Funding Guidelines Danish Emergency Relief Fund

Transcription

1 Funding Guidelines Danish Emergency Relief Fund March 2017

2 List of contents Welcome to the Danish Emergency Relief Fund (DERF) What can the DERF support? Which type of humanitarian crisis? Emergency Relief Principled Humanitarian Interventions and the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) on Quality and Accountability Reducing Vulnerability and strengthening protection of crisis-affected populations Localization of humanitarian interventions Rapid, timely, flexible and relevant humanitarian response Who is eligible to apply for DERF funding? Overall eligibility requirements Requirements for the Danish Non-HPA organisations Requirements for the Partner organisation(s) in crisis-affected areas Requirements for the Partnership DERF funding modalities... 9 Funding Modality 1: Life-Saving Intervention (0-3 months with up to 2m DKK)... 9 Funding Modality 2: Life-Saving and Stabilization Intervention (0-9) months with up to 5m DKK)... 9 Vulnerability reduction focus in both Funding Modality 1 & Assessment of applications for DERF support Guiding principles for the assessment: Applicant(s) organisational capacity Assessment Criteria for the proposed humanitarian intervention Once the Grant has been approved The DERF Cycle operationalising the framework: STEP 1: Crisis Alert STEP 2: DERF Eligible Crisis STEP 3: Call for Applications STEP 4: Selection STEP 5: Implementation STEP 6: Monitoring, Learning & Evaluation

3 Welcome to the Danish Emergency Relief Fund (DERF) Denmark s 2017 Development and Humanitarian Strategy emphasizes that Danish civil society organisations (CSOs) in important ways translate a broad based Danish popular engagement in humanitarian efforts into meaningful results and through their rights based approaches, partnerships with local civil society organisations and strong access particularly to vulnerable and marginalized groups contribute towards furthering the humanitarian principle of Leaving No One Behind. The Danish Emergency Relief Fund (DERF) seeks to contribute towards realization of the policy objectives of the 2017 Development and Humanitarian Strategy, the Danish National Action Plan for the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security , and the Danish Civil Society Policy. The DERF operates in accordance with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (DMFA's) General principles for support to development activities through Danish civil society organisations (January 2016) and chapter 7 "Flexible Funds" in the Administrative guidelines for Danish organisations with humanitarian partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (July 2015). The DERF is a rapid humanitarian funding mechanism managed within a partnership between Save the Children Denmark (SCD), Start Network, and Civil Society in Development (CISU), with CISU as the lead organisation administering the fund. The DERF is financed by the DMFA for a 4 year period ( ) with annual amount appropriated on a yearly basis in the National Budget Act (Finansloven). The Guidelines for the DERF are drawn up by the partnership (SCD, Start Network and CISU), and approved by the DMFA. Before writing an application, please always check the DERF website for the latest updated version of the Guidelines and other information about the DERF. 3

