NGO Programme Lithuania: Guidelines for Applicants

Transcription

1 NGO Programme Lithuania: Guidelines for Applicants EEA Grants Prepared by NGO Programme Lithuania Fund Operator 15 March, 2013 (version v1.2, 17 January, 2014)

2 Table of Contents I. Objective, Areas of Support and Expected Results... 3 II. Horizontal Issues and Country Specific Concerns... 5 III. Size of Grants and Duration of Projects... 6 IV. Fund for Bilateral Relations... 7 V. Eligible Applicants... 7 VI. Project Partners and Partnership Agreements... 8 VII. Categories of eligible activities... 9 VIII. Open Calls IX. Application Process X. Eligible Costs XI. Procurement XII. Grant Rate and Co-financing XIII Selection Procedure XIV. Appeal Procedure XV. Grant Awarding XVI. Monitoring and Control of Projects XVII. Publicity and Communication XVIII. Contacts

3 NGO Programme Lithuania is part of the EEA Financial Mechanism (EEA Grants) , funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, aimed at providing flexible and accessible funding to NGOs, with the aim to foster an enabling environment for the sector, strengthen its capacity, and enhance overall contribution to social justice, democracy and sustainable development. The total allocation for the NGO Programme for the period (actual implementation ) is 5.5 million Euros. Fund Operator of the NGO Programme Lithuania is the Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI) 1. These Guidelines regulate the terms and procedures for applying for grants from the NGO Programme Lithuania. I. Objective, Areas of Support and Expected Results 1. The overall objective of the NGO Programme is: Strengthened civil society development and enhanced contribution to social justice, democracy and sustainable development, strengthened bilateral relationship between the beneficiary states and the donor countries. 2. Areas of support: 2.1. Democracy and good governance support area will include promotion of democratic values, including enhancement of participatory democracy and active citizenship on the whole, as well as promotion of good governance, access to information and transparency Human rights support area will include promotion and protection of civil and political rights and freedoms and combating discrimination on all grounds (ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, etc.) Vulnerable groups support area will include provision of welfare and basic services to vulnerable groups, where such services are not otherwise or not adequately provided by governmental institutions; also strengthening of membership-based NGOs representing these vulnerable groups. Under the framework of this Programme the target groups constituting vulnerable groups will be defined as: children and youth at risk people affected by HIV/AIDS children with disabilities and/or mental disorders and their families victims of trafficking and gender based violence and/or domestic violence Additional area of support: 2.4. Protection of the environment and climate change support to NGOs working in the field of environment protection, climate change and sustainable development. The Programme specifically aims at strengthening NGOs working in field of environment protection, promoting coalition-building and network-development and expanding NGOs participation in the policy and decision-making processes. The Programme is not designated to support environmental awareness-raising on the local level. 3. Expected outcomes and outputs: Outcome No1: Active Citizenship Fostered Area of support: Democracy and good governance Output 1: Volunteering promoted Output 2: Number of local communities mobilized for active citizenship and their participatory role strengthened on the grassroots level 1 In partnership with OSFL Projects. 3

4 Outcome No2: Increased Involvement of NGOs in Policy and Decision-making Processes with Local, Regional and National Governments Area of support: Democracy and good governance Area of support: Human rights Additional area of support: Protection of the environment and climate change Output 1: Trainings on advocacy provided for NGOs Output 2: NGO involvement in policy and decision-making processes related to human rights, including hate speech, racism and xenophobia, homophobia, anti-semitism, multicultural understanding, Roma inclusion, gender equality and domestic violence Outcome No3: Democratic Values, Including Human Rights, Promoted Area of support: Human rights Output 1: Number of awareness raising campaigns on human rights implemented, including anti-semitism, xenophobia, homophobia, racism, with a special focus on hate speech Output 2: NGO/Media partnerships built in human rights and environment protection area Output 3: Cross-border cooperation contributing to building democracy and protecting human rights in Belarus increased Outcome No 4: Advocacy and Watchdog Role Developed Area of support: Human rights Output 1: Advocacy campaigns on crucial human rights issues implemented, including on mental disability and other extremely stigmatized groups, e.g. Roma, LGBT, etc. Output 2: Trainings provided for civil society on watchdog and monitoring activities, and on legal advocacy including alternative reporting and strategic litigation Output 3: Number of legislative/policy initiatives addressed by NGOs, including on gender equality, Roma inclusion, LGBT, environment protection, NGO legal/fiscal environment Outcome No5: Developed Networks and Coalitions of NGOs Working in Partnership All areas of support Output 1: Trainings on coalition building provided, involving small/grassroots NGOs and local NGOs Output 2: Coalitions and networks of human rights NGOs, including environment protection, developed/ sustainability increased Outcome No6: Strengthened Capacity of NGOs and an Enabling Environment for the Sector Promoted All areas of support Output 1: NGO accountability and integrity standards created and trainings for NGOs provided Output 2: Capacity building seminars for NGOs, including on results based management, conducted Output 3: Public policy NGOs strengthened through support to administrative capacity building, strategic programme planning and diversification of funds Output 4: National action plan on enabling the NGO sector prepared (based on the NGO sector mapping study conducted via Predefined project No 3) Output 5: Number of legislative initiatives developed/improved addressing legal and fiscal environment for NGOs Outcome No7: Provision of Welfare and Basic Services to Defined Target Groups Increased Support area: Vulnerable groups Output 1: Complex aid mechanism for children at risk and their families, victims of trafficking, gender based violence and/or domestic violence developed in a number of municipalities Output 2: Key services to people affected by HIV/AIDS (including IDU) provided in a number of municipalities 4

