Contracting Authority: European Commission

Support to civil society organisations to contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Guidelines for grant applicants
Budget line:
BGUE 21 02 08 01: Civil Society Organisations and Local Authorities programme (CSO-LA)

Reference:
EuropeAid/167453/DH/ACT/Multi
Deadline for submission of application forms:
16/06/2020 at 12:00 (Brussels date and time)
 (in order to convert to local time click here)

NOTICE
These guidelines are published in English, French, and Spanish. In case of any discrepancy between the linguistic versions of this call, the English version will prevail.
This is an open call for proposals, where all documents are submitted together (concept note, Annex A.1 and full application, Annex A.2). In the first instance, only the concept notes will be evaluated. Thereafter, for the lead applicants who have been pre-selected, the full applications will be evaluated. After the evaluation of the full applications, an eligibility check will be performed for those which have been provisionally selected. Eligibility will be checked on the basis of the supporting documents requested by the contracting authority and the signed ‘declaration by the lead applicant’ sent together with the full application.
Online submission via PROSPECT
To apply to this call for proposals, organisations must register in PADOR and submit their application in PROSPECT (see section 2.2.2 of the guidelines). The aim of PROSPECT is to increase the efficiency of the management of the call for proposals and to offer a better service to civil society organisations through a new panel of functionalities such as the on-line submission and the possibility to follow up online the status of their application.
The functional mailbox set up specifically dedicated to this call (EuropeAid-167453@ec.europa.eu) shall be used exclusively for sending clarification requests within the deadlines set in paragraph 2.2 of these guidelines. No other functional mailbox will be used. The Contracting Authority reserves the right to close this mail box without prior notice once this call for proposals is closed and not to reply to requests which do not fall under one of the afore-mentioned category.
Proposals submitted via this mailbox and any other mailbox will not be considered.
All organisations may find more information regarding PROSPECT in the user’s manual and the e-learning videos. You may also contact our technical support team via the online support form in PROSPECT.

IMPORTANT

Even though the verification of eligibility is foreseen to be carried out only for the provisionally selected applicants at the end of the procedure, the Evaluation Committee may decide to verify this point at any previous step of the procedure. Consequently, any proposal found to be non-compliant with all the mandatory conditions set in these guidelines can be automatically rejected on that sole basis, at any stage of the procedure and without any prior notice or clarification request. Applicants are therefore strongly advised to fill in scrupulously the "Check List for Concept Note" (Annex A.1 of the grant application form) and the "Checklist for the Full Application form" (Annex A.2 of the grant application form). Any missing supporting document or any incoherence between the declarations and the supporting documents may lead to the rejection of the proposal on that sole basis.
Please note that all information encoded in PROSPECT must be exhaustive and in line with the content of the concept note / full application. The administrative check will be performed taking into consideration only the information available in PROSPECT in sections: 1 – ‘Contact’, 2 – ‘Project’, 3 – ‘Co-applicants’, 4 - Documents. Please make sure that there are no inconsistencies between the information in PROSPECT and the content of the concept note / full application. 
Complaints about administrative rejections related to this kind of inconsistencies will not be considered and will not lead to a modification of the decision.
Table of contents
1.	«Support to civil society organisations to contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).»
1.1.	Background
1.2.	Objectives of the programme and priority issues
1.3.	Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority
2.	Rules FOR thIS call for proposalS
2.1.	Eligibility criteria
2.1.1.	Eligibility of applicants (i.e. lead applicant and co-applicant(s))
2.1.2.	Affiliated entities
2.1.3.	Associates and contractors
2.1.4.	Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made
2.1.5.	Eligibility of costs: costs that can be included
2.2.	How to apply and the procedures to follow
2.2.1.	Application forms
2.2.2.	Where and how to send applications
2.2.3.	Deadline for submission of applications
2.2.4.	Further information about applications
2.3.	Evaluation and selection of applications
2.4.	Submission of supporting documents for provisionally selected applications
2.5.	Notification of the Contracting Authority’s decision
2.5.1.	Content of the decision
2.5.2.	Indicative timetable
2.6.	Conditions for implementation after the contracting authority’s decision to award a grant
3.	LIST OF annexes

1.	Support to civil society organisations to contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
1.1.	Background
The thematic programme on Civil Society Organisations and Local Authorities (CSO-LA) has its legal base in regulation (EU) no 233/2014 of the European parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation for the period 2014-2020. It is an actor-based programme that aims to foster an enabling environment for civil society; to promote a meaningful and structured participation of CSOs in domestic policies of partner countries, in the EU programming cycle and in international processes; and to increase local CSOs' capacity to perform their roles as independent development actors. It fully integrates the impetus of the new European Consensus on Development (the 'Consensus') to align EU policies and actions to the objectives of the 2030 Agenda. The programme translates into strategic orientations the robust EU commitments made in the Consensus, in particular regarding the promotion of CSOs as actors of governance in their own right in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
In order to fulfil these commitments, the EU has signed 25 Framework Partnership Agreements (FPAs) with networks of global and regional civil society umbrella organisations. FPAs create a long-term political partnership aiming at common agreed strategic objectives and encourage CSOs as key contributors to policy-making at regional and global levels.
Through this call for proposals, the CSO-LA thematic programme will provide specific support to civil society organisations in order to contribute to the achievement of the SDG 10, that aims at reducing inequality within and among countries, and the SDG 16 dedicated to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies. 
This call for proposals will complement other EU actions aimed at addressing inequalities, and notably the Research Facility on Inequalities that aims to enhance the knowledge and understanding of economic and social inequalities, their drivers and underlying factors at different spatial levels, as well as the most effective policies and approaches to reduce them.
1.2.	Objectives of the programme and priority issues 
1.2.1 Global objective
The global objective of this call for proposals is to support civil society organisations as actors of governance in their own right by strengthening their capacity to participate effectively in policy formulation and in the monitoring of policy implementation processes in order to contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and ensure no-one is left behind. 
1.2.2 Specific objectives
The specific objectives of this call for proposals are: 
•	Lot 1-3: Inequalities initiative
To support civil society organisations in conducting analysis in order to develop public awareness and critical understanding of the causes, consequences and possible solutions to economic inequalities; and engage with public authorities to advocate public policies aiming at reducing income and wealth inequalities.
•	Lot 4: Preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE)
To contribute to prevent and counter violent extremism through a more strategic engagement with CSOs. This will be achieved through the establishment of a CSO hub that would serve as an EU partner in the P/CVE area. The objectives of the hub is 1) to provide a space where civil society active in the P/CVE area can interact in a more systematic and strategic manner, share best practices and exchange lessons learned, and 2) to serve as an EU's operational instrument to support locally led initiatives in priority partner countries/regions. 

This call contains 4 lots: 
Lot 1-3: Inequality Initiatives 
Lot 4: Preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE).
Applicants must clearly specify under which lot they are submitting the application in their project title.

Priorities issues
Lot 1-3: Inequalities initiative
Under lot 1-3, proposals must address the following priorities: 
Lot 1: Inequalities Initiative - Latin America and the Caribbean
At regional/global level: contribute to address illicit financial flows, tax evasion, and tax avoidance impact on income and wealth inequality.
At country level: 
-	Mexico : contribute to address income and wealth inequality related to gender, ethnic origin and poorly defined access to natural resources ;
-	Colombia: contribute to address income and wealth inequality as a contribution to support the peace process;
Lot 2: Inequalities initiative - Africa
At regional/global level: contribute to address illicit financial flows, tax evasion, and tax avoidance impact on income and wealth inequality.

At country level: 
-	South Africa: contribute to address income and wealth inequality related to land rights, including land reform, and access to natural resources such as water for agriculture;
-	Kenya: contribute to address income and wealth inequality related to tax policy (including tax incentives such as tax exemptions); 
Lot 3: Inequalities initiative – Asia-Pacific
At regional/global level: contribute to address illicit financial flows, tax evasion, and tax avoidance impact on income and wealth inequality.
At country level: 
-	Indonesia: contribute to address income and wealth inequality related to gender;
-	India: contribute to address income and wealth inequalities faced by manual scavengers (only in the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh).
Lot 4: Preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE)
Under lot 4, proposals must address all the following priorities: 

•	To build the capacity of the Framework Partnership Agreements’ signatories to contribute to addressing P/CVE through support into local, regional and global initiatives;
•	To establish a CSO hub with a secretariat based in Brussels allowing for a timely and close collaboration with the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) and when required also with other relevant Directorate-General from the European Commission (e.g. DG HOME) and  EU services (e.g. European External Action Service);
•	To contribute to deepening collaboration, cooperation, and networking among the civil society networks around the P/CVE agenda; 
•	To strengthen the capacity of CSOs in preventing and countering violent extremism through support into locally-led initiatives in the following areas among others:

o	P/CVE and research; 
o	P/CVE education including critical thinking;  
o	P/CVE and religion;
o	P/CVE women and youth;
o	P/CVE and alternative messages/ media; 
o	Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF), disengagement and reintegration.