4 1. What can the DERF support? The overall objective of the DERF is provision of flexible and rapid humanitarian funding enabling Danish civil society organisations without an Humanitarian Partnership Agreement with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (non-hpa CSOs) within three months of the onset of an acute humanitarian crisis to initiate provision of emergency relief to affected populations to meet urgent needs and prevent further loss of life or escalation of suffering. This is to be achieved through supporting the humanitarian interventions of Danish non-hpa CSOs who have relevant access or capacities, either through local partners and/or within their own organisation. DERF funding is to augment humanitarian responses in poor countries 1 without pre-determined sectoral limitations Which type of humanitarian crisis? The DERF can be activated to provide humanitarian financing for humanitarian interventions in any of the following three types of humanitarian crises, where Danish non-hpa organisations are present; 1. A slow onset humanitarian crisis 2, as was experienced during the Ebola Crisis in West Africa in 2014 where a number of Danish non-hpa CSOs and their local partner organisations were supported to respond with emergency relief to crisis-affected populations they had an established access to; 2. A rapid onset humanitarian crisis 3 as was experienced during the earth quakes in Nepal in 2015, or the current humanitarian crisis situation in Boko Haram operation areas in North-East Nigeria; and, 3. A spike in a protracted humanitarian crisis 4 as was experienced in late 2016 in the Eastern part of Aleppo, a city in the midst of the protracted humanitarian crisis in Syria, or from 2016 in South Sudan spreading the armed conflict and subsequent humanitarian crisis into prior relatively unaffected regions of South Sudan culminating in Northern regions being declared areas of famine in early The above crises typologies are not always mutually exclusive and it is therefore often the case that a humanitarian crisis will consist of aspects ascribed to several of the above. An example of this is the current humanitarian crisis in Somalia, which is a slow onset humanitarian crisis with the development of famine as a result of drought, while it at the same time is a crisis inside an existing protracted humanitarian crisis. The importance is that the crisis must have either of the above as main characteristics, and this in turn has implication for defining the most appropriate humanitarian response. 1 The poor countries are in the context of the DERF defined as those countries included in the OECD DAC categories of least developed countries, other low income countries and lower middle income countries and territories. Additionally DERF can be activated in countries within the category Upper Middle Income Countries and Territories if particularly vulnerable groups are assessed to be in need of support. 2 Droughts are relatively slow onset disasters. Climate change, environmental degradation and desertification are very slow onset events, which take a long time to produce emergency conditions, but can and should be considered as disasters in terms of the damage and disruption to lives that they may or indeed already do create. Source: IASC and WHO. 3 Rapid onset disasters arrive rapidly and with little or, as in the case of earthquakes, with no warning. Source: Humanitarian Coalition. 4 Protracted crises refer to situations in which a significant portion of a population is acutely vulnerable to death, disease and disruption of livelihoods over a prolonged period of time. Source: Humanitarian Coalition and WHO. 4

5 1.2. Emergency Relief The DERF can provide financing for humanitarian interventions which focus on provision of emergency relief to crisis-affected populations. This is to meet the most urgent needs of crisis-affected populations in poor countries with the aim of saving lives and preventing further escalation of suffering during the initial stages of a humanitarian crisis. The DERF provides an additional funding modality option of combining the provision of emergency relief during the very initial stage of a humanitarian crisis with stabilization efforts in order to support the inclusion of particular vulnerable and marginalised groups in the transition towards an early recovery phase. This is further explained in section 3 below in the two DERF Funding Modalities Principled Humanitarian Interventions and the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) on Quality and Accountability. Figure 1: The Core Humanitarian Standards on Quality and Accountability (CHS) The Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) on Quality and Accountability, visualized in above figure, is centred on the four widely accepted humanitarian principles; Humanity, Impartiality, Independence and Neutrality, and provides the strategic foundation for financing of humanitarian interventions by the DERF. The CHS with its Nine Commitments to communities and people affected by crises place the latter at the centre of humanitarian interventions and promotes respect for their fundamental human rights. In aligning with efforts to promote better quality and greater accountability the CHS are integrated throughout the DERF funding cycle, from the overall aim of the DERF, through the organisational criteria for eligibility for support from the DERF, to the monitoring, evaluation and learning system of the DERF Reducing Vulnerability and strengthening protection of crisis-affected populations Strategically targeting a reduction of vulnerability is in accordance with the Danish policy framework, in furtherance of the Humanitarian Principles of Humanity and Impartiality, and the first Commitment of the CHS. The DERF therefore funds humanitarian interventions which focus on assistance to particular 5