5 Output 3: Community-based services for children with disabilities and/or mental disorders and their families established in a number of municipalities Outcome No8: Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups Support area: Vulnerable groups Output 1: Strengthened governance in membership-based NGOs representing people with mental disability and/or mental disorder and their families Output 2: NGO/ judiciary and law enforcement institutions joint initiatives on human rights sensitization with special focus on treatment of vulnerable groups 4. OUTCOMES FOR BILATERAL RELATIONS Outcome No1: Increased cooperation Type 1 results: Extent of cooperation (project partnerships in civil society) Outcome No2: Shared results Type 2 results: Shared results (both partners are involved professionally in planning and implementation and can claim credit for achieved results) Outcome No3: Improved knowledge and mutual understanding Type 3 results: Knowledge and mutual understanding (articles published in one country about the other partner country) 5. The table of all expected Programme results, including Programme achievement indicators and targets, is provided in the Annex. 6. Note: Relevant Council of Europe (CoE) and EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) documents (in relation to hate speech, racism and xenophobia, homophobia, anti-semitism, multicultural understanding, Roma inclusion, gender equality, youth, including engaging youth) must be taken into account when interpreting the priority areas and horizontal issues. Basic indications to the relevant CoE and FRA legislation and research can be found at the NGO Programme website under the Open Calls section. II. Horizontal Issues and Country Specific Concerns 7. Horizontal concerns of the Programme must be addressed under all relevant outcomes to the maximum extent. Horizontal concerns include: Combat: Hate speech, hate crime and extremism, Racism and xenophobia, Homophobia, Anti-Semitism, Roma discrimination, Sexual harassment, Violence against women and domestic violence, Human trafficking. Foster: Tolerance, Multicultural understanding. 5

6 8. At least 10% of the total allocation for each area of intervention will be allocated to children- and youth-driven organisations and/or activities targeting children and youth. 9. When preparing project applications country specific issues are recommended to be taken into account: 9.1. Cooperation with municipalities and their authorities as well as local communities regarding domestic violence and gender-based violence issues; 9.2. Cooperation with Belorussian civil society organizations; 9.3. NGO capacity building; 9.4. NGO networking and coalition strengthening. III. Size of Grants and Duration of Projects 10. Grant amount to be distributed throught the second open call for applications is ,80 EUR ( ,89 LTL). Grant allocations according to the Programme outcomes:* Outcome: Grant allocation, Grant allocation, EUR: LTL: Outcome No1: Active Citizenship Fostered , ,74 Outcome No2: Increased Involvement of NGOs in Policy and Decisionmaking Processes with Local, Regional and National Governments , ,61 Outcome No3: Democratic Values, Including Human Rights, Promoted , ,78 Outcome No 4: Advocacy and Watchdog Role Developed , ,83 Outcome No5: Developed Networks and Coalitions of NGOs Working in Partnership Outcome No6: Strengthened Capacity of NGOs and an Enabling Environment for the Sector Promoted Outcome No7: Provision of Welfare and Basic Services to Defined Target Groups Increased , , , , , ,57 Outcome No8: Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups , ,24 * If any of the outcome allocations is not fully distributed due to the lack of quality applications, the Fund Operator reserves a right to reallocate the remaining amount to other outcome(s) or to the future calls for proposals. 11. The minimum and maximum grant amount per project shall be as follows: a) small scale projects: minimum EUR 10,000 ( LTL); maximum EUR 40,000 ( LTL); b) large scale projects: minimum EUR 40,001 ( ,45 LTL), maximum EUR 150,000 ( LTL). 6

