The NGO STRENGTHENING ASSISTANCE MECHANISM (NSAM)

The NGO Strengthening Assistance Mechanism (NSAM) is a project of the Association of Foundations in partnership with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. Its objective is to assist small, local NGOs, foundations, POs and cooperatives to improve implementation of their programs and projects by providing grant assistance to support activities that build organizational capacity in general and the capabilities of individual staff in particular.

Applications should be sent by email, mail or fax to:

Mr. Norman Jiao
Executive Director
Association of Foundations
Room 1102, 11th Floor Aurora Tower
Aurora Boulevard , Cubao
Quezon City , PHILIPPINES

Phone: +63-2-911-9792, +63-2-913-7231
Fax: +63-2-911-9792, +63-2-913-7231
Email: afonline@info.com.ph
Website: www.afonline.org

ASSOCIATION OF FOUNDATIONS (AF)

The Association of Foundations was established in November 1972. It is the Philippines' first heterogenous network of foundations and non-government organizations. The AF serves as a capacity builder, databank, consultant, an advocate of key issues and a bridge to grant opportunities. It also provides its members a link to local, national and international foundations. Its primary aim is to strengthen the capacities of members so that they can effectively fulfill their respective mandates.

SASAKAWA PEACE FOUNDATION (SPF)

The Sasakawa Peace Foundation was established in September 1986. Its mission is to contribute to the welfare of humankind and the sound development of the international community, and thus to world peace, by conducting activities fostering international understanding, exchange, and cooperation. It undertakes surveys and research, develops human resources, organizes international conferences and other forums, and collects, disseminates, and propagates information, among other activities, in order to achieve the Foundation's mission.

Sasakawa Peace Foundation
The Nippon Foundation Building , 4th Floor
1-2-2 , Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo , JAPAN
Phone: +81-3-6229-5400
Fax: +81-3-6229-5470
E-mail: spfpr@spf.or.jp
Website: www.spf.org

WHO CAN APPLY?

Small NGOs, foundations, cooperatives, and people's organizations that are based in the Philippines and managed by Filipinos, and have assets or annual operating budget of less than PhP 5 million can apply for NSAM support.

The applicant-organization should be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA). A minimum operations and financial track record of at least one year and proof of such shall be required of applicant organizations. The organization's funders, partners and beneficiaries shall be consulted to validate its eligibility.

Successful applicants shall be expected to provide a counterpart contribution to the approved activity, whether this is in cash, goods, or services. In-kind contributions may consist of salaried time, goods, services, administrative overhead and machinery and equipment.

WHAT ACTIVITIES ARE SUPPORTED?

NSAM supports capacity-building activities to strengthen civil society organizations. Proposed activities must be completed within twelve months. Specific activities to be supported include, but are not limited, to the following:

  • Training and development of future NGO leaders , including participation of NGO leaders in conferences and seminars to build skills and expertise.
  • Networking opportunities , including knowledge- and experience-sharing sessions to disseminate lessons learned and best practices in development work.
  • Skills training of NGO staff in various areas, including management capacity, livelihood and small enterprise, mediation and alternative dispute resolution, etc.
  • Institutional strengthening , such as, upgrading of organizational, M&E and financial systems, conduct of baseline and impact studies, documentation of best-practices in micro-level development, preparation of documents for PCNC certification, strategic planning, etc.
  • Building partnerships with other sectors (business, academe, etc.) in the local community for resource mobilization.
  • Enhanced participation of NGOs and POs in local development councils.

WHICH ACTIVITIES ARE NOT SUPPORTED?

  • Operational projects
  • Formal academic training programs
  • Ongoing institutional support
  • Scholarships, fellowships or study programs
  • Individuals applying on their own behalf, including travel and studies
  • Relief, welfare and emergency assistance
  • Equipment

WHAT SIZE OF GRANTS ARE AWARDED?

Proposals of around PhP 50,000 are preferred. Larger grants can be provided for highly meritorious projects. NSAM plans to support between 15-20 projects in FY2008.

NSAM grants will only fund a portion of the costs associated with an approved application. A cash or in-kind counterpart contribution from the applicant organization is required and should be reflected in the proposed budget.

WHEN TO APPLY FOR A GRANT?

There are two rounds of NSAM deliberations on funding requests for this year. Applications should be received not later than the last working day of June and October 2008 to be included in the deliberations of the AF Board for a particular round.

Competition for NSAM grants is expected to be intense. With its limited resources, the Mechanism does not expect to support all the worthwhile applications that are received. Applications should be brief and concise. Only proposals with complete attachments are reviewed. Successful applications will be informed no later than two months from the first working day of a particular funding round.

WHAT ARE THE GRANT APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS?

Requests for assistance may be made in the form of a letter addressed to the AF Executive Director. The letter-request should contain the following information:

  • basic data about the applicant organization (name, contact person and address, telephone, fax, email, website, etc.)
  • mission statement of the applicant organization
  • purpose of the grant request
  • expected benefits to be derived from the proposed activity
  • time period covered by the funding request
  • detailed breakdown of the grant requested

Together with the funding request, the applicant-organization is required to submit the following:

  • Photocopy of the Applicant-Organization's Articles of Incorporation and By Laws with the Certificate of Registration from the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Cooperative Development Authority
  • List of Board of Trustees and Officers of the Organization
  • Externally-Audited Annual Financial Statements of the Applicant-Organization for the Previous Year (Note: the requirement of externally-audited financial statements may be waived for People's Organizations and other membership-based groups. However, these groups will still need to submit their financial statements of the previous year.)
  • List of Donors/Creditors and Funds received over the past year.

Second-time applicants are not required to submit the above-mentioned organizational requirements unless there is new information that was not included in the previous submission, e.g. updated list of board members or latest financial statements.

The funding request of an applicant-organization must be endorsed to NSAM by a member-foundation of the Association of Foundations (AF), an NGO network member of the Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO), or a donor agency (e.g., AusAID, Canada Fund, CIDA, FPE, FSSI, GGP-Embassy of Japan, PACAP, PEF, among others). The endorsement letter shall contain the endorsing-organization's assessment of the proposed activity and the applicant organization, its endorsement and any recommendations to NSAM regarding the conditions of the grant assistance. The endorsement letter should be sent directly to the Association of Foundations, either by post, e-mail or fax.

WHAT CRITERIA ARE USED IN THE EVALUATION OF APPLICANTIONS?

Applications to NSAM will be appraised according to the following criteria:

  • Does the request have clearly defined objectives, activities and outputs?
  • What is the track record of the organization and of its leadership and staff?
  • What is the stature and credibility of the applicant-organization?
  • Were previous grants from other donors to the applicant-organization well-used?
  • NSAM's mandate is to support capacity-building efforts that are normally not funded by other donors. How difficult will it be for the applicant-organization to secure funds from other donors to support the proposed activity?
  • Has the applicant-organization received an NSAM grant within this fiscal year? (Organizations can only receive one NSAM grant within a fiscal year.)
  • Will the proposed activity be completed within one year from the date the grant is awarded?
  • Does the applicant have the capability to manage and implement the proposed activity?
  • To what extent does the proposed activity strengthen the applicant-organization as an institution?
  • To what extent does the proposed activity enhance the skills of the applicant's staff?
  • To what extent does the proposed activity promote networking and learning among NGOs?
  • To what extent does the proposed activity develop future NGO leaders?
  • To what extent does the proposed activity develop partnerships between the applicant-organization and local groups (e.g., the private sector) for resource mobilization?


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