•	To maximise the space for CSOs to contribute to P/CVE;
•	To create a space for dialogue, through meetings, workshops, trainings among the actors involved such as private sector, local and regional platforms and networks, international organisations, experts on P/CVE and other civil society organisations.

The actions should focus on at least one of the following areas: 

•	Research;
•	Education, training, workshops at local/regional level;  
•	Religious aspect; 
•	Youth and Women empowerment; 
•	Preventive communication;
•	Foreign terrorist fighters, disengagement and reintegration; 
•	Partnership with private sector (on-line platforms/companies and social media) to design effective campaigns against violent extremism among others.   

1.2.3 Cross-cutting issues (for lots 1, 2, 3)

Proposals should consider how they will integrate the “leave no one behind” principle, and ensure that activities reach the most vulnerable and marginalised individuals and communities, through a rights-based approach.

The cross-cutting issues to be taken into account when designing proposals include:

•	Human Rights (Rights-based approach)

The European Consensus on Development commits the EU and its Member States to implementing a rights-based approach (RBA) to development cooperation, encompassing all human rights. It thereby reinforces the EU's commitment to a RBA as outlined in the 2012 EU Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy, the 2014 Tool-box "A Rights-Based Approach, Encompassing All Human Rights, for EU Development Cooperation", and the respective Council Conclusions. 

In line with a Rights-Based Approach, development cooperation should contribute to the development of the capacities of ‘rights-holders’ to claim their rights and ‘duty-bearers’ to meet their obligations. Programmes and projects therefore need to assess the capacities of rights-holders and duty-bearers and develop the appropriate strategies to build these capacities. 

The RBA methodology also reminds us that development projects can have unintended negative impact in terms of human rights such as disadvantaging certain groups, interfering with participation rights and labour rights or contributing to forced displacement. It is therefore important to abide by the 'do no harm' principle and carry out the required analysis and mitigation. 

Moreover, the RBA working methodology recognises that pursuing desired human rights outcomes is not, in itself, enough. The way these outcomes are achieved is equally important. Programmes should therefore monitor and evaluate both outcomes and processes.

To be considered for this call, applicants should as a minimum explore the human rights dimensions of the priority issues and how these will be considered and/or addressed. Applicants are encouraged to ensure that a rights based approach is mainstreamed throughout the proposal and/or to include specific results on human rights. 

•	Gender Equality

Equality between men and women is at the core of values of the European Union (EU). The Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 stresses the need for the full realisation of women’s and girls’ full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Gender equality is also a central, standalone goal in the 2030 Agenda. 

To be considered for this call, applicants should as a minimum explore the gendered dimensions of the priority issues (internal and external) and how these will be considered and/or addressed. Applicants are encouraged to ensure that gender is mainstreamed throughout the proposal and/or to include specific results on gender equality. 

•	Environment

EU treaties and policies underpin the Union’s high-level commitment to environmental sustainability and to combating climate change. Mainstreaming environment and climate change is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

To be considered for this call, applicants should as a minimum explore the environmental dimensions of the priority issues and how these will be considered and/or addressed. Applicants are encouraged to ensure that environment and climate change considerations are mainstreamed throughout the proposal and/or to include specific results on environment and climate change. 

1.3.	Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority
The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 14 000 000, specifically EUR 11 000 000 for lots 1 to 3 and EUR 3 000 000 for lot 4, all lots financed by the budget line 21 02 08 01. 
The Contracting Authority reserves the right not to award all available funds. Likewise, this amount could be increased should more funds become available. 
Indicative allocation of funds by lot distribution:
Lot 1: Inequalities Initiative - Latin America and the Caribbean
	Total available: EUR 3 666 666
Lot 2: Inequalities initiative - Africa
Total available: EUR 3 666 666
Lot 3: Inequalities initiative – Asia-Pacific
Total available: EUR 3 666 666
Lot 4: Preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE)

Total available: EUR 3 000 000 

If the allocation indicated for a specific lot cannot be used due to insufficient quality or number of proposals received, the contracting authority reserves the right to reallocate the remaining funds to (an)other lot(s), 
Size of grants
Lot 1: Inequalities Initiative - Latin America and the Caribbean
Any EU requested contribution under this call for proposals must be EUR 3 666 666.
Any EU requested contribution under this Call for Proposals may not exceed the following maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the Action:
•	Minimum percentage: 60% of the total eligible costs of the action
•	Maximum percentage: 90 % of the total eligible costs of the action (see also Section 2.1.5).
Lot 2: Inequalities initiative - Africa
Any EU requested contribution under this call for proposals must be EUR 3 666 666.
Any EU requested contribution under this Call for Proposals may not exceed the following maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the Action:
•	Minimum percentage: 60% of the total eligible costs of the action
•	Maximum percentage: 90 % of the total eligible costs of the action (see also Section 2.1.5).
Lot 3: Inequalities initiative – Asia-Pacific
Any EU requested contribution under this call for proposals must be EUR 3 666 666.
Any EU requested contribution under this Call for Proposals may not exceed the following maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the Action:
•	Minimum percentage: 60% of the total eligible costs of the action
•	Maximum percentage: 90 % of the total eligible costs of the action (see also Section 2.1.5).
Lot 4: Preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE)
Any EU requested contribution under this call for proposals must be EUR 3 000 000.
Any EU requested contribution under this Call for Proposals may not exceed the following maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the Action:
•	Minimum percentage: 60% of the total eligible costs of the action
•	Maximum percentage: 90 % of the total eligible costs of the action (see also Section 2.1.5).
The balance (i.e. the difference between the total cost of the action and the amount requested from the contracting authority) must be financed from sources other than the general budget of the Union or the European Development Fund.
2.	
Rules FOR thIS call for proposalS
These guidelines set out the rules for the submission, selection and implementation of the actions financed under this call, in conformity with the practical guide, which is applicable to the present call (available on the internet at this address http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prag/document.do?locale=en).
2.1.	Eligibility criteria
There are three sets of eligibility criteria, relating to:
(1)	the actors:
•	The ‘lead applicant’, i.e. the entity submitting the application form (2.1.1),
•	if any, its co-applicant(s) (where it is not specified otherwise the lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) are hereinafter jointly referred as ‘applicant(s)’) (2.1.1), 
•	and, if any, affiliated entity(ies) to the lead applicant and/or to a co-applicant(s). (2.1.2);
(2)	the actions:
Actions for which a grant may be awarded (2.1.4);
(3)	the costs:
•	types of cost that may be taken into account in setting the amount of the grant (2.1.5).
2.1.1.	Eligibility of applicants (i.e. lead applicant and co-applicant(s))
Lead applicant
(1)	Under all lots, in order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
•	be a legal person and
•	be non-profit-making and 
•	be representative of a regional and/or global umbrella organisation of CSOs signatory of a Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) with the European Commission with the aim to implement the Strategic Plan defined in the Annex I of the above-mentioned Framework Agreement.
and
•	be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary
 (2)	Potential applicants may not participate in calls for proposals or be awarded grants if they are in any of the situations listed in Section 2.6.10.1 of the practical guide;