7 12. Duration of projects: a) The maximum duration of small scale projects is 12 months. The maximum duration of large scale projects is 18 months. b) The duration shall be calculated from the date of signing the project implementation agreement by both parties, or other date mutually agreed between the parties, which should not be earlier than the date the Fund Operator Managing Boards makes a decision to support a project. Date of signing the project implementation agreement is considered the date of the last signature. IV. Fund for Bilateral Relations 13. For the Programme implementation period, the Fund Operator has set aside 134, 000 EUR ( LTL) to the Bilateral Relations Fund to facilitate: a) search for partners for donor partnership projects prior to or during the preparation of a project application, the development of such partnerships and the preparation of an application for a donor partnership project; and/or b) networking, exchange, sharing and transfer of knowledge, technology, experience and best practice between project promoters and entities in the Donor States. 14. For detailed description of this fund and the opportunities it provides see the Guidelines for the Applicants to the Fund for Bilateral Relations. V. Eligible Applicants 15. Eligible applicants are NGOs. For the intents and purposes of the NGO Programme Lithuania NGO refers to a nonprofit voluntary organisation established as a legal entity in the Republic of Lithuania, having a non-commercial purpose, independent of local, regional and central government, public entities, political parties and commercial organisations. Religious institutions and political parties are not considered NGOs. 16. The following administrative and eligibility criteria for the applicants are applied: Applicant must be a legal entity registered in Lithuania. The legal form of the entity is irrelevant due to absence of clear definition of an NGO in Lithuanian legislation Applicant must be a non-profit organization, i.e. an organization which was not founded with the aim to seek profit, nor operating as a profit-generating organisation. Applicant organization may have paid staff and may engage in revenue-generating activities or fundraising; nevertheless, these should not be the key objectives of the organization, but only the source of funding for fulfilling its mission Applicant s members must not have any commercial interest in the outcome of the work of the organisation or of its commercial activities and should not pursue their commercial or professional interests. Trade and professional associations are not eligible applicants Applicant organisation is voluntary in nature, created by groups or individuals upon their free will, usually involving volunteering or its features in its activities Applicant must be acting in the public arena and for the public good on concerns and issues related to the well-being of people, groups or society as a whole. 2 Lithuanian Non-governmental law will come into force on 1 April

8 16.6. Applicant, which is membership-based, must have transparent structures and an elected chair / board, and must be accountable to its members and donors (valid for associations only) Applicant must be independent of local, regional and national government and other public authorities. Stakeholders of the applicant cannot be public authorities or state institutions, state owned or managed enterprises as well as municipalities or other local and regional authorities Applicant must not be a political party and must be independent of political parties. Stakeholders of the applicant must not be political parties. Applicant cannot be carrying out any activities which could be attributed to any political party or political movement Applicant must be independent of commercial organizations. Stakeholders of the applicant should not be business entities. Applicants must not have received more than 50% of its income from commercial organizations or other NGOs, which are directly or indirectly dependent of commercial organizations or were during the past 2 years, except for the support provided by goods and services for the sole purpose of charity Applicant must not be religious institution or community. Faith-based organizations and national Red-Cross societies can be considered eligible applicants as long as they meet other eligibility criteria and if the activities for which the funding is requested directly contribute to Programme results and do not, directly or indirectly, promote a religious doctrine, mission or proselytism related to the beliefs of a particular faith Applicant must not be bankrupt or in the process of bankruptcy, or the process of reorganization or liquidation Applicant must not have any unpaid tax debts to state or municipality budgets or the social security fund Applicant must not have been found guilty by a final judgement of criminal offences related to the use of funds from EEA and Norway Financial mechanisms or EU structural funds, or other public funds Applicant must not provide false or misleading information in the application and its supporting documents, as well as should not conceal any information including that about conflict of interest Applicant must have been active for at least one year and must have at least one year of experience in the specific area, in which it wishes to implement a project and which correspond to the overall objective of the Programme and its areas of support Applicant must possess and in case of necessity be able to provide evidence of sufficient project management and professional experience in the field of the project application Applicant must not make or attempt to make any direct or indirect influence on representatives of NGO Fund Operator or Financial Mechanism Office during the entire period of implementation of the NGO Programme Lithuania. In case of doubt about compliance with the above listed criteria, Applicants may turn to the Fund Operator for clarification. In turn, in case of doubt, the Fund Operator may consult with the Financial Mechanism Office. VI. Project Partners and Partnership Agreements 17. A project may be implemented in partnership with partner(s) or associate partner(s). A project partner may be an NGO whose primary location is either in the Donor States (Norway, Island, Lichtenstein), in Lithuania or any other of the Beneficiary States of the EEA Financial Mechanism (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Malta), and Republic of Belarus. 18. All administrative and eligibility criteria explicitly stated in chapter V of these Guidelines (except (to the extent of origin of the applicant only) and ) are applied to the partner. 19. An associate project partner may be a public or private entity, commercial or non-commercial, as well as NGOs, allof whose primary locations are either in the Donor States(Norway, Island, Lichtenstein), Beneficiary States of the EEA Financial Mechanism (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Malta), or a country outside the European 8

