UNOV / UNODCCall for ProposalsGuidelines for grant applicants

Grants programme: Support to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) whose projects are aimed at preventing substance use among the youth in four West African countries.

The Targeted countries:1.Burkina Faso, 2.Liberia, 3.Mauritania, 4.Sierra Leone

This project is fully funded by the European Union.

Deadline for receipt of Concept Notes: May 8th 2016Notice:This Call for Proposals forms the basis for applying for UNODC grants. It must neither be construed as a grant agreement, nor be regarded as a confirmation of a grant awarded by UNODC to any entity. Consequently, UNODC is not liable for any financial obligations, or otherwise, incurred by any entity in responding to this call for proposals. Such costs will not be considered as part of the grant budget in the event that a grant is awarded to an applicant.

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Table of contents

1 THE GRANTS PROGRAMME..............................................................................1

1.1 Background..............................................................................................................................11.2 Objectives................................................................................................................................21.3 Thematic focus of this Call for Proposals and priority issues.................................................21.4 Award amounts........................................................................................................................4

2 HOW TO APPLY FOR A GRANT........................................................................4

2.1 Eligibility Criteria....................................................................................................................42.2 Application procedures............................................................................................................7

3 EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS.........................................................................8

3.1 Evaluation and selection of applications.................................................................................83.2 Approval of awards...............................................................................................................113.3 Notification of Decision........................................................................................................113.4 Indicative Timetable..............................................................................................................12

4 DOCUMENTATION............................................................................................12

4.1 Documents to be submitted on application............................................................................124.2 Documents to be signed between UNODC and the Contractual Party.................................124.3 Reporting, monitoring and evaluation...................................................................................12

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1 THE GRANTS PROGRAMME1.1 BackgroundWest Africa is affected by a combination of factors making it vulnerable to illicit trafficking, organized crime, terrorism and drug abuse, most notably its geographic location, mid-way between South America and Europe, as well as its long coastline and largely porous national borders. This is exacerbated, however, by national institutions in the region that are often under-resourced, weak and fragile, as West African States strive to emerge from violent conflicts and long institutional crises. Criminals are exploiting these conditions to traffic a range of products through the region: drugs, cigarettes, weapons and ammunitions, counterfeit medicines, etc. In the past few years, West Africa has become a hub for cocaine trafficking from Latin America to Europe.

Overall in West Africa, information on drug use is extremely limited, given the lack of scientific surveys in the region. The high level of uncertainty is reflected in the broad ranges around the best estimates. The available information suggests that cannabis use is widespread, and that other drugs are used as well, notably in urban areas. The limited information on drug-related treatment in West Africa identified cannabis as the main problem drug, accounting for 64% of all treatment demand in the region. This is a far higher proportion for cannabis than in any other region. Cannabis was followed by opioids (19%), cocaine (5%) ATS (5%), methaqualone (4%), khat (3%), solvents and inhalants (3%) and sedatives and tranquillizers (2%). Given the absence of information on overall drug use patterns, it is also difficult to estimate the extent of nonmedical prescription drug use in the African region. However, parallel markets exist in many West African countries, where prescription drugs are sold outside the control of the health authorities. ARQ data suggest frequent nonmedical use of prescription drugs such as buprenorphine, pentazocine and benzodiazepines in several West African countries.

Approximately 18.8% of the population is between 15 and 24 years old. Generally speaking, these teenagers have very little or no access to information on key issues which affect their lives, such as reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and the dangers of drug use. Consequently, many young people lack the awareness to deal with common events that may arise in their lives in preparation for the adult world.

UNODC, in collaboration with The ECOWAS Commission, is implementing a regional project to “Support the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan on illicit drug trafficking, related organized crime and drug abuse in West Africa” from January 2015 – November 2018). This project is fully funded by the EU. The overall objective of this project is to contribute to a reduction of drug abuse, illicit drug trafficking and related organized crime in West Africa through the implementation of the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan.

As part of its project implementation, UNODC, ECOWAS and the EU announce a call for proposals in support of innovative and pilot prevention initiatives in four countries in 2016 for ECOWAS Member States and Mauritania.

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The targeted countries constituting this call for proposals are:1. Burkina Faso, 2. Liberia, 3. Mauritania, 4. Sierra Leone

1.2 Objective

This Call for Proposals seeks to undertake innovative drug prevention activities among youth that are consistent with the international standard on drug prevention.

