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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this grant is to empower Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Pacific Island Countries to actively engage as actors of governance and development. This involves advancing human rights, influencing policy, and holding governments accountable. - Target recipient type: Non-profit organizations including NGOs, public sector operators, local authorities, and international (inter-governmental) organizations. - Target recipient size: Not specified. - This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, with a focus on development, governance, human rights, gender equality, climate change, economic empowerment, and youth engagement. - Geographic scope: Specifically targets Pacific Island Countries (Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, FSM, RMI, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Vanuatu). - Key filtering criteria for initial screening are the organization type (non-profit CSO), geographic location, and project alignment with the stated priority areas. - Grant frequency: Part of a multi-year program, with budget allocations spanning 2024, 2026, and 2027.

Financial Structure

Total indicative budget for this call: EUR 3,886,751.00.
Budget is divided into two lots:
- Lot 1 (Fiji, Samoa):
  - Maximum allocation: EUR 1,200,000.00.
  - Minimum grant amount per project: EUR 400,000.00.
  - Maximum grant amount per project: EUR 600,000.00.
- Lot 2 (Solomon Islands, Tonga, FSM, RMI, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Vanuatu):
  - Maximum allocation: EUR 2,686,751.00.
  - Minimum grant amount per project: EUR 250,000.00.
  - Maximum grant amount per project: EUR 500,000.00.
Funding rate: Grant covers between 50.00% and 90.00% of total eligible costs.
Co-financing: The remaining balance (10-50%) must be financed from sources other than the general budget of the Union or the European Development Fund.
Eligible costs: Grants primarily take the form of reimbursement of eligible costs, based on actual costs incurred and/or simplified cost options.
- Salary costs of national administration personnel may be eligible under specific conditions related to direct action implementation.
Contingency reserve: A contingency reserve not exceeding 5% of estimated direct eligible costs is allowed, subject to prior written authorization from the contracting authority.
Indirect costs: A flat-rate of up to 7% of the estimated total eligible direct costs (excluding volunteer and project office costs) is eligible. If receiving an operating grant from the EU, indirect costs cannot be claimed on incurred costs within the proposed budget.
Contributions in kind: Generally not eligible costs, with the exception of volunteers' work.
- Volunteers' work: Can constitute up to 50% of all sources of financing (Union grant, in-kind, other sources). The value is based on a defined unit cost and must be presented separately in the budget. The grant amount cannot exceed eligible costs excluding volunteer work.
Ineligible costs: Includes debts, debt service charges, provisions for losses, costs financed by other EU grants, land or building purchases (unless strictly necessary for direct implementation with ownership transfer), currency exchange losses, staff bonuses, negative interest, and credit to third parties.
Financial support to third parties: Applicants are permitted to provide financial support to third parties, with a maximum amount of EUR 60,000 per third party, unless justified by objectives.

Eligibility Requirements

Lead Applicant

Must be a legal person.
Must be non-profit-making.
Must be one of the following specific types of organization:
- Non-governmental organisation (NGO): defined as a voluntary, independent from government, non-profit organization, which is not a political party or a trade union.
- Public sector operator.
- Local authority.
- International (inter-governmental) organisation: as defined by Article 159(1) of the EU Financial Regulation.
Must be effectively established in one of the eligible countries (organization's statutes must demonstrate establishment by national law of the country concerned and head office located in an eligible country).
Cannot submit more than 1 application per lot under this call.
Cannot be awarded more than 1 grant per lot under this call.
Cannot be a co-applicant or an affiliated entity in another application of the same lot.

Co-applicant(s)

Must satisfy the same eligibility criteria as the lead applicant.
Must sign the mandate in Annex A.2 Section 5.
Cannot be the co-applicant or affiliated entity in more than 1 application per lot under this call.
Cannot be awarded more than 1 grant per lot under this call.

Affiliated Entities

Only entities having a structural link (e.g., legal or capital link, control as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU, or membership) with the lead applicant and/or co-applicant(s) are eligible.
The structural link must not be limited to the action and must exist before the call for proposals, remaining valid after the action ends (except for 'sole applicants' specifically formed for the action).
Must satisfy the same eligibility criteria as the lead applicant and co-applicant(s).
Must sign the affiliated entity(ies) statement in Annex A.2 Section 5.