9 Economic Area that has a common border with the respective Beneficiary State, or any inter-governmental organisation, actively involved in, and effectively contributing to, the implementation of a project. Both partners and associate partners must share with the project promoter a common economic or social goal which is to be realised through the implementation of the project. Associate project partner cannot gain direct financial benefit from the project. Direct participation expenses (e.g. accommodation) related to common activities may be covered. 20. If at the administrative stage it is determine that the partner does not meet the abovementioned criteria, the application is disqualified. 21. Partnerships with NGOs and other entities in Donor States are encouraged and expected. The Fund Operator shall undertake special activities aimed at facilitation of establishment of such partnerships. 22. The applicant must sign a memorandum of understanding with each partner/associated partner and submit it together with the application. The project promoter must sign partnership agreement with each project partner and/or associate project partner and submit ir to the Fund Operator before signing the project implementation agreement. The partnership agreement shall contain the following provisions on the roles and responsibilities of the parties; a) Provisions on the project activities, their schedule and responsibilities between project promoter and project partner(s) within the project; b) provisions on the financial arrangements between the parties, including, but not limited to, which expenditures the project partners can get reimbursed from the project budget; c) currency exchange rules for such expenditures and its reimbursement; d) provisions on the method of calculating indirect costs and their maximum amounts; e) provisions on audits of the project partners; f) a detailed budget, with itemised costs and unit prices; and g) provisions on dispute resolution and jurisdiction. 23. The memorandum of understanding and the partnership agreement shall be in English if one of the parties to the agreement is an entity from a Donor State. If one of the parties to the memorandum of understanding and partnership agreement is registered in one of the EEA Grants Beneficiary countries the memorandum of understanding and the partnership agreement is to be prepared in Lithuanian and an official language of that EEA Grants Beneficiary country. 24. The eligibility of expenditures incurred by a project partner is subject to the same limitations as would apply if the expenditures were incurred by the project promoter. 25. The creation and implementation of the relationship between the project promoter and the project partner shall comply with the applicable national and European Union law on public procurement as well as the section Procurement of these Guidelines. VII. Categories of eligible activities 26. The following types of activities are eligible under the Programme s areas of support: Democracy and good governance: a) Fostering active citizenship and participatory democracy, including grassroots/local level with special focus on volunteering b) Advocacy, watchdog and monitoring activities c) Awareness-raising activities d) Multicultural dialogue activities e) Participation in policy and decision-making processes f) Capacity-building and organizational support to NGOs g) Strengthening governance in membership-based NGOs 9

10 h) Network and coalition building i) Mutual learning and dissemination j) Education and training activities 26.2 Human rights: a) Fostering active citizenship and participatory democracy, including grassroots/local level with special focus on volunteering b) Advocacy, watchdog and monitoring activities c) Awareness-raising activities d) Multicultural dialogue activities e) Participation in policy and decision-making processes f) Capacity-building and organizational support to NGOs g) Strengthening governance in membership-based NGOs h) Network and coalition building i) Mutual learning and dissemination j) Education and training activities 26.3 Vulnerable groups: a) Fostering active citizenship and participatory democracy, including grassroots/local level with special focus on volunteering b) Advocacy, watchdog and monitoring activities c) Awareness-raising activities d) Multicultural dialogue activities e) Participation in policy and decision-making processes f) Capacity-building and organizational support to NGOs g) Strengthening governance in membership-based NGOs h) Network and coalition building i) Mutual learning and dissemination j) Education and training activities k) Provision of welfare and basic services 26.4 Protection of the environment and climate change: a) Fostering active citizenship and participatory democracy, including grassroots/local level with special focus on volunteering b) Advocacy, watchdog and monitoring activities c) Awareness-raising activities d) Participation in policy and decision-making processes e) Capacity-building and organizational support to NGOs f) Network and coalition building g) Mutual learning and dissemination h) Education and training activities 27. In addition, activities targeting development of cooperation with municipalities to address the issues of domestic and gender-based violence as well as cooperation with civil society in Belarus are eligible under relevant outputs under Democracy and good governance and Human rights above. 10