Lead applicants, co-applicants, affiliated entities and, in case of legal entities, persons who have powers of representation, decision-making or control over the lead applicant, the co-applicants and the affiliated entities are informed that, should they be in one of the situations of early detection or exclusion according to Section 2.6.10.1 of the practical guide, personal details (name, given name if natural person, address, legal form and name and given name of the persons with powers of representation, decision-making or control, if legal person) may be registered in the early detection and exclusion system, and communicated to the persons and entities concerned in relation to the award or the execution of a grant contract. In this respect, lead applicants, co-applicants and affiliated entities are obliged to declare that they are not in one of the exclusion situations through a signed declaration on honour (PRAG Annex A14). For grants of EUR 60,000 or less, no declaration on honour is required.
In Annex A.2 Section 5 of the grant application form (‘declaration(s) by the lead applicant’), the lead applicant must declare that the lead applicant himself, the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies) are not in any of these situations.
The lead applicant must act with co-applicant(s) as specified hereafter.
If awarded the grant contract, the lead applicant will become the beneficiary identified as the coordinator in Annex E3h1 (special conditions). The coordinator is the main interlocutor of the contracting authority. It represents and acts on behalf of any other co-beneficiary (if any) and coordinate the design and implementation of the action.
Co-applicant(s)
The lead applicant must act with at least one co-applicant.
In order to be eligible for a grant, the co-applicant(s) must:
•	be a legal person and 
•	be non-profit-making and
•	be a civil society organisation, and
•	Be established in:
For Lot 1: Inequalities Initiative - Latin America and the Caribbean
Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Cayman Islands, Virgin Islands and EU member states.
During assessment, priority will be given to applications that involve (as co-applicants or affiliated entities) at least one CSO established in one of the two target countries (Mexico and Columbia) in order to benefit from their local experience on the priority issues. This will be assessed in the section relevance of the action of the evaluation grids (section number 1.2 of the Concept Note and section number 2.2 of the Full Application).
For Lot 2: Inequalities initiative - Africa
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Republic, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and EU member states. 
During assessment, priority will be given to applications that involve (as co-applicants or affiliated entities) at least one CSO established in one of the two target countries (Kenya and South Africa) in order to benefit from their local experience on the priority issues. This will be assessed in the section relevance of the action of the evaluation grids (section number 1.2 of the Concept Note and section number 2.2 of the Full Application).
For Lot 3: Inequalities initiative – Asia-Pacific
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Fiji, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,  Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Vietnam and EU member states.
During assessment, priority will be given to applications that involve (as co-applicants or affiliated entities) at least one CSO established in one of the two target countries (India and Indonesia) in order to benefit from their local experience on the priority issues. This will be assessed in the section relevance of the action of the evaluation grids (section number 1.2 of the Concept Note and section number 2.2 of the Full Application). 
For Lot 4: Preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) 
The EU partner country included in the Annex M and EU Member States.
Please note that developing countries, as included in the list of ODA recipients, which are members of the G20 group (Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey) can only participate in procedures, where the country itself is a beneficiary of the action.
During assessment, priority will be given to applications that involve (as co-applicants or affiliated entities) CSOs established in the target countries (see Annex M) in order to benefit from their local experience on the priority issues. This will be assessed in the section relevance of the action of the evaluation grids (section number 1.2 of the Concept Note and section number 2.2 of the Full Application).

For all lots:

Each member of a partnership must have a precise and clearly identified role in the implementation of the project. There is no upper limit on the number of members in a partnership. A partnership should be composed in such a way as to allow the achievement of the project objectives in the most effective and cost-efficient manner.
The role of each member of the partnership must be clearly explained in the proposal. It is strongly recommended that the applicant and its co-applicant(s) draw up an agreement defining their partnership as well as their respective technical and financial roles and obligations. A clear allocation of responsibilities and costs will contribute to the partnership’s success.
The composition of the partnership will be evaluated in section 4.3 of the full application evaluation grid.
Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant. 
Co-applicants must sign the mandate in Annex A.2 Section 5.2 of the grant application form.
(3) Applicants included in the lists of EU restrictive measures (see Section 2.4. of the PRAG) at the      moment of the award decision cannot be awarded the contract.
If awarded the grant contract, the co-applicant(s) will become beneficiary(ies) in the action (together with the coordinator).
2.1.2.	Affiliated entities
Affiliated entity(ies)
The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies).
Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to co-applicant(s):
Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
(i) 	Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
-	Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
-	Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
-	Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
(ii) 	Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association,…) as the proposed affiliated entities.

The structural link shall as a general rule be neither limited to the action nor established for the sole purpose of its implementation. This means that the link would exist independently of the award of the grant; it should exist before the call for proposals and remain valid after the end of the action.

By way of exception, an entity may be considered as affiliated to an applicant even if it has a structural link specifically established for the sole purpose of the implementation of the action in the case of so-called ‘sole applicants’ or ‘sole beneficiaries’.  A sole applicant or a sole beneficiary is a legal entity formed by several entities (a group of entities) which together comply with the criteria for being awarded the grant. For example, an association is formed by its members.
	What is not an affiliated entity? 

The following are not considered entities affiliated to an applicant:

-	Entities that have entered into a (procurement) contract or subcontract with an applicant, act as concessionaires or delegatees for public services for an applicant,
-	Entities that receive financial support from the applicant,
-	Entities that cooperate on a regular basis with an applicant on the basis of a memorandum of understanding or share some assets,
-	Entities that have signed a consortium agreement under the grant contract (unless this consortium agreement leads to the creation of a ‘sole applicant’ as described above).

How to verify the existence of the required link with an applicant?

The affiliation resulting from control may in particular be proved on the basis of the consolidated accounts of the group of entities the applicant and its proposed affiliates belong to.

The affiliation resulting from membership may in particular be proved on the basis of the statutes or equivalent act establishing the entity (network, federation, association) which the applicant constitutes or in which the applicant participates.
If the applicants are awarded a grant contract, their affiliated entity(ies) will not become beneficiary(ies) of the action and signatory(ies) of the grant contract. However, they will participate in the design and  in the implementation of the action and the costs they incur (including those incurred for implementation contracts and financial support to third parties) may be accepted as eligible costs, provided they comply with all the relevant rules already applicable to the beneficiary(ies) under the grant contract.
Affiliated entity(ies) must satisfy the same eligibility criteria as the co-applicant(s).  They must sign the affiliated entity(ies) statement in Annex A.2  Section 5 of the grant application form.
2.1.3.	 Associates and contractors
The following entities are not applicants nor affiliated entities and do not have to sign the ‘mandate for co-applicant(s)’ or ‘affiliated entities' statement’:
•	Associates
Other organisations or individuals may be involved in the action. Such associates play a real role in the action but may not receive funding from the grant, with the exception of per diem or travel costs. Associates do not have to meet the eligibility criteria referred to in Section 2.1.1. Associates must be mentioned in Annex A.2 section 4 — ‘Associates participating in the action’ — of the grant application form. 
•	Contractors
The beneficiaries and their affiliated entities are permitted to award contracts. Associates or affiliated entity(ies) cannot be also contractors in the project. Contractors are subject to the procurement rules set out in Annex IV to the standard grant contract.
2.1.4.	 Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made
Definition: 
An action is composed of a set of activities.
Duration
Lot 1-3: Inequalities Initiatives: Latin America and the Caribbean – Africa – Asia - Pacific
The initial planned duration of an action must be 36 months.
Lot 4: Preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE)
The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 36 months nor exceed 48 months.
Location
Lot 1: Inequalities Initiative - Latin America and the Caribbean
Actions must take place in Colombia and Mexico. As regards Mexico, priority will be given during evaluation to applications that pay particular attention to the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco, Veracruz y Guerrero. This will be assessed in the section relevance of the action of the evaluation grids (section number 1.2 of the Concept Note and section number 2.2 of the Full Application).
Lot 2: Inequalities Initiative - Africa
Actions must take place in South Africa and Kenya. 
Lot 3: Inequalities Initiative – Asia-Pacific
Actions must take place in Indonesia and India (for India only in the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh). As regards India, national level advocacy activities would however be considered eligible when relevant.
Lot 4: Preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) 
Actions must take place in one or more of the countries included in the Annex M. 

Actions taking place in specific countries like:

Middle East and North Africa (MENA) (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia); 
Sahel (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal);
The Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia) and 
Central and South East Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Myanmar,  Cambodia, Timor - Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam)

are strongly encouraged. 

This will be assessed in the section relevance of the action of the evaluation grids (section number 1.2 of the Concept Note and section number 2.2 of the Full Application).