6 vulnerable and marginalized groups amongst affected populations, ensuring that programming is gendersensitive and contributes towards addressing specific protection challenges experienced by the target group. Contributing towards implementation of Denmark's National Action Plan (NAP) on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace and Security with its twin focus on participation and protection is a key component of the strategic focus on reduction of vulnerability Localization of humanitarian interventions In furtherance of commitments made as part of the Grand Bargain 5 and in order to support the relevance and appropriateness of funded humanitarian interventions (CHS Commitments 1 and 2) and to strengthen local capacities and avoid negative effects (CHS Commitment 3), the DERF will contribute to the localization of humanitarian aid and interventions through the following; 1. The DERF is activated for humanitarian financing in response to three types of concrete requests (appeals) for emergency relief support, which are founded on local realities of an experienced humanitarian crisis. These are in the DERF cycle terminology treated as Crisis Alerts (see section 6). 2. The DERF requires that the applying Danish non-hpa organisation has an established presence in the crisis-affected area and access to the crisis-affected population as well as operational capacity present at the location to implement the proposed intervention. Preferably, this should be through a local partner organisation. This is to increase the ability of the grant-holders to ensure that the adopted strategies to reduce vulnerability are based on local knowledge and resources in order to enhance the quality and sustainability of the humanitarian intervention. 3. The DERF requires that the local partner organisation has the responsibility for daily implementation of the intervention, thereby both contributing towards strengthening local capacities as well as building on local knowledge and resources reducing the risk of doing harm. In certain instances, the DERF can award funding for proposed interventions to be implemented by the Danish non-hpa organisation without a local partner organisation, if the Danish non-hpa organisation can make probable that it is best placed to implement a specific humanitarian intervention in a specific context, and the intervention includes strategies to support strengthening of local capacities The DERF prioritizes that the highest possible percentage of the allocated funds directly benefits the people the intervention seeks to assist, e.g. through direct implementation/activity costs. In addition hereto, the DERF requires that the highest possible percentage of the allocated funds is spent directly by the local partner organisation operating in the crisis situation and the percentage spent by the Danish grant-holder on administrative, operational and technical assistance costs is kept at an absolutely necessary minimum required for quality assurance of the intervention. Specific regulations in respect to budget allocations and administration are found in the DERF administrative and financial guidelines; and, 5. The DERF encourages the use of cash-based programming approaches in intervention options by applicant organisations which are assessed to have the necessary capacity to undertake such. This 5 One of the highlights of the 2016 UN World Humanitarian Summit was the Grand Bargain: A Shared Commitment to Better Serve People in Need. Thirty representatives of OECD donors and aid agencies produced a package of reforms 51 commitments to make humanitarian financing and response more efficient and effective. 6 It is important to note that DERF does not fund capacity building activities. 6

7 will be considered on the basis of appropriate risk assessments (including on protection) and members technical capacity to manage cash programming. It is to offer greater choice and empowerment to affected people and strengthens local markets Rapid, timely, flexible and relevant humanitarian response The DERF provides rapid humanitarian funding to enable Danish non-hpa organisations and their partners as grant-holders of the DERF implement humanitarian interventions responding to the crisis with timeliness and effectiveness as per the second Commitment of the CHS, thereby contributing towards minimizing the impact of the crisis. Within seven working days of submission of proposal for an intervention, pre-qualified applicant organisations are notified of DERF funding decision and in the event the proposal has been approved for funding, the initial disbursement of funds from the DERF has been initiated. (See more in figure 5 Time-line: Grant Assessment Process below). To ensure that rapid humanitarian funding from the DERF supports timely and effective humanitarian interventions, it is a requirement that grant-holders initiate implementation of the funded intervention within seven days after having received the initial disbursement of funds. In addition to the above, the DERF provides flexible humanitarian funding enabling grant-holders adjust the approved intervention as appropriate during implementation reflecting potential changes in the context to ensure the continued relevance in meeting the most urgent needs of the crisis-affected population. This is reflected in the DERF Funding Modalities, the DERF assessment criteria of organisation capacities and intervention appropriateness, and, the DERF administrative and financial guidelines for implementation of grants. Finally, the DERF Quality Assurance mechanisms, including grant-holder learning through experience sharing and peer reviews, encourage and support the same. 2. Who is eligible to apply for DERF funding? 2.1. Overall eligibility requirements All Danish CSOs, who do not have a humanitarian partnership agreement with the DMFA (non-hpa CSOs), are in principle eligible for DERF funding. Non-HPA Danish CSOs must demonstrate that they have relevant access and capacity to assist people affected by crisis, either through partnership with local CSOs or within their own organisation. To be eligible for DERF funding the non-hpa Danish CSO, the local partner organisation(s) and the specific intervention must be in keeping with the Danish policy framework and the overall guidelines within which the DERF is situated as explained in the initial section of the current DERF Fund Guidelines. The proposed intervention, as well as the Danish CSOs and the local partner organisation(s), will also need to demonstrate considerations with the CHS, Do-No-Harm principles as well as efforts contributing to realising the ambition set out in the Grand Bargain of at least 25% of humanitarian funding to local and national responders. DERF can only support humanitarian interventions taking place and targeting people affected by the humanitarian crises situations which have been assessed as eligible for DERF funding and for which the DERF has been activated (see 6. The DERF Cycle below). 7