Eligible Actions

Duration: Must be between 24 months and 36 months.
Location: Must take place in one or more of the specified countries:
- Lot 1: Fiji or Samoa.
- Lot 2: Solomon Islands, Tonga, FSM, RMI, Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
Scope: Proposals must be relevant and aimed at achieving the objectives and priorities outlined in section 1.2 of the Guidelines.

Ineligible Actions/Activities

Actions concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for workshops, seminars, conferences, congresses.
Actions concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses.
Actions that may result in violation of human rights in partner countries or cause significant adverse effects on the environment or climate.
One-off conferences (conferences are only funded if part of wider activities).
Actions consisting exclusively or primarily of capital expenditure (e.g., land, buildings, equipment, vehicles), except in special circumstances.
Actions which discriminate against individuals or groups based on gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or ethnic origin.
Actions supporting political parties.
Actions which include proselytism.

Application Process

Application Process Overview

This is a restricted call for proposals, involving a two-step process:
1. Concept Note Submission: Only concept notes are submitted initially for evaluation.
2. Full Application Submission: Only pre-selected lead applicants are invited to submit a full application.

Registration Requirements

Lead applicants, co-applicants, and affiliated entities (excluding natural persons) must register in PADOR, an online database. Lead applicants register at the concept note step; co-applicants and affiliated entities register at the full application step.
Registration in the European Commission's Participant Register is mandatory to obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC), which acts as a unique identifier.

Submission Method

Online submission via PROSPECT (https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/prospect) is mandatory for this call.
In exceptional cases (technical impossibility, security/confidentiality concerns), applications may be submitted by registered mail, private courier service, or hand-delivery to the Delegation of the European Union to the Pacific in Suva, Fiji.
Hand-written applications will not be accepted. Applications sent by fax or e-mail (outside of the PROSPECT system) will be rejected.

Key Dates and Deadlines

Information Meeting (Fiji/online): 20/06/2025 at 10:00 (Fiji date and time). Register interest by 13/06/2025.
Deadline for Concept Note Submission: 29/07/2025 at 05:00 (Brussels date and time).
Deadline for Full Application Submission: 29/09/2025 at 15:00 (Brussels date and time) (indicative for exceptional postal submission; actual date provided in invitation letter).
Deadline for requesting clarifications on Concept Notes: 09/07/2025 at 17:00 (Fiji date and time).
Last date for clarifications on Concept Notes to be issued: 18/07/2025.
Deadline for requesting clarifications on Full Applications: 21 days before the full application submission deadline.
Last date for clarifications on Full Applications to be issued: 11 days before the full application submission deadline.
Notification of Contracting Authority's decision: 20/10/2025 (indicative).
Contract signature: 30/11/2025 (indicative, for 2024 fund allocation).

Required Documentation and Materials

For Concept Note Submission (Step 1):
- Grant application form - Concept note (Annex A.1).
- Signed 'declaration by the lead applicant' (Annex A.1 section 2).
For Full Application Submission (Step 2 - upon invitation):
- Grant application form – Full application (Annex A.2).
- Budget (Annex B).
- Logical framework (Annex C).
- Declaration on honour on exclusion and selection criteria (Annex H), signed by lead applicant, co-applicants, and affiliated entities (required for grants exceeding EUR 15,000).
- Statutes or articles of association of the lead applicant, co-applicant(s), and affiliated entity(ies) (or proof of eligibility from a previous call within 2 years under the same budget line).
- For action grants > EUR 750,000 or operating grants > EUR 100,000: An audit report by an approved external auditor for the last 3 financial years (if applicable/required by law) OR a self-declaration of accounts' validity.
- Copy of the lead applicant's latest accounts (profit and loss account and balance sheet).
- If online PADOR registration is impossible, a completed PADOR registration form (Annex F) for all involved entities.

Language Requirements

All applications and documentation must be submitted in English.

Support and Assistance

User manuals and e-learning videos for PADOR and PROSPECT are available online.
Technical support for these systems can be reached via an online support form in PROSPECT or by email ([email protected]).
Information sessions are organized to help applicants familiarize themselves with the system and call details.
Questions and answers, as well as other important notices, are published regularly on the DG International Partnerships website and/or Funding & Tender opportunities portal.