Types of action
To be eligible, actions must comply with:
•	The Strategic Plan defined in the Annex 1 of the Framework Agreements with the European Commission;
•	The objectives and the priority issues of the call for proposals described in point 1.2 of the Guidelines for grant applicants of this call for proposals.
Lot 1-3: Inequalities Initiative: Latin America and the Caribbean – Africa – Asia - Pacific
The actions should include campaigns aimed at raising people awareness on inequalities issues; advocacy campaigns with international organisations and state authorities at local, national and/or international level aimed at promoting public policies that have the potential to reduce economic inequalities; the organisation of events such as conferences and workshops at local, national and/or international level on issues related to inequalities; analysis on issues related to inequalities for publication in the form of e.g. press articles, briefs, working papers, reports, books…
Lot 4: Preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE)
•	Capacity building and mentoring activities;
•	Trainings/workshops/ conferences organisation;
•	Identification and design of actions through partnership with local actors;
•	Research, mapping, studies, monitoring and evaluations;
•	Communication campaigns.

The following types of action are ineligible for all lots:
•	Actions concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences and congresses;
•	Actions concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses;  
•	Actions intended to raise funds or promote the visibility of the applicant or its partner(s);
•	Actions consisting mainly of research or of study;
•	Actions which discriminate against individuals or groups of people on grounds of their gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or lack of them, or their ethnic origin; 
•	Actions supporting directly political parties.
Types of activity
Under lot 1-3: Inequalities initiative: Latin America and the Caribbean – Africa – Asia-Pacific
At regional and global level: 
•	Undertake analysis and raise the awareness of regional and international public authorities/organisations as well as high-level regional/international forums (e.g. the United Nations, World Bank, IMF, OECD, G-7, G-20, African Tax Administration Forum etc.) as regards the magnitude and the mechanism of tax evasion, tax avoidance, and illicit international financial flows as well as its impacts on income and wealth inequalities ;
•	Advocate with the above-mentioned actors for policy recommendations (linked to the above-mentioned issues) aimed to reduce income and wealth inequalities. Particular attention must be paid to the SDG target 10.5 "Improve the regulation and monitoring of global financial markets and institutions and strengthen the implementation of such regulations”.
•	Monitor the implementation of the commitments taken by the above-mentioned actors to reduce economic inequalities and ensure their accountability to the public when they fail to meet their commitments.
•	As regards tax evasion, tax avoidance, and the illicit international financial flows, applicants should mainly implement activities in their respective regions. However, applicants should establish a mechanism to ensure coordination between the activities that will be implemented under the lots 1 to 3, in particular to avoid overlap, share information/lessons learnt, and lead advocacy campaigns at global level e.g. with the OECD/United Nations and other relevant organisations that are not based in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia-Pacific. 
At country level:
•	Undertake analysis, ensure public scrutiny, raise awareness, mobilise public opinion (e.g. when relevant, against practices of manual scavenging, tax evasion, gender inequality, limited access to natural resources…) and provide policy recommendations related to the priority issues in order to advocate with public authorities for public policies aimed to reduce economic inequalities;
•	Raise citizens’ awareness on the level of economic inequalities within and between countries and their rights (in particular women when relevant); 
•	Advocate for social accountability and social innovation in policy-making to reduce economic  inequalities;
•	Create a space to/and or participate in multistakeholder (national) dialogue/forums involving, to the extent possible, private sector, local and national authorities, public international organisations, social partners and other civil society organisations to debate (causes of) existing economic inequalities (between and within countries), in particular the results of the research that will be undertaken by the Research Facility on Inequalities during the implementation period (for Mexico, South Africa, Indonesia and Colombia); and, on the basis of this dialogue, to propose recommendations that have the potential to reduce economic inequalities in the target country;
•	Collaborate or coordinate to the extent possible with local, national and/or international relevant civil society organisations in order to benefit from synergies, speak with one voice and advocate better with public authorities to adopt measures that have the potential to reduce economic inequality;
•	Monitor the implementation of public commitments to reduce economic inequalities, in particular to address the priority issues defined in section 1.2.2 and inform citizens accordingly;
Particular attention will be paid to complementarity of the applicants proposals with other actions implemented by the European Union in the targeted countries as regards the priority issues. This will be assessed in the section relevance of the action of the evaluation grids (section number 1.2 of the Concept Note and section number 2.2 of the Full Application).

Under lot 4: Preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE)
All types of activities necessary, relevant and useful in order to implement the type of actions and achieve the priorities and objectives identified for the lot 4 under the heading 1.2.2 Specific objectives.

Expected results
Under lot 1-3: Inequalities initiative: Latin America and the Caribbean – Africa – Asia - Pacific
•	An enhanced dialogue between CSOs, private sector and public authorities as regards to the inequality issue; 
•	Strengthened capacity of civil society organisations to advocate with national and international public authorities and international organisation on issues related to inequality e.g. through policy recommendations based on analysis;
•	Citizens have a better knowledge and understanding on the level of inequalities within and between countries as well as the causes and possible solutions to inequalities; 
•	Commitments from national and international public authorities and organisations to reduce inequalities is strengthened;
•	New public policies aimed at reducing inequalities are proposed and supported; 
•	The level of inequalities in targeted areas and/or groups is lower. 
Under lot 4: Preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE)
•	Enhanced dialogue and involvement of CSOs in preventing and countering violent extremism at both global and local level; 
•	Strengthened cooperation between civil society  and EU in the P/CVE area; 
•	Safe space for dialogue established through: 
o	Meetings
o	Workshops
o	Trainings among the actors involved such as:
•	private sector;
•	local and regional platforms and networks;
•	international organisations;
•	experts on P/CVE;
•	other civil society organisations.

During evaluation, priority will be given to applications that take into account the expected results in the definition of the log frame. This will be assessed in the section relevance of the action of the evaluation grids (section number 1.2 of the Concept Note and section number 2.2 of the Full Application).
In preparing the plan of activities and related budget for all the lots, applicants must include the costs of external expenditure verifications. Each request for payment submitted by Beneficiaries must be accompanied by an expenditure verification report. 
An external final evaluation of the proposed Action has also to be included in the proposal and the related budget.
Financial support to third parties 
Applicants may propose financial support to third parties in order to help achieving the objectives of the action. 
The maximum amount of financial support per third party is EUR ≤ 60 000.  
For lots 1 to 3:
Financial support to third parties is not considered as essential to achieve the objective of the action.