8 2.2. Requirements for the Danish Non-HPA organisations In order to apply, it is necessary to be a democratic popular organisation with roots in Denmark. The organisation must be domiciled and conduct activities in Denmark. The chairperson and most members of its governing body must be Danish citizens or foreigners with permanent residence permit in Denmark. The organisation must have existed for at least one year and have a minimum of 50 paying members or contributors. In the case of network organisations, at least one member organisation must conform to the demand for 50 members or contributors. The organisation must have a set of statutes, and its accounts must be subject to auditing. These are minimum requirements for being eligibility as an organisation for DERF funding. Assessment criterion for humanitarian intervention and organisational capacity (see section 4.) describes what the DERF also favours as regards the Danish organisation, the partner organisation and as regards access to and involvement of people affected by crisis Requirements for the Partner organisation(s) in crisis-affected areas Partner organisations from the crisis-affected area (and thereby implementer of the intervention) must form part of civil society in the recipient country concerned, i.e. local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), citizens groups, trade unions, networks or the like. Partners cannot be individuals, national governments, authorities, public institutions or private companies. Partners must not be on the UN s or EU s list of terrorist organisations, which is continuously updated: see It is the responsibility of the Danish organisation to ensure this. These are minimum requirements for being eligibility as an organisation for DERF funding. Assessment criterion for humanitarian intervention and organisational capacity (see section 4.) describes what the DERF also favours as regards the Danish organisation, the partner organisation and as regards access to and involvement of people affected by crisis Requirements for the Partnership The humanitarian intervention must be carried out in cooperation between one or several organisations from Denmark and one or several partner organisations from the crisis affected areas. Partners must form part of civil society in the crisis affected area (see section 2.3). The money is channelled through the Danish organisation, but the local partner must be in charge of day-to-day implementation. It is important that the partnership between non-hpa Danish CSOs and their partner organisations are able to support the achievement of the objective of the DERF, and it is therefore expected that the Danish non-hpa CSO, which is contracted as the grant-holder ensures that this is reflected in the functioning of the partnership. In certain instances, Danish non-hpa CSOs with established access to crisis-affected populations through own localized presence in the humanitarian situation can be eligible for DERF funding. To be eligible for operating through own localized presence the Danish CSO shall demonstrate access to crisis-affected populations and make it probable that it is the best placed implementer. In this case the applicant must describe how involvement of local actors will be enhanced. 8