11 VIII. Open Calls 28. Within the NGO Programme Lithuania, 2 open calls for applications shall be organised. The first open call for small scale and large scale projects was organised on 18 March 2013, while second open call for small scale and large scale projects will be organised on 20 January Deadlines of the second call are the following: 31 March 2014 for small scale projects; 7 March 2014 for concepts of large scale projects; 6 June 2014 for pre-selected large scale projects. IX. Application Process 30. An applicant may only submit a single application during a single call. Calls for small scale projects and large scale projects during a particular period are considered separate calls where this limitation concerned. However, the same applicant is allowed to be a partner in a single other application during a particular period. A number of associated partners is not restricted. 31. An applicant who has previously submitted and application and is already implementing a project under the NGO Programme may only submit a new application after the full completion of the project under the previous application. The project is considered fully completed when the final report is approved by the Fund Operator. 32. A small scale project application form is provided by the Fund Operator in Annex 2. A form for the concept of large scale project is provided in Annex 2A. The application form for the pre-selected large scale project is provided in Annex 2B. The application must be filled-in Lithuanian, and include a summary in English. 11

12 32.1. Documents to be submitted along with the concept of large scale project (min EUR, max EUR): Applicant Partner(s) (if applicable) Associated partner (if applicable) 1. Project concept form (Annex 2A); 2. Authorized copy* of Statute of the applicant organisation (if the statute was modified during the period, the earlier version must be provided as well); 1. Authorized copy* of Statute of the partner organisation (if the statute was modified during the period, the earlier version must be provided as well); 2. Authorized copy* of partner organization s registration certificate; 1. Copy of associated partner(s) declaration (Annex 6). 2. Authorised copy* of the memorandum of understanding; 3. Authorized copy* of the applicant 3. Partner declaration (original) (Annex 5); organization s registration certificate; 4. Authorised copy* of the memorandum of 4. Authorized copy* of the letter of authorisation (if the application is signed not by the head of the organisation); 5. Applicant declaration (original) (Annex 4); 6. CVs (signed by a respective person) and short description of relevant experience in project area of project implementation team; 7. List of completed projects in the area where funding is requested (indicating project name, dates of implementation, source and amount of funding, project objective, main activities and results) (Annex 7); understanding; 5. CVs (signed by a respective person) and short description of relevant experience in project area of the partner s project implementation team; 6. List of the partner s completed projects in the area where funding is requested (indicating project name, dates of implementation, source and amount of funding, project objective, main activities and results) (Annex 7); 7. Annual report on received and used support in (Form FR 0478 for the Lithuanian partner and a relevant form applicable to a non-lithuanian partner). 8. Annual report on received and used support in (Form FR 0478). Note: Please print the complete application form with annexes and supporting documents, label them True Copy (if necessary), sign the documents and scan them to a PDF format. All these documents together with application form in Word format must be sent by to registracija@nvoprograma.lt following the deadline indicated in Chapter IX of Guidelines for Applicants Application process. * Authorized copy must have a label True Copy ( Kopija tikra ) and must be signed by chief executive officer of the organization or other authorized person. 12

13 32.2. Documents to be submitted along with the large scale project application (min EUR, max EUR): Applicant Partner(s) (if applicable) Associated partner (if applicable) 1. Project application form (Annex 2B) 1. Partner declaration (original) (Annex 5); 1. Authorized copy* of the associated partner(s) 2. Project budget (Annex 3); 2. Authorised copy* of the memorandum of declaration (Annex 6). 3. Authorized copy* of the applicant understanding; 2. Authorised copy* of the memorandum of organization s registration certificate; 4. Authorized copy* of the letter of authorisation (if the application is signed not by the head of the organisation); 5. Applicant declaration (original) (Annex 4); 6. A letter of guarantee from the lender or a sponsor indicating the amount to be lent (if the amount for the additional funding will be lent by or received from the sponsor); 7. Applicant s financial accountability documents for the period of or from the date 3. Partner s financial accountability documents for the period of or from the date of the organization s establishment (if established less than 3 years ago) (balance sheets, activity reports). understanding of the organization s establishment (if established less than 3 years ago) (balance sheets, activity reports); 8. CVs (signed by a respective person) and short description of relevant experience in project area of project implementation team. Note: Please print the complete application form with annexes and supporting documents, label them True Copy (if necessary), sign the documents and scan them to a PDF format. All these documents together with application form in Word format and budget form in Excel format must be sent by to registracija@nvoprograma.lt following the deadline indicated in Chapter IX of Guidelines for Applicants Application process. * Authorized copy must have a label True Copy ( Kopija tikra ) and must be signed by chief executive officer of the organization or other authorized person. 13

