerning their application.

In particular smaller organizations with limited funding opportunities are encouraged to apply. Grant proposals should be for one year. The number of grants from this call will be around 3-6 and the amount of each grant will be around 20 000-40 000 euros. Successful grantees are able to apply for new grants after the completion of the first grant.

More detailed information on management requirements of grants can be found in KIOS Grant Management and Reporting Guide. The KIOS programme is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

FOCUS

Geographical focus

•     Nepal

Applications from other countries or regions are not eligible for funding.

Thematic focus

This call for grant proposals is limited in thematic scope. The main focus of the call of proposal should be on:

• Promoting and protecting gender equality and combatting non-discrimination.  In particular the rights of women and LGTBIQ individuals and groups which are marginalised or in a vulnerable position.
• Promoting and protecting the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. In particular the rights of women, marginalised groups and persons in a vulnerable position facing effects of climate change.

Who Can Apply?

Eligible applicants

• Local civil society organisations, groups and networks working on human rights issues in Nepal.

Organisations that have previously received KIOS funding can apply, but only after the previous KIOS grant has been completed.

Non-eligible applicants

KIOS does not provide funding for any of the following and applications from these will be deemed ineligible:

•     Individuals
•     For-profit entities
•     Religious communities
•     Political parties
•     Governmental (whether national or local) bodies
•     International non-governmental organisations (INGOs)

Type of work

Types of work/action supported

Typical activities funded by KIOS include (not an exhaustive list):

• Human rights awareness raising to empower and mobilise marginalised and discriminated groups and individuals in society
• Capacity building of right holders and duty bearers
• Human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting
• Human rights campaigning, lobbying and advocacy
• Providing legal aid and assistance
• Public interest and strategic litigation
• Networking locally, nationally, regionally or internationally
• Institutional development of the human rights organisation/applicant (such as the safety and security of human rights defenders and their organisation, providing targeted support to staff in building up their human rights expertise, integration of HRBA, developing advocacy strategies and communications, developing and integrating new strategies, leadership skills or project, financial and results management skills)
• Please note that providing psychosocial, medical and any other type of support for victims of human rights abuse and violations can be part of the proposed action. However, it should not be the main action.

Type of work/action not supported

Type of activities which would not be supported include service delivery, infrastructure building, vocational training, education (unless human rights education), social work, socio-economic support, humanitarian aid and academic research.

Furthermore, KIOS does not finance scholarships, fellowships, conferences or travel as a sole activity.

Grant Limit and Budget

The budget of the grant request should be realistic in relation to the local price level, the planned grant work/activities and to the capacity and previous experience of the applicant organisation.

The grantee is expected to provide a self-financing share of a minimum of 10 % of the total proposed budget. The self-financing share should be clearly included in the proposed budget. This means that if you are applying for a grant of 100 euros, then self-financing is 11 euros, and the total budget is 111 euros. The self-financing can be in money or in kind. The contribution in kind can be for example a certain amount of voluntary work or the use of the organisation’s existing resources such as office space for the work/activities.

Salaries and other employment costs of the grant request must be specified in the budget. Please include also information of any salaries that are co-funded by other donors.

The budget must be presented in the local currency of the country.

Please add the cost of the external audit report, including management letter, to the proposed budget. Every grant, including the self-financing share, has to be externally audited at the end of it.

Grant Duration

The KIOS grants for this call are for a one-year (12 months) action meaning that the budget plan including for implementation, monitoring and reporting of the grant has to be within this 12 months’ timeframe. Applications requesting funding for other periods are not eligible.

Assessment Criteria

KIOS assesses the applications on the basis of the substance and feasibility of the proposal, and the applicant organisation’s capacity to carry out the proposed action.

The following criteria will be used for assessing the applications:

1) The proposed action is a human rights initiative (it aims to and has potential to promote or protect human rights).

2) The applicant has a sufficient capacity and history in defending human rights.

3) The ownership of right-holders and beneficiaries is safeguarded.

4) The applicant organisation is democratic, has integrity and has necessary administrative capacities.

5) The proposed human rights work is relevant and appropriate in relation to the human rights situation and it is feasible.