9 3. DERF funding modalities DERF can support humanitarian interventions through the following two Funding Modalities: Figure 2: DERF Funding Modalities: Modality 1: Life-Saving Intervention 0-3 months interventions Up to 2m DKK Modality 2: Life-Saving & Stabilisation Intervention 0-9 months interventions Up to 5m DKK Responding to a spike in a protracted humanitarian crisis Focus on life-saving and protection actions Responding to rapid or slow onset humanitarian situations Focus on llfe-saving and stabilisation actions Funding Modality 1: Life-Saving Intervention (0-3 months with up to 2m DKK) RELEVANCE: This funding modality is designed for interventions responding to a spike in a protracted humanitarian crisis. See section 1.1 for definition. FOCUS: The aim is to meet urgent needs of particularly vulnerable groups within crisis-affected communities. It is simply to keep people alive and address immediate protection challenges. Typically, crisis-affected people will need food, water, shelter, medicines and /or medical help. TIMING: The aim is to initiate implementation of the humanitarian intervention in the immediate aftermath of, no later than three months after, the occurrence of the spike. DURATION: The humanitarian intervention can have a duration of up to 3 months, with the possibility of an extension justified in unmet life-saving needs of the target group, which can be addressed during an extension. BUDGET: Applicants can seek up to 2m DKK through this funding modality. Funding Modality 2: Life-Saving and Stabilization Intervention (0-9) months with up to 5m DKK) RELEVANCE: This funding modality is designed for interventions responding to both rapid onset humanitarian crises as well as slow onset humanitarian crises situations. See section 1.1 for definition. FOCUS: The aim is to combine the focus on urgent needs (life-saving and/or protection) during the initial stages of a humanitarian crisis with stabilization efforts to support the capacities of crisisaffected communities to transition towards an early recovery phase. Stabilization initiatives can amongst others include awareness raising activities and strengthening organisation of particularly vulnerable groups for greater participation, protection and voice. It is important to note that DERF does not fund early recovery initiatives. 9

10 TIMING: The aim is to initiate implementation of the humanitarian intervention no later than three months after, the onset of the humanitarian crisis. DURATION: The humanitarian intervention can have a duration of up to 9 months (with possibility for extension if the context requires. The maximum duration of DERF funding for an intervention, unless extraordinary circumstances exist, is 12 months. REVIEW and ADJUSTMENTS: For interventions of longer duration than 6 months, a mid-way review is to be undertaken by the grant holder providing an opportunity to reflect contextual changes. BUDGET: Applicants can seek funding up to 5m DKK through this funding modality. Vulnerability reduction focus in both Funding Modality 1 & 2 VULNERABILITY: From the onset, it is important to ensure that addressing the specific challenges to participation and protection of particularly vulnerable groups is integrated into the intervention. In all situations it is relevant to pay special attention to the specific vulnerabilities of women, children, elderly and the disabled, as well as context specific vulnerabilities which could increase for specific minorities, amongst others. 4. Assessment of applications for DERF support The CHS guide DERF approaches to pursuing its overall objective. The assessment criteria set out in the following are all derived from the four humanitarian principles of; humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality, and the nine commitments set out in the CHS. There exists two main sets of assessment criteria, one for assessing applicants organisational capacity and one for assessing the proposed humanitarian intervention Guiding principles for the assessment: - The assessment of the application for funding of a humanitarian intervention as well as the assessment of applicant organisational capacity will be assessed as a whole. The assessment made by the DERF Grant Committee bases its decision on judgements considering the totality of aspects addressed in the applications. Strengths in some areas may compensate for weaknesses in others, and the relevance of each criterion may vary depending on the nature of the intervention. - Larger amounts mean stricter requirements: The larger the amounts applied for, the stricter the requirements that must be met. The demands rise proportionally with the size of both the total budget and the grant applied for Applicant(s) organisational capacity The organisational assessment is undertaken either prior to the submission of potential applications for funding of specific interventions (pre-qualification), or at the same time as submitting an intervention application. Pre-qualification is voluntary and DERF also accepts intervention applications from nonprequalified applicants that meet the eligibility criteria. The pre-qualification of potential applicants aims to improve effectiveness by enabling a rapid processing of applications for financing of specific humanitarian interventions from pre-qualified applicants, while the 10

