“Nearly 800,000 PLN for the implementation of approximately 200 projects by informal groups and young organizations from the Masovian Voivodeship”
The Cooperation Fund Foundation, in cooperation with the BORIS Association and the Europe and Us Association, is announcing a call for applications for the second competition for micro-grants for young NGOs, informal groups, and self-help organizations from the Masovian Voivodeship. The application deadline for the Grassroots Initiatives Competition begins on March 16th, and the next competition, for organizational development, begins on April 13th.
This year, the operators of the FIO-Mazowsze Lokalnie (Local Mazovia) have decided to introduce new, revolutionary principles for the Competition.
We invite you to participate in the event on Facebook. This is the second edition of the competition dedicated to young NGOs and informal groups from the Mazovia region, offering micro-grants of up to 5,000 PLN. Nearly 800,000 PLN will be allocated as part of this year’s “FIO-Mazowsze Lokalnie” program competition, with 70% of the funds earmarked for grassroots initiatives and 30% for supporting the organization’s development. The operators plan to award approximately 200 micro-grants. The program’s main goal is to support activities that initiate cooperation among residents of the Mazovian Voivodeship for the common good. “With the FIO-Mazowsze Lokalnie program, we strive to respond to changes in the third sector, where informal grassroots initiatives are playing an increasingly important role, and young organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with more experienced organizations,” says Daniel Prędkopowicz, program coordinator. “Deciding to support (non-)ordinary people who want to work together for the benefit of their communities, as well as young organizations that are yet to gain experience, we have changed the competition procedures,” he adds.
Simplified Application, Two-Stage Evaluation of Grassroots Initiatives
The new principles of the 2015 Competition include changes to the application process and the evaluation process for project ideas. The operators decided to separate the two competition tracks – the organizational development track will be dedicated to supporting young NGOs, while the grassroots initiative track will subsidize local activities implemented by young NGOs, informal groups, and self-help groups. New application documents have been introduced in both competition modules – the full application form has been abandoned in favor of a simplified, two-page fiche, which allows for a concise and concise description of the activities. Importantly, the fiche will no longer require a detailed budget and timeline. The evaluation process has been expanded to include a second stage – the presentation of ideas to a competition jury, which will sit during six regional meetings (estimated meetings will be held in Ostrołęka, Siedlce, Płock, Radom, and two meetings in Warsaw). The authors of the best-rated projects (approximately 300) will be invited to the presentation stage – they will have the opportunity to present the most important aspects of their activities and their local roots during a short, approximately 5-minute presentation. The competition jury will ultimately consist of five people, including representatives of the Operator and three local representatives selected from among: FIO-Mazowsze Lokalnie Ambassadors, third sector activists, representatives of local government, or local media.
New organizations applying for development funds will be required to submit a short development plan, which will serve as the basis for the project’s substantive evaluation. Associations and foundations will not appear before the jury in this case.
Proven Principles Will Remain
The FIO-Mazowsze Lokalnie (Foundation for Locally) Program schedule will include solutions proven in the previous year. At each stage of the program’s implementation, “Foundation for Locally” operators will be supported by Ambassadors, who will take on some of the activities related to, among other things, reaching out to local informal groups, actively informing and training potential beneficiaries, and participating in the substantive evaluation of applications. A series of webinars and seminars will also be held in subregions of the Masovian Voivodeship, and project implementers will have the opportunity to participate in the “Tell Me About Your Project” competition for the best promotional material for their activities.
More about the competition and the “Foundation for Locally” program:
www.mazowszelokalnie.pl
www.facebook.com/mazowszelokalnie
helpline: 0-801 055 100