For lot 4:
During assessment, priority will be given to applications that propose financial support to third parties. This will be assessed in section “relevance of the action” of the evaluation grids (section number 1.2 of the Concept Note and section number 2.2 of the Full Application.
In compliance with the present guidelines and notably of any conditions or restrictions in this Section, the lead applicant should define mandatorily in Section 2.1.1 of the grant application form: 
(i)	the overall objectives, the specific objective(s) and the outputs (i.e. the results) to be achieved with the financial support 
(ii)	the different types of activities eligible for financial support, on the basis of a fixed list 
(iii)	the types of persons or categories of persons which may receive financial support  
(iv)	the criteria for selecting these entities and giving the financial support  
(v)	the criteria for determining the exact amount of financial support for each third entity, and 
(vi)	the maximum amount which may be given.
(vii)	the set-up of the control system for verifying the eligibility of costs.
In all events, the mandatory conditions set above for giving financial support (points (i) to (vii)) have to be strictly defined in the grant contract as to avoid any exercise of discretion.
Visibility
The applicants must take all necessary steps to publicise the fact that the European Union has financed or co-financed the action. As far as possible, actions that are wholly or partially funded by the European Union must incorporate information and communication activities designed to raise the 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 http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/communication-and-visibility-manual-eu-external-actions_en).
Number of applications and grants per applicants / affiliated entities
The lead applicant may not submit more than one application per lot under this call for proposals.⃰
The lead applicant may not be a co-applicant or an affiliated entity in another application at the same time. 
A co-applicant/affiliated entity may not be the co-applicant/affiliated entity in more than one application per lot under this call for proposals. ⃰
It is the responsibility of each lead applicant to verify that its co-applicants/affiliated entities are not involved as lead applicant or co-applicant in other proposals. 
⃰ Should this be the case, the Evaluation Committee will only consider the first proposal arrived on the basis of submission date and hour. Any other proposal submitted by the applicant/co-applicant/affiliated entities will be rejected.
2.1.5.	 Eligibility of costs: costs that can be included 
Only ‘eligible costs’ can be covered by a grant. The categories of costs that are eligible and non-eligible are indicated below. The budget is both a cost estimate and an overall ceiling for ‘eligible costs’. 
The reimbursement of eligible costs may be based on:
•	actual costs incurred by the beneficiary(ies) and affiliated entity(ies);
Eligible direct costs
To be eligible under this call for proposals, costs must comply with the provisions of Article 14 of the general conditions to the standard grant contract (see Annex G of the guidelines).
Contingency reserve
The budget may include a contingency reserve not exceeding 5 % of the estimated direct eligible costs. It can only be used with the prior written authorisation of the contracting authority.
Eligible indirect costs
The indirect costs incurred in carrying out the action may be eligible for flat-rate funding, but the total must not exceed 7 % of the estimated total eligible direct costs. Indirect costs are eligible provided that they do not include costs assigned to another budget heading in the standard grant contract. The lead applicant may be asked to justify the percentage requested before the grant contract is signed. However, once the flat rate has been fixed in the special conditions of the grant contract, no supporting documents need to be provided.
If any of the applicants or affiliated entity(ies) is in receipt of an operating grant financed by the EU, it may not claim indirect costs on its incurred costs within the proposed budget for the action.
Contributions in kind
Contributions in kind mean the provision of goods or services to beneficiaries or affiliated entities free of charge by a third party. As contributions in kind do not involve any expenditure for beneficiaries or affiliated entities, they are normally not eligible costs. 
As an exception, contributions in kind may include personnel costs for the work carried out by volunteers under an action or work programme (which are eligible costs).
Contributions in kind from third parties in the form of volunteers' work, valued on the basis of unit costs defined and authorised by the contracting authority, shall be presented in the estimated budget, separately from the other eligible costs (i.e. as an accepted costs together with other contributions in kind). 
Volunteers' work may comprise up to 50 % of the co-financing. For the purposes of calculating this percentage, contributions in kind and other co-financing shall be based on estimates provided by the applicant.
When the estimated costs include volunteers' work, the grant shall not exceed the estimated eligible costs other than the costs for volunteers' work.
Notwithstanding the above and in the context of the present Call for proposals, contributions in kind may not be treated as co-financing.
However, if the description of the action as proposed includes contributions in kind, the contributions have to be made.
Ineligible costs
The following costs are not eligible:
•	debts and debt service charges (interest);
•	provisions for losses or potential future liabilities;
•	costs declared by the beneficiary(ies) and financed by another action or work programme receiving a European Union (including through EDF) grant;
•	purchases of land or buildings, except where necessary for the direct implementation of the action, in which case ownership must be transferred in accordance with Article 7.5 of the general conditions of the standard grant contract, at the latest at the end of the action;
•	currency exchange losses;
•	credit to third parties;
•	salary costs of the personnel of national administrations.
Ethics clauses and Code of Conduct
a) Absence of conflict of interest
The applicant must not be affected by any conflict of interest and must have no equivalent relation in that respect with other applicants or parties involved in the actions. Any attempt by an applicant to obtain confidential information, enter into unlawful agreements with competitors or influence the evaluation committee or the contracting authority during the process of examining, clarifying, evaluating and comparing applications will lead to the rejection of its application and may result in administrative penalties according to the Financial Regulation in force. 
b) Respect for human rights as well as environmental legislation and core labour standards 
The applicant and its staff must comply with human rights. In particular and in accordance with the applicable act, applicants who have been awarded contracts must comply with the environmental legislation including multilateral environmental agreements, and with the core labour standards as applicable and as defined in the relevant International Labour Organisation conventions (such as the conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining; elimination of forced and compulsory labour; abolition of child labour).
Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and sexual abuse:
The European Commission applies a policy of 'zero tolerance' in relation to all wrongful conduct which has an impact on the professional credibility of the applicant.  
Physical abuse or punishment, or threats of physical abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation, harassment and verbal abuse, as well as other forms of intimidation shall be prohibited. 
c) Anti-corruption and anti-bribery 
The applicant shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations and codes relating to anti-bribery and anti-corruption. The European Commission reserves the right to suspend or cancel project financing if corrupt practices of any kind are discovered at any stage of the award process or during the execution of a contract and if the contracting authority fails to take all appropriate measures to remedy the situation. For the purposes of this provision, ‘corrupt practices’ are the offer of a bribe, gift, gratuity or commission to any person as an inducement or reward for performing or refraining from any act relating to the award of a contract or execution of a contract already concluded with the contracting authority.
      d)  Unusual commercial expenses 
Applications will be rejected or contracts terminated if it emerges that the award or execution of a contract has given rise to unusual commercial expenses. Such unusual commercial expenses are commissions not mentioned in the main contract or not stemming from a properly concluded contract referring to the main contract, commissions not paid in return for any actual and legitimate service, commissions remitted to a tax haven, commissions paid to a payee who is not clearly identified or commissions paid to a company which has every appearance of being a front company.
Grant beneficiaries found to have paid unusual commercial expenses on projects funded by the European Union are liable, depending on the seriousness of the facts observed, to have their contracts terminated or to be permanently excluded from receiving EU/EDF funds.
e) Breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud
The contracting authority reserves the right to suspend or cancel the procedure, where the award procedure proves to have been subject to substantial breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud. If substantial breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud are discovered after the award of the contract, the contracting authority may refrain from concluding the contract.
2.2.	How to apply and the procedures to follow
To apply for this call for proposals, lead applicants need to:
I.	Provide information about the organisations involved in the action. Please note that the registration of this data in PADOR is obligatory for all lead applicants, co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies).
PADOR is an on-line database in which organisations register and update information concerning their entity. Organisations registered in PADOR get a unique ID (EuropeAid ID), which they must mention in their application. PADOR is accessible via the website: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/pador_en.
II.	Provide information about the action in the documents listed under section 2.2.2. Online submission via PROSPECT is obligatory for this call.
It is strongly recommended to register in PADOR well in advance and not to wait until the last minute before the deadline to submit your application in PROSPECT. Please note that once the ECAS account (EU Login) is created, the synchronisation/validation may take up to 24 hours before PADOR/PROSPECT recognize the user’s ID and allow the access.
If it is impossible for the organisation to register online in PADOR for technical reasons, applicants and/or affiliated entity(ies) must complete the ‘PADOR off-line form attached to these guidelines. This form must be sent together with the application, by the submission deadline (see section 2.2.2.).
Before starting using PADOR and PROSPECT, please read the user guides available on the website. All technical questions related to the use of these systems should be addressed to the IT helpdesk at EuropeAid-IT-support@ec.europa.eu via the online support form in PROSPECT.
2.2.1.	Application forms  
Applications must be submitted in accordance with the instructions on the concept note and the full applications in the grant application form annexed to these guidelines (Annex A). 
Applicants must apply in English, French or Spanish. 
Any error or major discrepancy related to the points listed in the instructions on the concept note or any major inconsistency in the application e.g. if the amounts in the budget worksheets are inconsistent may lead to the rejection of the application.
Clarifications will only be requested when the information provided is unclear and thus prevents the Contracting Authority from conducting an objective assessment.
Hand-written applications will not be accepted.
Please note that only the grant application form and the published annexes which have to be filled in (budget, logical framework) will be evaluated. It is therefore of utmost importance that these documents contain ALL the relevant information concerning the action. 
With the application the lead applicant also has to submit completed organisation data forms (Annex D) for the lead applicant, each co-applicants and each (if any) affiliated entities.
No additional annexes should be sent.
2.2.2.	 Where and how to send applications

Online submission:
Applications must be submitted online via PROSPECT https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prospect following the instructions given in the PROSPECT user manual.
Upon submission of the application online, the lead applicant will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt in its PROSPECT profile. 
If it is impossible for the organisation to submit its application online via PROSPECT for technical reasons, the applicant must send its application in a sealed envelope (Annex A.1: concept note and Annex A.2.: full application form), budget and logical framework. In particular, the lead applicant must send, in a sealed envelope as described below the following items: 
a.	One original signed copy of the complete application form (Annex A.1: concept note and Annex A.2: full application form), the budget and logical framework. The declaration by the lead applicant (Annex A.2., section 5 of the full form) must be stapled separately and enclosed in the envelope
b.	An electronic version (CD-ROM or USB stick) of the items under point (a). The electronic file must contain exactly the same application as the paper version enclosed. 
The outer envelope must bear the reference number and the title of the call for proposals, together with the title and number of the lot, the full name and address of the lead applicant, and the words ‘Not to be opened before the opening session’.
To reduce expense and waste, we strongly recommend that you do not use plastic folders or dividers. Please also use double-sided printing if possible.
Applications must be submitted in a sealed envelope by registered mail, private courier service or by hand-delivery (a signed and dated certificate of receipt will be given to the deliverer) at the address below. Where a lead applicant sends several different applications (if allowed to do so by the guidelines of the call), each one has to be sent separately:
Postal address :