11 assessment process for intervention applications from non-prequalified applicants is of a longer duration (See more in figure 5 Time-line Grant Assessment Process). Should a need arise to prioritize amongst applications worthy of DERF support, due to a shortage of available funds, it shall be considered whether to give priority to pre-qualified organisations. Assessment Criteria for the organisational capacity The assessment criteria of the organisational assessment seeks to cater for the variety of Danish non-hpa CSOs, their access to particularly vulnerable groups and their experience of meeting the needs of these groups. The capacity of Danish non-hpa CSOs and their partner(s) will be assessed based on the following criteria: The extent to which the Danish CSO can demonstrate their experience in the given context and their strong relation to partners working in the context this also include risk management capacity and strategy and systems for monitoring and learning. The extent to which participating partners have experience, organisational and financial capacity and resources, including their track record of managing external funds, e.g. from CISU, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs or other relevant donors. The extent to which the Danish CSO and its partner(s) have documented presence in the crisis area and sufficient access to crisis-affected communities combined with demonstrated experience in meeting the need of these communities including particular vulnerable groups within these. This is to ensure that Communities and people affected by crisis receive assistance appropriate and relevant to their needs (CHS 1) and have access to the humanitarian assistance they need at the right time (CHS 2). The extent to which the Danish CSO and its partner(s) have knowledge and experience in working in with affected populations to secure that communities and people affected by crisis are not negatively affected and are more prepared, resilient and less at-risk as a result of humanitarian action (CHS 3). The results of the assessment determine the following; - The crisis locality in which the applicant is qualified to seek DERF funding on the basis of localized presence; - The target groups the applicant has access to and can seek DERF funding to assist in the event of crisis; and, - The allocation ceiling the applicant organisation is qualified to apply for from the DERF on the basis of the level of financial standards that the organisation is able to meet. Pre-qualification process CISU receives and deals with incoming applications for pre-qualification on a continuous basis. Applications are processed as fast as possible, and normally within 21 work days. Applicants receive a reply from CISU in writing, stating the reasons for rejection or approval. 11

12 It is an objective of the pre-qualification procedures to help organisations progress and show their effectiveness in the delivery of quality interventions, e.g. improving principled and accountable actions, provision of confidence and trust to all the relevant stakeholders of the process and ability to learn from their experience. Two years after the initial pre-qualification, pre-qualified organisations are asked to analyse and highlight differences and progress made in relation to the following CHS criteria: Humanitarian response is based on communication, participation and feedback, Humanitarian actors continuously learn and improve and Resources are managed and used responsibly for their intended purpose. On this basis pre-qualification can be renewed. Figure 3: Organisational Capacity Assessment Process Application The aplying organisation submit the application for pre-qualification via web interface Assessment The DERF management team (CISU) screens all applications for compliance with the formal requirements. Thereafter, applications are processed by CISU s management team, who make a professional and administrative judgment based on the guidelines of the DERF. If a need for supplementary information arises in the course of their work, the applicant will be contacted directly. Recommendation The DERF s management team issues their recommendation to the Grant Committee. 21 work days from submission to decision reply The processing time may be longer if there is a need for supplementary information to finalise assessment of the application Decision The Grant Selection Committee discusses the assessment recommendatio n, and takes a final decision on the eligibility of the application. Applicants are informed on the final decision electronically Assessment Criteria for the proposed humanitarian intervention All applications for humanitarian interventions will be assessed based on the following criteria: 1. The extent to which the definition of objectives, outputs and activities are clear and logical linked with a sufficiently comprehensive analysis of context, needs and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the humanitarian intervention provides an appropriate and relevant response (CHS 1) to the needs of the crisis-affected communities and people the intervention aims to assist; 2. The extent to which activities in hard-to-reach areas and activities targeting particularly vulnerable groups adversely impacted by the humanitarian crisis are given particular priority; 3. To what extent the applicant can demonstrate the involvement of the target group, including particularly vulnerable groups, in the identification of needs, planning of the intervention and mechanisms through which they shall continue to participate and influence its implementation; 4. It is assed whether the applicant(s) have a clear strategy to ensure risk management as part of the intervention; 5. It is assed whether the humanitarian intervention is effective and timely (CHS 2) - hence it is substantiated that the crisis-affected communities and people the intervention seeks to assist shall have access to the humanitarian assistance they need at the right time; 12