14 32.3. Documents to be submitted along with the small scale project application (min EUR, max EUR): Applicant Partner(s) (if applicable) Associated partner (if applicable) 1. Project application form (Annex 2) 1. Authorized copy* of Statute of the partner 1. Authorized copy* of the associated 2. Project budget (Annex 3); organisation (if the statute was modified during the partner(s) declaration (Annex 6). 3. Authorized copy* of Statute of the applicant organisation (if the statute was modified during the period, the earlier period, the earlier version must be provided as well); 2. Authorised copy* of the memorandum of understanding. version must be provided as well); 2. Authorized copy* of partner organization s 4. Authorized copy* of the applicant organization s registration registration certificate; certificate; 3. Partner declaration (original) (Annex 5); 5. Authorized copy* of the letter of authorisation (if the application 4. Authorised copy* of the memorandum of is signed not by the head of the organisation); understanding; 6. Applicant declaration (original) (Annex 4); 5. CVs (signed by a respective person) and short 7. CVs (signed by a respective person) and short description of relevant experience in project area of project implementation description of relevant experience in project area of the partner s project implementation team; team; 6. Partner s financial accountability documents for the 8. A letter of guarantee from the lender or a sponsor indicating the amount to be lent (if the amount for the additional funding will be lent by or received from the sponsor); period of or from the date of the organization s establishment (if established less than 3 years ago) (balance sheets, activity reports). 9. Applicant s financial accountability documents for the period of or from the date of the organization s establishment (if 7. List of the partner s completed projects in the area where funding is requested (Annex 7); established less than 3 years ago) (balance sheets, activity reports); 8. Annual report on received and used support in List of completed projects in the area where funding is requested (Annex 7); 2012 (Form FR 0478 for the Lithuanian partner and a relevant form applicable to a non-lithuanian partner). 11. Annual report on received and used support in (Form FR 0478). Note: Please print the complete application form with annexes and supporting documents, label them True Copy (if necessary), sign the documents and scan them to a PDF format. All these documents together with application form in Word format and budget form in Excel format must be sent by to registracija@nvoprograma.lt following the deadline indicated in Chapter IX of Guidelines for Applicants Application process. * Authorized copy must have a label True Copy ( Kopija tikra ) and must be signed by chief executive officer of the organization or other authorized person. 14

15 32.4. Documents to be submitted upon signing the project implementation agreement: Applicant Partner(s) (if applicable) Associated partner (if applicable) 1. Certificate issued by the Information Technology and 1. Certificate issued by the Information Technology 3. Associated partner(s) declaration (original) Communications Department and Communications Department (Annex 6). under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic 4. Authorised copy of the partnership Lithuania, the Registry of the suspected, accused and convicted about the legal entity participating in the public procurement; 2. Certificate issued by the State Social Insurance Fund about the settled payments to the Fund; 3. Certificate issued by the State Tax Inspectorate about of Lithuania, the Registry of the suspected, accused and convicted about the legal entity participating in the public procurement; 2. Certificate issued by the State Social Insurance Fund about the settled payments to the Fund; 3. Certificate issued by the State Tax Inspectorate agreement. the settled payments to the state/municipal budgets, about the settled payments to the funds; 4. Instead of three certificated indicated in s. 1-3 state/municipal budgets, funds; 4. Authorised copy of the partnership agreement. (above) it is allowed to submit a joint certificate issued by the Registry Center. 5. Project outcomes and indicators table (Annex I to the agreement); 6. Project application form (Annex 2 to the agreement); 7. Project budget (Annex 3 to the agreement); *Certificates should be issued not earlier than a month prior to the date of signing the project implementation agreement. The costs related to the preparation of the certificates can be considered as eligible costs. Instead of the originals, duly authorized certificates can be submitted. Note: Authorized copy shall be marked "copy" and signed by the head of the organization or by an authorized person. 15

16 33. Certificates about bankruptcy, insolvency, debts, etc. are not required to be submitted at the stage of project application, but they have to be submitted before signing the project application agreement if application is approved. 34. Applications are submitted in one copy electronically and one in a hard copy: Electronic applications must be identical to hard copies of the application and submitted with all listed annexes. The electronic application must be sent from the of the person indicated as a Contact person to the address registracija@nvoprograma.lt before 4 pm of the day of the deadline. NB: Application for a large scale project may be submitted only if a concept for the large project was submitted in time (no later than 7 March 2014) and pre-selected by the Selection Committee. The list of the pre-selected concepts will be published on until 6 May 2014 and the applicants whose concepts were preselected for further development will be notified personally Hard copies of the applications must be submitted before the end of the deadline by hand-delivery or sent in one copy to the address of the Fund Operator: Human Rights Monitoring Institute, Didžioji 5-404, LT Vilnius, Lithuania. 35. Application submission deadlines: March 2014 for small scale projects; March 2014 for concepts of large scale projects; June 2014 for pre-selected large scale projects. 36. If the application is submitted by post, the date of the post stamp is considered a date of the delivery. If the application is submitted by hand-delivery, the deadline is 4 pm of the above indicated day. 37. If the electronic copy of the application differs from the hard copy of the application, the electronic copy of the application shall prevail. 38. The application submitted on time are registered by the Fund Operator. The registration is confirmed by sent to the applicant. 39. If any of the documents listed below are missing, the application is automatically disqualified: a) Application form; b) Budget form (if applicable); c) Organization s statute; d) Registration certificate; e) List of the completed projects (Annex 7). 40. If any of the other mandatory documents (excluding those listed in the preceding paragraph) are missing, the Fund Operator sends the applicant one reminder to the of the applicant s indicated Contact person and allows 2 working days to submit the document(s) in question. It is considered that the applicant was informed properly if the Fund Operator does not receive an automatic delivery failure notification. If the applicant fails to submit the requested documents within the set time, the application is disqualified. 16

