‘Rapid Response' Competitive Grant Opportunity from Eurasia Partnership Foundation

 

Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF) invites NGOs, for-profits and individuals to apply to the ‘Rapid Response’ competitive grant opportunity.

 

The ‘Rapid Response’ competitive grant opportunity is part of the ‘Crisis Response: Stage 2’ programme implemented by Eurasia Partnership Foundation.

 

Interested applicants should submit to EPF their innovative project ideas addressing the multiple crises that Armenia finds itself in, including Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and the Nagorny Karabakh problem, and falling into one or more of the following thematic areas:  Crisis response, Conflict transformation and Human rights protection.

 

 

Application and selection process:

 

The grant opportunity is open from the day of the announcement until September 19, 2023. See the Full Proposal format attached: (Annex 1: Proposal Form). Please send proposals to [email protected] before interim submission deadlines of May 19, 2023; or June 19, 2023; or September 19, 2023. After selection, EPF’s team will further work with the applicants to finalize their project ideas to ensure the quality and impact of the future projects.

EPF will conduct on-line Information Sessions for interested applicants. To participate in it, the prospective applicant should send a notification to EPF Project Associate, Sarine Hayriyan ([email protected]) at least four weeks prior to the above interim submission deadlines.

 

 

The key evaluation criteria will include:

 

(a) extent to which significant and realistic results will be achieved;

(b) feasibility of the project;   

(c) extent to which the project addresses the needs of people and local communities affected by the conflict, and provides tangible impact for improving their lives;

(d) extent to which the project does not entail any potential negative effects;

(e) cost-efficiency and alignment of resources with expected project results.

 

 

Pre-award and post-award processes: 

 

Following the selection, successful applicants will be required to undergo a Pre-award Interview.  The award decision may be reverted in case the applicant’s capacity to implement the project proves to be questionable. 

 

The successful applicants will attend a Grants Management (GM) Seminar to understand EPF’s requirements regarding programmatic and financial management of the project.

 

Following the GM Seminar, the beneficiaries will sign an award agreement with EPF.

 

Throughout the project life cycle, the beneficiaries will submit periodic financial and narrative reports to EPF. EPF will make the next disbursement of funds upon the approval of both the financial and narrative reports. EPF will conduct occasional site-visits. Along with other components of the programme, the supported projects will undergo external evaluation and audit.

 

EPF will advise grant recipients on communication rules and any other relevant issues. Throughout the programme, EPF will engage grant recipients in several activities, such as capacity development workshops, strategic discussions, etc., and grant recipients should be ready to allocate relevant human resource for participation in these activities.

 

Main terms of the Call for Proposals: 

 

• 1st interim deadline to submit an application: May 19, 2023
• 1st on-line information session: April 28, 2023 1st interim deadline to submit an application

 

• 2nd interim deadline to submit an application: June 19, 2023
• 2nd on-line information session: May 29, 2023

 

• 3rd interim deadline to submit an application: September 19, 2023
• 3rd on-line information session: August 29, 2023

 

• Supportted projects must be completed by November 30, 2024

 

• Budget of each project should not exceed AMD 10,000,000 (smaller budgets are preferable; in exceptional cases a larger amount may be provided).

 

• Individual applicants are expected to propose smaller-scale projects (with a relatively small budget not exceeding AMD 2,000,000) that can be managed by one person, e.g. writing and publishing a book, doing research, creating multimedia products, etc.

 

• Project duration should not exceed 12 months.

 

• The language of the proposal can be English or Armenian.

 

 

Who can apply?

 

Non-profits (NGOs, foundations), for-profits[1] (e.g. media outlets, small and medium enterprises) and individuals are eligible to apply.  

 

Preference will be given to local applicants and new-comers who come from geographic areas affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the recent military escalations along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. International applicants will need to prove maximum value added in terms of engaging and empowering local actors. 

 

 

How to apply?

 

The application package should be sent to [email protected], stating Rapid Response_[the name of organization or individual] (in Latin letters) in the subject line.

 

For questions and clarifications, please contact:

 

• Sarine Hayriyan at [email protected] or +37410251575
• Lilit Arzoyan at [email protected] or +37410251575

 

 

Required documents:

(Documents required for application are available here)

 

Applicants who successfully pass the evaluation process and are considered for an award will be required to submit additional documents, including։

 

1) If the applicant is an organization: a reference from the relevant territorial inspectorate that the organization has no tax liabilities.

3) Non-profits, for-profits, and individuals: a reference from the bank regarding their bank accounts (AMD and EUR[2]).

 

 

Attention: the program does not foresee the distribution of humanitarian aid.