6) The applicant has capacity for evaluating and assessing the proposed action and to develop its own work.

7) The applicant has sufficient capacity to identify and manage security and other risks related to their work.

8) The budget of the grant request is realistic in relation to the local price level, the planned work and activities, and to the capacity and previous experience of the applicant organisation.

9) The recommendation letters and other references are adequate.

10) The grant is in line with KIOS’ strategy and focus of this call.

How to Apply

Forms and Compulsory Attachments

KIOS accepts only applications submitted using the KIOS Application Form 2022 for Nepal. The form can also be obtained from the KIOS office via email at applications@kios.fi.

Applications must be signed by a competent authority of the applicant organisation.

Please attach the following documents to the application:

• Two Written References (for the grant proposal in question)
• Proposed Budget
• Applicant Organisation’s Annual Budget
• Applicant Organisation’s Statutes or By-laws
• Applicant Organisation’s Registration Certificate
• Applicant Organisation’s Latest Audit Report

Guidance on filling in the application form

You may need guidance on filling in the application. We advise you to explore the following KIOS Guidance:

• KIOS Guidance on Applying Results-Based Management in compliance with Human Rights Based Approach
• KIOS Guidelines for Disability Inclusion
• KIOS Guidelines for Gender Equal Human Rights Defenders
• KIOS Guidelines for Climate Smart Human Rights Defenders
• KIOS Grant Management and Reporting Guide

If you still have questions regarding the call or the application form that you do not find an answer for, you may address them to the KIOS’ email applications@kios.fi.

Submitting Your Application

How to submit your application

Submit your application with the attachments by email to applications@kios.fi. Do not send them to other KIOS emails. Only the applications submitted to this email will be considered. Once your application has been received by KIOS you will be notified with an automatic reply.

KIOS accepts applications for this call in English.

Processing Your Application

Your application will be registered and it will go through a technical evaluation.

Processing eligible applications

If the application is deemed eligible, there will be more in-depth assessment of the grant request and the applicant organisation. This can include asking for clarifications and supplementary documents. Applications will be placed in priority order based on the assessment by KIOS experts. KIOS will organise interviews with those applicants whose applications have been assessed to best fulfil the criteria of this call.

The KIOS Executive Board will make the final decision concerning the applications. KIOS will inform applicants about the final decision regarding their application.

Processing application takes usually from 6 to 9 months.

Due to the large number of grant requests KIOS receives and the limited amount of funds available, only a small number of the applicants are granted financial support. For the same reason, we are not able to comment applications as a whole to each applicant.

Processing non-eligible applications

An application is deemed ineligible if it does not fulfil evaluation criteria 1 (the proposal has to be a human rights initiative) OR if the applicant is not eligible OR if the applicant is outside of Nepal OR if the predominant type of work is not line with types of work KIOS supports OR if the grant duration is not for one year. You will receive an email informing you of the ineligibility of the application. Please note that each applicant can only submit one application on this call for proposals. If you sent more applications than one, all the subsequent ones will be non-eligible.

Short Notes on Reporting on KIOS Grant

How to Report on KIOS grants

There are usually two reports to be submitted, the interim report and the final report. Both reports must include narrative and financial reports as well as relevant accompanying documents. The interim report is to be submitted once the first installment of the funds has been exhausted. The final report is to be submitted once all the funds have been used and all the activities implemented. You can read more from the KIOS Grant Management and Reporting Guide.

What Does Self-Financing Mean?

The self-financing means that the grantee must cover, at least, 10% of the total proposed  budget. This share can be either in money or in kind. The contribution in kind can be, for example, a certain amount of voluntary work or the use of the organisation’s existing resources such as office space for the grant activities.

Do KIOS Grants Need to Be Audited?

Every grant, including the self-financing share, has to be externally and impartially audited at the end of it, following the national legislation and approved principles related to auditing.

The final financial report must include an external audit report and a management letter of the KIOS-funded grant. The budget must be presented in the local currency of the country. Please add the cost of the external audit report, including management letter, to the proposed budget. The costs of the audit can be covered by the KIOS grant if they have been included in the approved budget of the grant proposal.

 

KIOS receives financial support for its activities from the development cooperation funds of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.