Grant funding under this Call for Proposals shall be provided to projects that: Are targeting youth1; Are focused on prevention of substance use. This is evaluated on the basis of how well

the project activities are in line with the types of interventions and policies found to be effective in preventing substance use based on the available scientific evidence, as outlined in the International Standards on Drug Prevention. (http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/prevention/prevention-standards.html);

Support the active participation of youth in their communities, and projects that are initiated, planned, managed, implemented, monitored and/or evaluated by youth;

Promote intra-sectorial cooperation between CSOs, local and regional authorities addressing drug issues in the country.

Enhance consciousness of West African local and regional authorities/institutions, CSOs (including NGOs and CBOs) and public awareness of their role in support of drug prevention

1.3 Thematic focus of this Call for Proposals and priority issues 1.3.1 Evidence-based prevention approaches that will be prioritized in this call of

proposalsThe different types of evidence based prevention approaches targeting youth, that have been found to yield positive prevention outcomes, as summarized in the International Standards on Drug Prevention (http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/prevention/prevention-standards.html), are listed below.

1.3.1.1 Early adolescencePrevention education based on personal and social skills and social influences (as universal & for groups that are particularly at risk; good indication of efficacy)Interactive sessions that give students an opportunity to practice and learn a wide array of personal and social skills, including particularly coping, decision making and resistance skills, and that also address perceptions of risks associated with substance abuse, and furthermore dispel misconceptions regarding the normative nature and the expectations linked to substance abuse.

1 Population between 15 and 24 years based on the UN Regional Overview of Youth Africa, 20112

School policies and culture(universal; adequate indication of efficacy)Supporting positive school culture and student participation, and creating supportive and non-punitive substance use policies with referral components.

Addressing individual psychological vulnerabilities(for individuals that are particularly at risk; adequate indication of efficacy)Providing individuals who have been identified as possessing specific personality traits with skills on how to positively cope with the emotions arising from their personality.

Mentoring(for groups that are particularly at risk; limited indication of efficacy)Structured programs matching youth, especially from marginalized circumstances, with adults who commit to arrange for activities and spend some of their free time with the youth on a regular basis, and providing training and support for the participating adult mentors.

1.3.1.2 Adolescence and Adulthood

Workplace prevention programs(As universal & for groups &individuals that are particularly at risk; good indication of efficacy)Substance abuse policies and prevention programs in the workplace, that typically include counseling services and referral to treatment. Media(universal; adequate indication of efficacy)Media campaigns that are based on solid theory and research connect with other prevention programs and that have a sufficient reach.

Programs utilizing entertainment venues(universal; adequate indication of efficacy)Programs that utilize venues where substance use often takes place, such as clubs and bars, and that typically include trainings of personnel on responsible service practices and on handling of intoxicated clients, as well as co-operation with health-care, law-enforcement and other relevant community actors.

Community based multi-component initiatives(As universal & for groups that are particularly at risk; good indication of efficacy)Multi-component community-based initiatives that take place in different settings and typically aim to bring together different actors in the community to address substance misuse in collective and coordinated manner.

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The specific characteristics and modes of delivery associated with positive outcomes can be found from the standards, and it is highly recommendable that the applicants familiarize themselves with these characteristics when planning the projects, and also seek some further information on the selected approach(es), for which, for example, the Annex V of the Standards (http://www.unodc.org/documents/prevention/prevention_standards_appendix_02_methodology_annex_05_data.pdf) may provide a good starting point. Also resources such as European Drug Prevention Quality standards (http://prevention-standards.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/EMCDDA-EDPQS-Manual.pdf) might provide valuable support in planning solid projects.

1.4 Award amountsProposals with budgets of minimum 30 000 USD and maximum 45 000 USD will be considered for award. However, value for money will be assessed as a part of the rating criteria.As a general rule in UNODC, the maximum amount that can be granted cumulatively to the same entity (over any 12-month period and across projects) is USD 120,000. This limit will be checked when making the final decision.

2 HOW TO APPLY FOR A GRANTThese guidelines under this section set out the rules for the submission, selection and implementation of grant projects financed under this grant programme.

2.1 Eligibility CriteriaThere are eligibility criteria relating to:

who may apply (2.1.2) for each of the selected country; projects for which a grant/contract may be awarded (2.1.3); and costs which may be taken into account in setting the amount of the grant/contract

(2.1.4).