13 6. To what extent the humanitarian intervention seeks to strengthen local capacities and avoid negative effects (CHS 3) - hence it is substantiated that the crisis-affected communities and people the intervention seeks to assist shall not be negatively affected but more prepared, resilient and less at-risk as a result of the humanitarian intervention; 7. To what extent the applicant can demonstrate system to ensure that appropriate mechanisms for complaints are established to ensure that complaints from target groups are welcomed and addressed (CHS 5), and, 8. It is assed whether the applicants through the intervention will ensure commitment to share information and coordinate (CHS 5) with other humanitarian actors operating in the area of the crisis is of key importance as is cost efficiency - hence it is substantiated that the crisis-affected communities and people the intervention seeks to assist shall receive coordinated and complementary assistance. 9. In view of the proposed intervention s subject matter, context and scale, it is assessed whether the humanitarian actors continuously learn and improve (CHS 7) hence the applicant should demonstrate a plan for monitoring, evaluation and learning from experiences. 10. To what extent the intervention s activities relate to the total budget in view of the local context, and the spending on administration, travel and salaries both in the developing country and in Denmark. 5. Once the Grant has been approved Implementation Shortly after an application is approved, a contract is forwarded that must be signed by the Danish applicant organisation in order to enable disbursement of funds. The disbursement of funds shall be undertaken within two (2) work days after receiving the signed contract and disbursement request. Within seven (7) work days after having received the initial disbursement of funds from the DERF, implementation of the intervention must start. Rules for contact with the DERF management, adjustments of intervention and budget re-allocations, cooperation agreements, payments, bank account and other administrative issues like reporting and audits are described in the administrative and financial manual of DERF. The manual must be read and understood prior to submission of an application to the DERF. Responsibility of the Danish grant holder At the same time as a Danish organisation receives a grant from the DERF, it commits to complying with a series of conditions and requirements as regards administration of the funds. The way the organisation has administered and reported on previous interventions will form part of the future organisational track record, and is part of the organisational capacity assessment criteria. The Danish organisation s board carries full responsibility for the DERF s grant being administered in accordance with the rules and the basis for approval. The board must guard against corruption and misuse of funds. Financial procedures should inspire confidence in this, including proper internal controls as well as 13

14 bookkeeping and accounting in keeping with sound practices in this field. This means, for instance, that both the project and the organisation need to undergo external auditing. CISU s supervision CISU has the duty to supervise administration of the funds granted. This primarily is undertaken through review of reports, accounts and administrative practices of the successful applicant organisations. However, CISU is also authorized to involve itself more deeply in the control by means of inspection visits to the local partner and visits to the Danish organisation, as well as through evaluations of the work performed. 6. The DERF Cycle operationalising the framework: Figure 4: The DERF Operationalising Cycle: 6. MONITORING, LEARNING & EVALUATION 1. CRISIS ALERT 5. IMPLEMENTATION 2. DERF ELIGIBLE CRISIS 4. SELECTION 3. CALL FOR APPLICATIONS STEP 1: Crisis Alert Activation and subsequent allocation of DERF funds shall be in response to an Alert of a rapid onset humanitarian crisis, a slow onset humanitarian crisis, or a spike in a protracted humanitarian crisis which is based on one of the following sources of information; 1. ALERT #1: An actual International Appeal for emergency relief. International appeals are coordinated through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA); 2. ALERT #2: An actual National Appeal for emergency relief. National appeals from national governments / country level authorities; and/or 3. ALERT #3: A Similar Concrete Request for emergency relief. Similar concrete requests for emergency relief can be received from any of the Danish non-hpa CSOs with an active presence in 14

