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How to Apply for a Grant

Partnership for Transparency Fund (PTF) is an international NGO registered as a not-for-profit corporation in New York State. It is funded by a UNDP grant, and by a donation from a private UK foundation. It is currently seeking funding from multilateral and bilateral aid agencies as well as from other private foundations. It is governed by a Board elected by a broad-based international membership. PTF's officers are all unpaid volunteers, which serves to hold down overhead costs.

PTF's mission is to help civil society organizations to engage in specific time-bound activities aimed at fighting public corruption where it is important for civil society to have a voice genuinely independent of both governments and the major aid agencies. This situation arises particularly where a major aid agency is assisting a government to formulate and then implement an anti-corruption action program, or privatization program or auction of public assets and where both parties recognize the need to involve civil society as an independent partner.

Approach

Consistent with its mission, PTF will consider requests for assistance from bone fide civil society organizations (CSOs) either in the form of a grant or by financing a "partner" to provide specific expertise. The funding would support a well-defined action or set of actions involving interaction with a public authority and aimed at preventing or reducing corruption in connection with a specific public activity. Normally these grants will not exceed $25,000 and will often be smaller. By mobilizing its network of partners experienced in most aspects of anti-corruption work, PTF will assist a local CSO in the design and modalities of the activity for which it is seeking funding. This advice may be provided while reviewing grant applications or may involve sending a partner with relevant expertise to the country concerned. PTF gives preference to locally recruited partners and to South-South exchanges. The international partners are mostly highly experienced retirees of international organizations who contribute their services as unpaid volunteers.

Documentation

Applicants for grants should submit a project proposal as indicated below. This proposal may be modified by the applicant in discussion and through the process of review. Once it is agreed, a draft grant agreement will be prepared by PTF to be signed by authorized representatives of the CSO and PTF. The final project proposal will be an integral part of the grant agreement. The grantee will be expected to submit periodic progress reports and a final report with properly audited accounts of the expenditures made that have been funded by the grant. The whole process should be completed within a year.

Content of a Project Proposal

The project proposal should include the following key information:

1. Background information explaining the mission, legal status, organization and management of the applying CSO.
2. A concise description of the proposed activity to be supported, its objectives and how these are to be achieved. This should include some assessment of the expected impact on reducing corruption and clarity as to how the activity is to be managed.
3. A plan of action and itemized budget, with adequate explanations and justifications. Where individuals (i.e. "partners") local or international are to be hired, proper terms of reference (TORs) must be prepared and the process of selection set out. All of this must be fully transparent and care taken to avoid conflicts of interest.
4. A detailed statement on the proposed reports to be made to PTF and on how the accounts are to be maintained and audited.

Counterpart contributions

It is expected that the applicant would propose to provide some counterpart contribution even if modest to demonstrate commitment to the proposed activity.

Assistance with Project Preparation

It is recognized that some CSOs may lack experience in project preparation. PTF may be willing to provide a partner to assist where doing so has a good justification and where the applicant has a demonstrated capacity to undertake the proposed project.

Applications should be submitted to:

Pierre Landell-Mills
Chief Executive Officer
Partnership for Transparency Fund
Email: ptf@partnershipfortransparency.info