2.1.1 Fundamental principlesGrant applicants should consider the following fundamental principles in designing their grant proposals:

an ethical approach to grant implementation; partnership with other stakeholders; project design with the potential for replication; sustainability of project;

2.1.2 Eligibility of applicants: who may apply?In order to be eligible for a grant/contract, applicants must:

be a non-profit making organisation or NGO registered under the relevant Laws of the country where it is registered– registration certificate needs to be submitted with the proposal to proof the status of the organization;

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be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the project, i.e. not acting as an intermediary;

demonstrate prior experience of implementing activities in the area of substance use prevention, health education, youth empowerment or other related field of work;

have the relevant experience and capability to administer international funding; have a bank account in the names of the organisation.

Only proposals aimed at achieving the objectives of this grants program as mentioned in section 1.2 are eligible for funding under this Call for Proposals. Organisations are encouraged to demonstrate cooperation/ partnership with relevant key stakeholders, such as: local/regional authorities, the private sector, academic institutions, community leaders and the public at large.

2.1.3 Eligible projects: which proposals may be funded?DurationAll activities financed by this Grants programme must be implemented latest by October 2017. The project period of implementation must not exceed 12 months.Only projects aimed at preventing substance use among youth, as indicated in section 1, are eligible for funding under this Call for Proposals. The following types of projects are not eligible:

projects promoting the non-medical or non-scientific use of controlled substances projects that include harm reduction activities preventing only the consequences of

substance use projects concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in

training courses, workshops, seminars, conferences, congresses, schooling or other educational activities;

one-off workshops, conferences and seminars: they can only be funded if they form part of a wider range of activities to be implemented in the life-time of the project.

credit or loan schemes projects which consist exclusively or primarily of capital expenditure e.g. land,

buildings, equipment, vehicles, etc. projects 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

cash donations political party and religious activities projects which provide funding for terrorist activities establishment of databases and information systems.

Number of applications per applicantAn applicant may submit only one proposal under this Call for Proposals.

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Please note that all activities financed by this Grants programme must be innovative with potential for replication in the region.

2.1.4 Eligibility of costs: which costs may be taken into consideration? The categories of costs considered as eligible and non-eligible are indicated below. The budget is both a cost estimate and a ceiling for "eligible costs". Note that the eligible costs must be based on real costs based on supporting documents. Costs that do not appear realistic may be rejected.It is therefore in the applicant's interest to provide a realistic and cost-effective budget.Eligible direct costsTo be eligible under this Call for Proposals, costs must be directly verifiable and traceable to the activities being implemented.Eligible indirect costs (overheads)The indirect costs incurred in carrying out the project may be eligible for flat-rate funding fixed at not more than 10% of the total eligible direct costs. Such amount may be reviewed in the context of the overall input-based budget submitted with the proposal. It is possible that pre-selected proposals may be amended, at the recommendation of the Committee on Grants and External Engagement (CoGEE) at UNODC Headquarters in Vienna, to exclude all indirect costs.Contributions in kindContributions in kind are not considered actual expenditure and are not eligible costs for reimbursement. Ineligible costsThe following costs are not eligible:

debts and provisions for losses or debts; interest owed; salary top-ups and similar emoluments to government employees items already financed in another framework, i.e. existing capacity should not be

included in the budget ; purchases of land or buildings2; currency exchange losses; taxes, including VAT, unless the Beneficiary (or the Beneficiary’s partners) cannot

reclaim them and the applicable regulations do not forbid coverage of taxes; credit to third parties.

2.2 Application procedures

2 Except where necessary for the direct implementation of the project, in which case ownership belongs to UNODC until it is transferred to the final beneficiaries. Any such transfer shall be done in accordance with the internal rules of UNODC.

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This Call for Proposals takes a phased-approach. Applicants are required to submit a concept note first, which will be reviewed by a Grant Committee composed of representatives from United Nations on Drugs and Crime, ECOWAS Commission and the European Union. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted by UNODC with an invitation to submit a full project proposal.

Please note that the elements outlined in the concept note cannot be modified by the applicant in the full project proposal and the UNODC contribution may not vary from the initial estimate by more than 20%.