European Commission
Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development
Unit DEVCO B6 - Finance and Contracts
Attn. Head of Unit
L-41 03/110
B-1049 Brussels
BELGIUM
Tel : +32 2 2997916

Address for hand delivery or by private courier service:
European Commission
Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development
Unit DEVCO B6 - Finance and Contracts
Attn. Head of Unit
L-41 03/110
Avenue du Bourget, 1
B-1049 Brussels
BELGIUM
Tel : +32 2 299 79 16
Applications sent by any other means (e.g. by fax or by e-mail) or delivered to other addresses will be rejected. Hand-written applications will not be accepted.
Please note that incomplete applications may be rejected. Lead applicants are advised to verify that their application is complete using the checklist (Annexes A.1 and A.2, Instructions).
All IT technical questions related to PROSPECT should be addressed to the PROSPECT helpdesk at:
EuropeAid-IT-support@ec.europa.eu
2.2.3.	Deadline for submission of applications
The deadline for the submission of applications is 16/06/2020 at 12:00 (Brussels date and time). 
In order to convert this deadline to local time you can use any online time converter tool that takes into account timezones and winter/summer time changes (example available here). Lead applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last day to submit their applications, since heavy Internet traffic or a fault with the Internet connection (including electricity failure, etc.) could lead to difficulties in submission. The contacting authority cannot be held responsible for any delay due to such aforementioned difficulties.
In the exceptional case of submission by post or by hand-delivery (see section 2.2.2), the date of submission is evidenced by the date of dispatch, the postmark or the date of the deposit slip. In the case of hand-deliveries, the deadline for receipt is at 16/06/2020 at 12:00 local time as evidenced by the signed and dated receipt. Any application submitted after the deadline will be rejected.
However, for reasons of administrative efficiency, the Contracting Authority may also reject any application sent in due time but received after the effective date of approval of the proposal evaluation (see indicative calendar under section 2.5.2).
2.2.4.	Further information about applications 
Questions may be sent by e-mail no later than 21 days before the deadline for the submission of applications to the below address, indicating clearly the reference of the call for proposals:
E-mail address: EUROPEAID-167453@ec.europa.eu   
The contracting authority has no obligation to provide clarifications to questions received after this date.
Replies will be given no later than 11 days before the deadline for the submission of applications. 
To ensure equal treatment of applicants, the contracting authority cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of lead applicants, co-applicants, affiliated entity(ies), an action or specific activities.
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 evaluation procedure will be published on the EuropeAid website: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/online-services/index.cfm?do=publi.welcome.
It is therefore advisable to consult the abovementioned website regularly in order to be informed of the questions and answers published.
All questions related to registration in PADOR or the online submission via PROSPECT should be addressed to the IT helpdesk at EuropeAid-IT-support@ec.europa.eu via the online support form in PROSPECT: Please note that the working languages of the IT support are English, French and Spanish. Therefore, users are invited to send their questions in those languages should they wish to benefit from an optimum response time.
2.3.	Evaluation and selection of applications
Applications will be examined and evaluated by the contracting authority 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 2.1, the application will be rejected on this sole basis. 
(1)	
STEP 1:	OPENING & ADMINISTRATIVE CHECKS AND CONCEPT NOTE EVALUATION
During the opening and administrative check the following will be assessed:
•	If the deadline has been met. Otherwise, the application will be automatically rejected.
•	If the application satisfies all the criteria specified in the checklist in Section 6 of Annex A.2 of the grant application form. This includes also an assessment of the eligibility of the action. 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 concept notes that pass this check will be evaluated on the relevance and design of the proposed action.
The concept notes will receive an overall score out of 50 using the breakdown in the evaluation grid below. The evaluation will also check on compliance with the instructions on how to complete the concept note, which can be found in Annex A.1 of the grant application form.
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.
Evaluation Grid
Section	Maximum Score	
1. Relevance of the action	20	
1.1. How relevant is the proposal to the objectives and priorities of the call for proposals and to the specific themes/sectors/areas or any other specific requirement stated in the guidelines for applicants? Are the expected results of the action aligned with the priorities defined in the guidelines for applicants (section 1.2)?	5	
1.2. How relevant is the proposal to the particular needs and constraints of the target country(ies), region(s) and/or relevant sectors (including synergy with other development initiatives and avoidance of duplication)?
Concerning lot 1:

- As regards Mexico, does the application give priority to the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco, and Veracruz y Guerrero?

Concerning lot 1 - 4:

-	Does the application include CSOs based in target countries (as co-applicants or affiliated entities)?
-	How complementary is the application with other actions and policies of the EU in the target countries as regards the priority issues defined under the heading 1.2.2 Specific objectives?
-	Does the application take into account the expected results for the log frame defined in section 2.1.4 of the guidelines?  

Concerning lot 4, actions taking place in specific countries like :

Middle East and North Africa (MENA): (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, , Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Algeria, Egypt,   Libya, Morocco,  Tunisia); 
Sahel: (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal);
The Horn of Africa : (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia) and 
Central and South East Asia: (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Myanmar,  Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam) are strongly encouraged.

Concerning lot 4:
-	 Does the application include a financial support to third parties? 	5	
1.3. How clearly defined and strategically chosen are those involved (final beneficiaries, target groups)? Have their needs (as rights holders and/or duty bearers) and constraints been clearly defined and does the proposal address them appropriately?	5	
1.4. Does the proposal contain particular added-value elements (e.g. innovation, best practices) ? [and the other additional elements indicated under 1.2. of the guidelines for applicants]	5	
2. Design of the action	30	
2.1. How coherent is the overall design of the action? Does the proposal indicate the expected results to be achieved by the action? Does the intervention logic explain the rationale to achieve the expected results?	5x2**	
2.2. Does the design reflect a robust analysis of the problems involved, and the capacities of the relevant stakeholders?	5	
2.3. Does the design take into account external factors (risks and assumptions)?	5	
2.4. Are the activities feasible and consistent in relation to the expected results (including timeframe)? Are results (output, outcome and impact) realistic?	5	
2.5. To which extent does the proposal integrate relevant cross-cutting elements such as environmental/climate change issues, promotion of gender equality and equal opportunities, needs of disabled people, rights of minorities and rights of indigenous peoples, youth, combating HIV/AIDS (if there is a strong prevalence in the target country/region)?	5	
Maximum total score	50	
**: this scores is multiplied by 2 because of its importance
Once all concept notes have been assessed, a list will be drawn up with the proposed actions ranked according to their total score. 
Firstly, only the concept notes with a score of at least 30 will be considered for pre-selection. 
Secondly, the number of concept notes will be reduced, taking account of the ranking, to the number of concept notes whose total aggregate amount of requested contributions is equal to at least 200% of the available budget for this call for proposals. The amount of requested contributions of each concept note will be based on the indicative financial envelopes for each lot, where relevant.
Lead applicants will receive a letter indicating the reference number of their application and the respective results. This letter will automatically appear online in the PROSPECT profile of the lead applicant. Lead applicants who, in exceptional cases (see section 2.2.2), had to submit their application by post or hand-delivery will receive the letter by e-mail or by post, if no e-mail address was provided.
The evaluation committee will then proceed with the lead applicants whose proposals have been pre-selected.
(1)	
STEP 2: EVALUATION OF THE FULL APPLICATION 
Firstly, the following will be assessed:
•	If the full application satisfies all the criteria specified in the checklist (Section 6 of Annex A.2 of the grant application form). This includes also an assessment of the eligibility of the action.  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 full applications that pass this check will be further evaluated on their quality, including the proposed budget and capacity of the applicants and affiliated entity(ies). They 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 and affiliated entity(ies)'s operational capacity and the lead applicant's financial capacity and are used to verify that they:
•	have stable and sufficient sources of finance to maintain their activity throughout the proposed action and, where appropriate, to participate in its funding (this only applies to lead applicants);
•	have the management capacity, professional competencies and qualifications required to successfully complete the proposed action. This applies to applicants and any affiliated entity(ies).
For the purpose of the evaluation of the financial capacity, lead applicants must ensure that the relevant information and documents (i.e. accounts of the latest financial year and external audit report, where applicable) in their PADOR profile are up to date. If the information and documents in PADOR are outdated and do not allow for a proper evaluation of the financial capacity, the application may be rejected.
The award criteria help to evaluate the quality of the applications in relation to the objectives and priorities set forth in the guidelines, and to award grants to projects which maximise the overall effectiveness of the call for proposals. They help to select applications which the contracting authority can be confident will comply with its objectives and priorities. They cover the relevance of the action, its consistency with the objectives of the call for proposals, quality, expected impact, sustainability and cost-effectiveness.
Scoring:
The evaluation grid is divided into Sections and subsections. Each subsection will be given a score between 1 and 5 as follows: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good. 