17 X. Eligible Costs 41. General principles on the eligibility of costs in projects Eligible costs of projects are those actually incurred by the project promoter or the project partner, which meet the following criteria: a) they are incurred between the first and final dates of eligibility as specified in the project contract; b) they are related to the subject of the project contract and they are indicated in the estimated overall budget of the project; c) they are proportionate and necessary for the implementation of the project; d) they must be used for the sole purpose of achieving the objective(s) of the project and its expected outcome(s), in a manner consistent with the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness; e) they are identifiable and verifiable, in particular through being recorded in the accounting records of the project promoter and determined according to the applicable accounting standards and generally accepted accounting principles; and f) they comply with the requirements of applicable tax and social legislation Expenditures are considered to have been incurred when 1) the cost has been invoiced, 2) paid, and 3) the subject matter delivered (in case of goods) or performed (in case of services and works). The cost is considered to have been incurred at the moment, when the last of these three conditions is met All expenses within the project are indicated either as direct expenses (those directly attributed to the project) or overheads (a part of generally incurred overall cost assigned to the project). Direct expenses are divided into direct implementation expenses and direct administrative expenses. Direct implementation expenses are the direct costs incurred when implementing key activities of the project. Direct administrative expenses are the direct costs incurred when implementing administrative tasks and cannot any direct implementation cost. Overheads are a part of generally incurred overall cost which may be attributable to the project Overheads and depreciation of equipment are considered to have been incurred when they are recorded on the accounts of the project promoter. Overhead and depreciation expenses which are not related to the project are considered as non-eligible The project promoter s internal accounting and auditing procedures must permit direct reconciliation of the expenditures and revenue declared in respect of the project with the corresponding accounting statements and supporting documents. 42. Direct costs The eligible direct costs for a project are expenditures which are identified by the project promoter or the project partner, in accordance with their accounting principles and internal rules, as specific expenditures directly linked to the implementation of the project and which can therefore be booked to it directly. In particular, the following direct expenditures may be eligible provided that they satisfy the criteria set out in sub-section General principles on the eligibility of costs in projects : a) the cost of staff assigned to the project, comprising actual salaries plus social security charges and other statutory costs included in the remuneration, provided that this corresponds to the project promoter s and project partner s usual policy on remuneration. b) travel and subsistence allowances for staff taking part in the project, provided that they are in line with the project promoter s and project partner s usual practices on travel costs and are in accordance with 17

18 the provisions of the relevant laws and regulations: i) for the project promoter and the employees of the project partner registered in Lithuania, costs related to business trips shall be compensated in accordance with the cost provisions for business trips in the laws and regulations of the Republic of Lithuania; ii) for the employees of the project partner registered in the Donor States, costs related to business trips shall be compensated in accordance with the cost provisions set in the laws and regulations of the relevant country; iii) the price of flight tickets shall not exceed the price of a ticket in the economy class of the relevant flight; c) cost of new or second hand equipment, provided that it is depreciated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles applicable to the project promoter and generally accepted for items of the same kind. Only the portion of the depreciation corresponding to the duration of the project and the rate of actual use for the purposes of the project may be taken into account by the Fund Operator, except where the project promoter provides a reasonable justification for the coverage of the full purchase cost in the project application, provided such exceptions are in compliance with the applicable rules on state aid; d) costs of consumables and supplies, provided that they are identifiable and assigned to the project; e) costs entailed by other contracts awarded by a project promoter for the purposes of carrying out the project, provided that the awarding complies with the applicable rules on public procurement; and f) costs arising directly from requirements imposed by the project contract for each project (e.g. dissemination of information, specific evaluation of the action, audits, translations, reproduction), including the costs of any financial services (especially the cost of financial guarantees) Costs related to reconstruction, renovation, or refurbishment of a real estate shall not exceed 50% of the eligible direct cost of the project The amount of expenditures spent on subcontracting cannot exceed 40% of all Project expenditures. In exceptional cases, if a clear justification is provided and the Fund Operator approves, this percentage can be increased Taxes and duties (except for the value added tax VAT) related to the implementation of project activities are eligible costs. VAT costs directly related to the project activities are eligible costs if the project promoter or project partner cannot recover these costs according to the procedure set in the laws and regulations on the value added tax. 43. Indirect costs Indirect costs are all eligible costs, including those not foreseen in the project budget form (e.g. travel expenses and participation fee for the event thematically related to the project activities)that cannot be identified by the project promoter or the project partner as being directly attributed to the project but which can be identified and justified by its accounting system as being incurred in direct relationship with the eligible direct costs attributed to the project. They may not include any eligible direct costs. Indirect costs of the project shall represent a fair apportionment of the overall overheads of the project promoter or the project partner Indirect costs are set as a flat rate of up to 20% of total direct eligible costs, excluding direct eligible costs for subcontracting and the costs of resources made available by third parties which are not used on the premises of the project promoter. The total amount of indirect costs cannot exceed LTL. 44. Excluded costs The following costs shall not be considered eligible: a) interest on debt, debt service charges and late payment charges; 18