2.2.1 Application forms Concept notes must be submitted in accordance with the instructions in the concept note application form annexed to this document. Full project proposals must be submitted in accordance with the instructions in this call for proposals guidelines for grant applicants. All applications must be in English or French.Due care must be taken to complete the application form. Any error or major discrepancy related in the application form (e.g. the amounts mentioned in the budget are inconsistent with those mentioned in the application form) may lead to rejection of the application.Clarifications will only be requested if information provided is unclear, and prevents objective assessment of the proposal.Hand-written applications will not be accepted.Please note that only the application form and the completed annexes will be evaluated. It is therefore of utmost importance that these documents contain ALL relevant information concerning the project.

2.2.2 Where and how to send the application?The complete application form and budget must be submitted in Word and Excel or PDF.Applications must be submitted by courier services (e.g. DHL, UPS etc.) at the following address:

UNODC Country Office,09 Koubia Close off Adetokumbo Ademola crescent,

Wuse 2,Abuja FCT,

NigeriaAND submitted by email to: z28grant_prevention01@unodc.org. The subject of the email address should specify the name of applicant organization with grant reference number Grant_2016/Z28/Prevention-01.Applications sent by any other means (than advised in this call for proposal) or delivered to other addresses will not be considered under this Call for Proposals.Incomplete applications will be rejected. 2.2.3 Deadline for submission of applicationsThe deadline for the submission of concept notes is on Friday, 22nd April at 17:00 GMT.

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As evidenced by the date of receipt of submission email, any application submitted after the deadline will be automatically rejected. The deadline for the submission of full project proposals will be communicated to short-listed applicants.

3 EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS3.1 Evaluation and selection of applications

Applications will be examined and evaluated by the technical evaluation team. All proposals submitted by applicants will be assessed according to the following steps and criteria:If the examination of the application reveals that the proposed project does not meet the eligibility criteria stated in section 2.1, the application shall be rejected on this sole basis.

STEP 1: ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENTThe following will be assessed:

The submission deadline has been respected. If the deadline has not been respected the application will automatically be rejected.

The correct application form is duly filled and requested documents are attached to the application. (Refer to 4.1) If any of the requested information is missing or is incorrect, the application may be rejected solely on that basis and the application will not be evaluated further.

The application meets the rest of the eligibility criteria.

STEP 2: EVALUATION OF THE APPLICATION An evaluation of the quality of the applications will be carried out in accordance with the evaluation criteria set out in the evaluation grids included below.

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3.1.1 ScoringThe evaluation of this Call for Proposals will be as follows:

Concept note evaluation grid:The best projects will be selected from this pool based on the criteria below. Each subsection will be given a score between 0 and 4 in accordance with the following guidelines: 0=Poor, 1= Fair, 2=Average, 3= Good, 4 =Excellent Relevance of the issue: A particular attention should be provided on the drug situation

in the country and its impact on the target population (Youth). The organisation should provide verifiable data.

Approach — the goal and objectives of the drug prevention activities should address the drug abuse problem in a logical manner. The project provides need to highlight concrete set of activities to enhance the knowledge of youth regarding drug abuse.

Cooperation — All key stakeholders are clearly identified and their potential role defined. The target groups/beneficiaries are well defined.

The capability of the organisation —has project management experience. must demonstrate past experience in drug prevention in the country and indicate experience in working with youth and other vulnerable groups.

Financial feasibility — The budget is reasonable between 30,000 USD and 45,000 USD. The applicants must give a short, realistic description of the main budget items based on the proposed activities.

Shortlisting of concept note applicationsFollowing the evaluation of eligible concept notes, the applications will be ranked according to their scores and a shortlist defined by the evaluation team. Shortlisted applications will then be contacted by UNODC with the invitation for the submission of a full project proposal.

Full Project Proposal evaluation grid:The full project proposals will be assessed based on the evaluation criteria below which is divided into sections and subsections. Each subsection will be given a score in accordance with the following guidelines: 0 = information not provided, 1 = poorly meets the criteria; 3 = partially meets the criteria; 4 = adequately meets the criteria; 5 = entirely meets the criteria.

The substantive elements of a project is a prerequisite section, all applicants who fail to obtain the minimum pass mark of 15 out of 25 in this category, will not be considered further, irrespective of the other scoring sections.

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Sections of the Full Application Maximum Score

1. Substantive element 251.1 Given the fact that this Call for Proposals seeks to strengthen the capacity of national civil society organisations or networks to undertake innovative drug prevention activities among and targeting youth, the proposal needs to be relevant and consistent with the international standard on drug prevention. Therefore will be evaluated on the basis of its relevance to the objectives and priorities of this call for proposals.