Evaluation grid
Section	Maximum Score	
1. Financial and operational capacity	20	
1.1. Do the applicants and, if applicable, their affiliated entity(ies) have sufficient in-house experience of project management?	5	
1.2. Do the applicants and, if applicable, their affiliated entity(ies) have sufficient technical in-house expertise (especially knowledge of the issues to be addressed)?	5	
1.3. Do the applicants and, if applicable, their affiliated entity(ies) have sufficient management in-house capacity (including staff, equipment and ability to handle the budget for the action)?	5	
1.4. Does the lead applicant have stable and sufficient sources of finance?	5	
2. Relevance of the action	20	
2.1. How relevant is the proposal to the objectives and priorities of the call for proposals and to the specific themes/sectors/areas or any other specific requirement stated in the guidelines for applicants? Are the expected results of the action aligned with the priorities defined in the guidelines for applicants (section 1.2)?	5	
2.2. How relevant is the proposal to the particular needs and constraints of the target country(ies), region(s) and/or relevant sectors (including synergy with other development initiatives and avoidance of duplication)?
Concerning lot 1:

- As regards Mexico, does the application give priority to the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco, and Veracruz y Guerrero?

Concerning lot 1 - 4:

-	Does the application include CSOs based in target countries (as co-applicants or affiliated entities)?
-	How complementary is the application with other actions and policies of the EU in the target countries as regards the priority issues defined under the heading 1.2.2 Specific objectives?
-	Does the application take into account the expected results for the log frame defined in section 2.1.4 of the guidelines?  

Concerning lot 4, actions taking place in specific countries like :

Middle East and North Africa (MENA): (Iraq,  Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Algeria, Egypt,   Libya, Morocco,  Tunisia); 
Sahel: (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal);
The Horn of Africa : (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia) and 
Central and South East Asia: (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Myanmar,  Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam) are strongly encouraged.

Concerning lot 4:
-	 Does the application include a financial support to third parties? 	5	
2.3. How clearly defined and strategically chosen are those involved (final beneficiaries, target groups)? Have their needs (as rights holders and/or duty bearers) and constraints been clearly defined and does the proposal address them appropriately?	5	
2.4. Does the proposal contain particular added-value elements (e.g. innovation, best practices) ? [and the other additional elements indicated under 1.2. of the guidelines for applicants]	5	
3. Design of the action	15	
3.1. How coherent is the design of the action? Does the proposal indicate the expected results to be achieved by the action? Does the intervention logic explain the rationale to achieve the expected results? Are the activities proposed appropriate, practical, and consistent with the envisaged outputs and outcome(s)?	5	
3.2. Does the proposal/Logical Framework include credible baseline, targets and sources of verification? If not, is a baseline study foreseen (and is the study budgeted appropriately in the proposal)?	5	
3.3. Does the design reflect a robust analysis of the problems involved, and the capacities of the relevant stakeholders?	5	

4. Implementation approach	15	
4.1. Is the action plan for implementing the action clear and feasible? Is the timeline realistic?	5	
4.2. Does the proposal include an effective and efficient monitoring system? Is there an evaluation planned (previous, during or/and at the end of the implementation)?	5	
4.3. Is the co-applicant(s)'s and affiliated entity(ies)'s level of involvement and participation in the action satisfactory?	5	

5. Sustainability of the action	15	
5.1. Is the action likely to have a tangible impact on its target groups?	5	
5.2. Is the action likely to have multiplier effects, including scope for replication, extension capitalisation on experience and knowledge sharing?	5	
5.3. Are the expected results of the proposed action sustainable?- Financially (e.g. financing of follow-up activities, sources of revenue for covering all future operating and maintenance costs)- Institutionally (will structures allow the results of the action to be sustained at the end of the action? Will there be local ‘ownership’ of the results of the action?)- At policy level (where applicable) (what will be the structural impact of the action — e.g. improved legislation, codes of conduct, methods) - Environmentally (if applicable) (will the action have a negative/positive environmental impact?)	5	

6. Budget and cost-effectiveness of the action	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?	5x2**	
Maximum total score	100	
**: this scores is multiplied by 2 because of its importance
If the total score for Section 1 (financial and operational capacity) is less than 12 points, the application will be rejected. If the score for at least one of the subsections under Section 1 is 1, the application will also be rejected.
If the lead applicant applies without co-applicants or affiliated entities the score for point 4.3 shall be 5 unless the involvement of co-applicants or affiliated entities is mandatory according to these guidelines for applicants.  
Provisional selection
After the evaluation, a table will be drawn up listing the applications ranked according to their score. The highest scoring applications will be provisionally selected until the available budget for this call for proposals is reached. In addition, a reserve list will be drawn up following the same criteria. This list will be used if more funds become available during the validity period of the reserve list.
(2)	
STEP 3:	VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY OF THE APPLICANTS AND AFFILIATED ENTITY(IES)
The eligibility verification will be performed on the basis of the supporting documents requested by the contracting authority (see Section 2.4). It will by default only be performed for the applications that have been provisionally selected according to their score and within the available budget for this call for proposals. 
•	The declaration by the lead applicant (Section 5 of Annex A.2 of the grant application form) will be cross-checked with the supporting documents provided by the lead applicant. Any missing supporting document or any incoherence between the declaration by the lead applicant and the supporting documents may lead to the rejection of the application on that sole basis. 
•	The eligibility of applicants and the affiliated entity(ies) will be verified according to the criteria set out in Sections 2.1.1, 2.1.2 and 2.1.3.
Any rejected application will be replaced by the next best placed application on the reserve list that falls within the available budget for this call for proposals.
2.4.	
Submission of supporting documents for provisionally selected applications 
A lead applicant whose application has been provisionally selected or placed on the reserve list will be informed in writing by the contracting authority. It will be requested to supply the following documents in order to allow the contracting authority to verify the eligibility of the lead applicant, (if any) of the co-applicant(s) and (if any) of their affiliated entity(ies):
Supporting documents must be provided through PADOR (see section 2.2.).
1.	The statutes or articles of association of the lead applicant, (if any) of each co-applicant and (if any) of each affiliated entity. Where the contracting authority has recognised the lead applicant’s, or the co-applicant(s)’s, or their affiliated entity(ies)’s eligibility for another call for proposals under the same budget line within 2 years before the deadline for receipt of applications, it should be submitted, instead of the  statutes or articles of association, a copy of the document proving their eligibility in a former call (e.g. a copy of the special conditions of a grant contract received during the reference period), unless a change in legal status has occurred in the meantime.  This obligation does not apply to international organisations which have signed a framework agreement with the European Commission.  
2.	For action grants exceeding EUR 750 000 and for operating grants above EUR 100 000, the lead applicant must provide an audit report produced by an approved external auditor where it is available, and always in cases where a statutory audit is required by EU or national law. That report shall certify the accounts for up to the last 3 financial years available. In all other cases, the applicant shall provide a self-declaration signed by its authorised representative certifying the validity of its accounts for up to the last 3 financial years available. 
This requirement shall apply only to the first application made by a beneficiary to an authorising officer responsible in any one financial year.                                                                                    
3.	The external audit report is not required from (if any) the co-applicant(s)) or affiliated entities.
4.	A copy of the lead applicant’s latest accounts (the profit and loss account and the balance sheet for the last financial year for which the accounts have been closed). A copy of the latest account is neither required from (if any) the co-applicant(s) nor from (if any) affiliated entity(ies)).
5.	Legal entity sheet (see Annex D of these guidelines) duly completed and signed by each of the applicants (i.e. by the lead applicant and (if any) by each co-applicant), accompanied by the justifying documents requested there. If the applicants have already signed a contract with the contracting authority, instead of the legal entity sheet and supporting documents, the legal entity number may be provided, unless a change in legal status occurred in the meantime.
6.	A financial identification form of the lead applicant (not from co-applicant(s)) conforming to the model attached as Annex E of these guidelines, certified by the bank to which the payments will be made. This bank should be located in the country where the lead applicant is established. If the lead applicant has already submitted a financial identification form in the past for a contract where the European Commission was in charge of the payments and intends to use the same bank account, a copy of the previous financial identification form may be provided instead.
7.	The lead applicant as well as all co-applicants and affiliated entities shall fill in and sign the declaration on honour certifying that they are not in one of the exclusion situations (see Section 2.6.10.1 of the PRAG).
The requested supporting documents (uploaded in PADOR or sent together with the PADOR offline form) must be supplied in the form of originals, photocopies or scanned versions (i.e. showing legible stamps, signatures and dates) of the said originals.
Where such documents are not in one of the official languages of the European Union, a translation into French, Spanish and English of the relevant parts of these documents proving the lead applicant's and, where applicable, co-applicants' and affiliated entity(ies)' eligibility must be attached for the purpose of analysing the application.
Where these documents are in an official language of the European Union other than the language of the call for proposals, it is strongly recommended, in order to facilitate the evaluation, to provide a translation of the relevant parts of the documents, proving the lead applicants' and, where applicable, co-applicants' and affiliated entity(ies)' eligibility, into French, Spanish and English.
Applicants have to take into consideration the time necessary to obtain official documents from national competent authorities and to translate such documents in the authorised languages while registering their data in PADOR.
If the abovementioned supporting documents are not provided before the deadline indicated in the request for supporting documents sent to the lead applicant by the contracting authority, the application may be rejected.
After verifying the supporting documents, the evaluation committee will make a final recommendation to the contracting authority, which will decide on the award of grants.
NB :	In the eventuality that the contracting authority is not satisfied with the strength, solidity, and guarantee offered by the structural link between one of the applicants and its affiliated entity, it can require the submission of the missing documents allowing for its conversion into co-applicant. If all the missing documents for co-applicants are submitted, and provided all necessary eligibility criteria are fulfilled, the above mentioned entity becomes a co-applicant for all purposes. The lead applicant has to submit the application form revised accordingly.
2.5.	Notification of the Contracting Authority’s decision
2.5.1.	Content of the decision
The lead applicants will be informed in writing of the Contracting Authority’s decision concerning their application and, if rejected, the reasons for the negative decision. This letter will be sent by e-mail and will appear online automatically in the PROSPECT profile of the user who submitted the application. Lead applicants who, in exceptional cases (see section 2.2), had to submit their application by post or hand-delivery will be informed by e-mail or by post if they did not provide any e-mail address. Therefore, please check regularly your PROSPECT profile, taking into account the indicative timetable below. 
An applicant believing that it has been harmed by an error or irregularity during the award process may lodge a complaint. See further Section 2.4.15 of the practical guide. 
Applicants who were unsuccessful at the Opening and Administrative Check stages of the procedure wishing to obtain further information should send their request by letter, indicating the reference of the Call for Proposals and the reference allocated to the proposal, to:

European Commission
Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development 
Unit DEVCO B6 – Finance and Contracts
Attn. Head of Unit
Office: L-41 03/110
B-1049 Brussels
Belgium

Applicants who were unsuccessful at the Technical evaluation stages of the procedure or at the Eligibility check stage wishing to obtain further information should send their request, by letter indicating the reference of the Call for Proposals and the reference allocated to the proposal, to:

European Commission
Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development
Unit DEVCO A5 – Civil Society Organisations, Foundations
Attn. Head of Unit
Office: L-41 03/057
B-1049 Brussels
Belgium

2.5.2.	Indicative timetable 

	DATE	TIME	
1.	Information meeting (if any)	- 	-	
2.	Deadline for requesting any clarifications from the contracting authority	26 May 2020	-	
3.	Last date on which clarifications are issued by the contracting authority	5 June 2020	-	
4.	Deadline for submission of applications	16 June 2020	12:00	
5.	Information to lead applicants on opening, administrative checks and concept note evaluation  (Step 1)	July 2020	-	
6.	Information to lead applicants on the evaluation of the full applications (Step 2)	September 2020	-	
7.	Notification of award (after the eligibility check) (Step 3)	October 2020	-	
8.	Contract signature	November 2020	-	
All times are in the time zone of the country of the contracting authority.
This indicative timetable refers to provisional dates (except for dates 2, 3, and 4) and may be updated by the contracting authority during the procedure. In such cases, the updated timetable will be published on the web site of DG International Cooperation and Development:	 https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/online-services/index.cfm?do=publi.welcome
2.6.	Conditions for implementation after the contracting authority’s decision to award a grant
Following the decision to award a grant, the beneficiary(ies) will be offered a contract based on the standard grant contract (see Annex G of these guidelines). By signing the application form (Annex A of these guidelines), the applicants agree, if awarded a grant, to accept the contractual conditions of the standard grant contract. Where the coordinator is an organisation whose pillars have been positively assessed, it will sign a contribution agreement based on the contribution agreement template. In this case references to provisions of the standard grant contract and its annexes shall not apply. References in these guidelines to the grant contract shall be understood as references to the relevant provisions of the contribution agreement .
Implementation contracts
Where implementation of the action requires the beneficiary(ies) and its affiliated entity(ies) (if any) to award procurement contracts, those contracts must be awarded in accordance with Annex IV to the standard grant contract.
In this context, a distinction should be made between awarding implementation contracts and subcontracting parts of the action described in the proposal, i.e. the description of the action annexed to the grant contract , such subcontracting being subject to additional restrictions (see the general terms and conditions in the model grant contract ).  
Awarding implementation contracts: implementation contracts relate to the acquisition by beneficiaries of routine services and/or necessary goods and equipment as part of their project management; they do not cover any outsourcing of tasks forming part of the action that are described in the proposal, i.e. in the description of the action annexed to the grant contract . 
Subcontracting: Subcontracting is the implementation, by a third party with which one or more beneficiaries have concluded a procurement contract, of specific tasks forming part of the action as described in annex to the grant contract (see also the general terms and conditions in the model grant contract ). 

3.	
LIST OF annexes
Documents to be completed
Annex A.1:	Grant application form – concept note (word format)
Annex A.2: Grant application form – full application (word format)
Annex B:	Budget (Excel format)
Annex C:	Logical framework
Annex D:	Legal entity sheet
Annex E:	Financial identification form
Annex F: 	PADOR registration form (ONLY IF IMPOSSIBLE TO REGISTER IN PADOR) 
DOCUMENTS FOR INFORMATION
Annex G:	Standard grant contract
-	Annex II:	general conditions 
-	Annex IV:	contract award rules
-	Annex V:	standard request for payment
-	Annex VI:	model narrative and financial report
- Annex VII:	model report of factual findings and terms of reference for an expenditure verification of an EU financed grant contract for external action
- Annex VIII:	model financial guarantee
- Annex IX:	standard template for transfer of ownership of assets

Annex H:	Declaration on Honour
Annex I: 	Daily allowance rates (per diem), available at the following address: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/about-procurement-contracts/procedures-and-practical-guide-prag/diems_en 
Annex J:	Information on the tax regime applicable to grant contracts signed under the call.

OTHER ANNEXES:

Annex L: 	List of FPAs

Annex M: 	List of countries (as action location and co-applicants)  

Useful links:
Project Cycle Management Guidelines 
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/aid-delivery-methods-project-cycle-management-guidelines-vol-1_en
The implementation of grant contracts
A Users' Guide
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/companion/document.do?nodeNumber=19&locale=en
Financial Toolkit	
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/procedures-beneficiary-countries-and-partners/financial-management-toolkit_en 
Please note: The toolkit is not part of the grant contract and has no legal value. It merely provides general guidance and may in some details differ from the signed grant contract. In order to ensure compliance with their contractual obligations beneficiaries should not exclusively rely on the toolkit but always consult their individual contract documents.
* * *