19 b) charges for financial transactions and other purely financial costs, except costs related to accounts required by the FMO or the Fund Operator; c) costs related to purchase of land or real estate; d) costs for construction of new buildings; e) costs for purchase of motorized vehicles; f) costs of procurement of project administration services; g) costs for preparation of the project application; h) provisions for losses or potential future liabilities; i) currency exchange losses and charges; j) recoverable VAT; k) costs that are covered by other sources; l) fines, penalties and costs of litigation; m) excessive or reckless expenditure; and n) other costs that do not correspond with the provisions of costs eligibility. XI. Procurement 45. National and European Union law on public procurement shall be complied with at any level in the implementation of the Programme and its projects. 46. Purchasing organisations, as defined in the Law on Public procurement of the Republic of Lithuania, have to follow procedures established for purchasing organizations in the said law. 47. In cases where contracts concluded as part of the implementation of the Programme fall outside the scope of the applicable public procurement laws, the awarding of such contracts (including the procedures prior to the awarding) and the terms and conditions of such contracts shall comply with best economic practices, including accountability, allow a full and fair competition between potential providers, for example by way of effective price comparison, and ensure the optimal use of resources from the EEA Financial Mechanism To this end, and in the absence of stricter laws of the Republic of Lithuania, in cases of procurement related to an amount of EUR 5,000 or higher but below the relevant European Union threshold (EUR 193,000), the project promoter shall invite at least three suppliers/service providers to submit offers. 48. Applicants and partners are not allowed to divide the contracts for procurement of the same kind of goods and services in order to avoid the obligation to invite at least three suppliers/service providers to submit offers. If allegations of prohibited contract division arise the Fund Operator has the right to require a re-execution of the procurement procedure or to declare the procurement results invalid and to recognize the expenses incurred noneligible for financing. Goods and services are considered to be of the same kind if they fall into the same category of goods and services according to the first three digits of the numeric code of Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) adopted by Regulation (EC) No 2195/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 November The highest ethical standards shall be observed during the procurement and execution of contracts. No offer, gifts, payments or benefit of any kind, which would or could, either directly or indirectly, be construed as an illegal or corrupt practice, e.g. as an inducement or reward for the award or execution of procurement contracts, shall be accepted. 19

20 XII. Grant Rate and Co-financing 50. The Programme can cover up to 90 per cent of the eligible cost of the project. 51. The applicant shall secure not less than 10 per cent of the total project value. The co-financing may consist of: a) Applicant s own contribution. This contribution can be made in the form of cash or in-kind contribution in the form of voluntary work. Contribution in-kind cannot exceed half of the own contribution, i.e. 5% of the total project value. b) Funds provided by other funders. It is responsibility of the applicant to duly inform the funders and obtain their informed consent about using the funds for the purpose of co-financing the NGO Programme project. 52. Gratis services, goods or other type of uncompensated input other than voluntary works are considered as noneligible contribution of the project promoter. 53. Co-financing to the project shall be provable, i.e. linked to the implemented project and duly marked in the accounting documents. 54. For the purpose of calculation of the in-kind contribution, the remuneration for each hour of voluntary work is equated EUR 5.25 (18,13 LTL) For the calculation of the in-kind contribution, project promoter keeps a record of working hours of volunteers, with names of volunteers, their tasks and working hours, volunteering agreements. 56. Additional hours contributed by otherwise paid staff of the project, cannot be reported as voluntary work or inkind contribution. 3 Rate of voluntary work is calculated based on avarege monthly earnings of 3rd quarter of 2013 in Lithuania. This rate is applied only to the applications under the 2nd call for proposals. 20