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1.2 How relevant is the proposal to particular situation of youth in the selected countries and how will it sensitize the targeted population on drug abuse?

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1.3 How clearly defined and strategically chosen are those involved (target groups, communities, etc.)? Have their needs been clearly defined and does the proposal address them appropriately?

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2. Methodology 202.1 Are the activities proposed appropriate, practical, and consistent with the objectives and expected results?

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2.2 How coherent is the overall design of the project? 5 (in particular, does it reflect the analysis of the problems at hand, taking into account external factors?)2.3 Is the work plan clear and feasible? 52.4 Does the proposal contain objectively measurable and verifiable baseline indicators for assessment of the outcome of the project?

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3. Sustainability and Exit Strategy 203.1 Is the project likely to have a tangible impact on its target groups? 53.2 Is the proposal likely to have multiplier effects? (Including scope for replication and extension of the outcome of the project and dissemination of information.).

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3.3 Are the expected results of the proposed project sustainable: 10- financially (how will the activities be financed after the grant funding

ends?)- institutionally (will structures allowing the activities to continue be in

place at the end of the project? Will there be local “ownership” of the results of the project?)

- at policy level (where applicable) (what will be the structural impact of the project — e.g. will it lead to improved legislation, codes of conduct, methods, etc?)?

- environmentally (if applicable) (will the project have a negative/positive environmental impact?)

4. Financial and operational capacity 2010

4.1. Does the applicant have sufficient experience of project management? (source: # of years dealing with the relevant issue, prior projects, etc)

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4.2. Does the applicant demonstrate sufficient technical expertise? (Notably knowledge of the issues to be addressed experienced staff.)

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4.3. Does the applicant demonstrate sufficient management capacity? 5(Including staff, equipment and ability to handle the budget for the project; source: CVs, organigram, if requested)4.4. Does the applicant have stable and sufficient sources of finance? Is the applicant’s financial management sound? (source: financial statements and audit report)

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5. Budget and cost-effectiveness 155.1 Is the ratio between the estimated costs and the expected results satisfactory? (Value for Money assessment)

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5.2 Is the proposed expenditure necessary for the implementation of the project?

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Total 100

Provisional selectionFollowing the evaluation of eligible full project proposals, a table listing the applications ranked according to their scores will be established. The list of provisionally selected applications will take into consideration the financial envelope available. The provisional selection of applications will be made at this stage depending on their ranking.

STEP 3: APPROVAL OF THE GRANTEE

3.2 Approval of awardsThe final approval of selected applications follows UNODC’s procedures. The review considers whether the proposals put forward conform to the UN regulations and rules, with special attention to the general principles of:

fairness, transparency and integrity; effective competition; best value for money; and the interest of the UN.

3.3 Notification of DecisionApplicants are informed in writing of UNODC’s decision concerning their application.

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3.4 Indicative Timetable Date

Deadline for submission of concept notes April 22,2016Feedback to applicants on the outcome of the evaluation of the concept note

May 20, 2016

Invitations to submit full project proposals May 27, 2016Deadline for the submission of full project proposals July 1, 2016Selection of successful applicants July 31, 2016Estimated start date /project implementation October 1, 2016

4 DOCUMENTATION4.1 Documents to be submitted on applicationThe following documents must be submitted as part of the concept note application:

Concept note application form (template provided); Full registration certificate; Passport or ID with picture of the representative of the organisation

The following documents must be submitted as part of the full project proposal application: Project proposal application form (template provided); Budget (template provided); Financial statements for the last 2 years (or audit reports where available);

Further documentation may be required and these may be communicated to provisionally selected applicants in due course.Documents will be checked for truthfulness and accuracy of representation through various means, including but not limited to internet searches, formally official confirmation from responsible offices, letters of recommendation, etc.

4.2 Documents to be signed between UNODC and the Contractual PartyThe following documents will be signed as part of the grant agreement between UNODC and grant recipients:

Grant agreement based on the standard UNODC Grant agreement Annex A – Project Proposal Annex B – Budget breakdown

4.3 Reporting, monitoring and evaluationIt is the responsibility of grantees to monitor and report on the progress of implementation of their grants projects in accordance with the stipulation of the grant agreement and performance measures included in their proposal. Failure to monitor and report on progress of implementation could be a reason to blacklist an NGO for all future UNODC grants.

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