Evaluation Criteria

Step 1: Concept Note Evaluation (Maximum Score: 50 points)

Relevance of the action (Max 20 points):
- Consistency with call objectives, priorities, and themes.
- Relevance to target country(ies), region(s), or sector needs (including synergy and avoidance of duplication).
- Clarity and strategic choice of target groups and final beneficiaries, and appropriateness of addressing their needs.
- Presence of added-value elements (e.g., innovation, best practices).
Design of the action (Max 30 points):
- Clear indication of expected results (outputs/outcomes/impacts) and explicit sequence to achieve objectives (score multiplied by 2).
- Robust analysis of needs and stakeholder capacities embedded in the intervention logic.
- Basis on clear assumptions and consideration of risks.
- Indicative activities linked to and consistent with expected outputs.
- Integration of cross-cutting issues (environmental/climate change, gender equality, disabled people's needs, minorities' rights, indigenous peoples' rights, youth, combating HIV/AIDS).
Threshold: Concept notes must achieve at least 30% (15 out of 50 points) to be considered for pre-selection.

Step 2: Full Application Evaluation (Maximum Score: 100 points)

Financial and operational capacity (Max 20 points):
- Sufficient in-house experience in project management.
- Sufficient technical in-house expertise (especially knowledge of issues to be addressed).
- Sufficient management in-house capacity (staff, equipment, budget handling).
- Lead applicant's stable and sufficient sources of finance.
Threshold: Total score for Section 1 (Financial and operational capacity) must be at least 12 points. If any subsection in Section 1 scores 1, the application will be rejected.
Relevance of the action (Max 20 points):
- Assessed similarly to the concept note stage.
Design of the action (Max 15 points):
- Completeness and quality of the Logical Framework Matrix (Annex C), including RACER indicators, baselines, and data sources.
- Robustness of context analysis.
Implementation approach (Max 15 points):
- Clarity and feasibility of the action plan, activity clustering, and realistic timeline.
- Effectiveness and efficiency of monitoring and reporting systems, and planning/budgeting for evaluation.
- Technical skills of co-applicant(s) and affiliated entities, and their involvement in implementation.
Sustainability of the action (Max 15 points):
- Likelihood of long-lasting and transformative benefits.
- Potential for multiplier effects (replication, extension, knowledge sharing).
- Financial, institutional, policy, and environmental sustainability after intervention ends.
- Quality of risk analysis (physical, environmental, political, economic, social) and mitigation measures.
Budget and cost-effectiveness of the action (Max 15 points):
- Appropriateness of activities reflecting in the budget.
- Efficiency (relation between estimated amounts and expected results, score multiplied by 2).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Ethical and Value Compliance

Absence of conflict of interest: Applicants must not have any conflict of interest with other parties involved in the actions.
Respect for environmental legislation: Compliance with environmental legislation, including multilateral environmental agreements, is mandatory.
Core labour standards: Compliance with core labour standards, as defined in relevant International Labour Organisation conventions (e.g., freedom of association, elimination of forced/child labour).
Respect of EU values: Commitment to and ensuring respect for basic EU values, including human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, and human rights (including minority rights).
Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEA-H): Successful applicants (for grants > EUR 60,000) must complete a self-evaluation questionnaire (Annex L) assessing their internal policy against SEA-H.
Anti-corruption and anti-bribery: Compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and codes related to anti-bribery and anti-corruption is required.
Prohibition of unusual commercial expenses: Applications may be rejected, or contracts terminated, if unusual commercial expenses are discovered.

Regulatory Compliance

General compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Environmental and Social Impact

Actions must not result in violation of human rights in partner countries.
Actions must not cause significant adverse effects on the environment or climate.

Intellectual Property Policies

Specific intellectual property policies are not explicitly detailed in the provided grant guidelines.

Risk Management

The design of the action must consider risks that might hinder the achievement of results.
Evaluation criteria for full applications include an assessment of risk analysis and mitigation measures within the proposal.

Cross-Cutting Considerations

Due consideration must be given to cross-cutting issues such as:
- Environmental issues.
- Promotion of gender equality and equal opportunities.
- Rights of disabled people.
- Rights of minorities.
- Rights of indigenous peoples.
- Youth concerns.

Unique Aspects and Special Conditions

Financial support to third parties is allowed, with a maximum of EUR 60,000 per third party (unless otherwise justified).
Visibility: Applicants must ensure the visibility of the European Union as the funder, adhering to EU emblem display guidelines and communication requirements. Derogations from visibility obligations are permitted in exceptional security-related or politically sensitive situations, requiring prior agreement with the EU.
The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds or to cancel the call at any stage.

Grant Details