15 the local context of the crisis, from one of the country level Start Fund Decision Making Groups (DMGs) 7 of the Start Network, which operate in the local context of the crisis, or through other channels. STEP 2: DERF Eligible Crisis In assessing whether the Alert is eligible for DERF activation additional analysis and the following procedures are undertaken by the DERF management team prior to activating the DERF; A. On the basis of the Alert, and when relevant, supplemented by additional information and analysis of the DERF eligibility of the crisis, a recommendation of whether the crisis is eligible for DERF funding is made. This shall also take into consideration whether there are Danish non-hpa organisations active in the area of the crisis; and, B. In cases where uncertainty may exist of the DERF eligibility of the crisis, a no-objection to the recommendation is sought from the DMFA (Humanitarian Section). STEP 3: Call for Applications Once the DERF is activated in response to a humanitarian crisis, information hereof and a Call for applications is made and communicated through; A. The DERF website which applicants will increasingly become conversant with as they use it for submission of applications, reports and a source of DERF information; B. Other websites, including CISUs, which is actively used by CISU member organisations and all grantholders of the Danish Civil Society Fund (members and non-cisu member organisations); C. Direct communication to the CISU member organisations, who are operating in the particular country(-ies) wherein the crisis is occurring; and, D. Through direct communication to the Danish CSOs, who have pre-qualified for DERF funding, in the particular country(-ies) wherein the crisis is occurring. STEP 4: Selection 1. The DERF management team (MT) screens all applications for compliance with the eligibility requirements. Thereafter, applications are processed by the MT, who makes a professional and administrative judgment based on the guidelines of the DERF. 2. If a need for supplementary information arises in the course of processing the application, the applicant will be contacted directly. 3. Subsequently, the MT team issues their recommendation to the Grant Committee (GC). 4. On request, the MT informs the DMFA about clusters of applications being processed. 5. The GC discusses the assessment and recommendation, and makes the final decision on the eligibility of the application. Applicants are informed of the final decision electronically. 6. If the funding requests of applications complying with the requirements exceed the amount available in the DERF, the GC will prioritise between the applications recommended for approval. 7 As per January 2017 the Start Network has country based Decision Making Groups in Bolivia, Cameroon, DRC, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, The Philippines, Senegal and Somalia. Some of these groups would have potential to cover neighbouring countries (in a recent Start Network alert for the Gambia, the Network called the Senegal DMG) 15

16 Figure 5: Time-line: Grant Assessment Process Assessment step-by-step Application Assessment Recommen dation Decision Disbursement of funds Implementation Pre-qualified organisation Non prequalified organisation Time frame Within 7 work days Within 21 work days Within 7 work days Within 7 work days Note that the response time of the DERF excludes time spent by applicant for instance in submitting a signed DERF contract to enable the disbursement of funds. STEP 5: Implementation Within seven working days after having received the initial disbursement of funds from the DERF, implementation of the intervention must start. STEP 6: Monitoring, Learning & Evaluation For all interventions, it is encouraged that sufficient resources for monitoring, learning and evaluation is included in the strategy and budget for the intervention. For longer interventions (Funding Modality #2) of a duration of more than six months, a mid-term review is to be undertaken by the grant-holder providing an opportunity to reflect contextual changes as well as integrate lessons learned during initial implementation. During implementation of interventions the DERF MT shall undertake inspection visits to a sample of interventions. For all grants, an end-of intervention report is to be submitted which includes reflections on lessons learned and how such could be used to improve on future humanitarian interventions. After each crisis the DERF has been activated to respond to, peer reviews are organised between grant holders to review and capture lessons learned at both fund as well as grant level. Participation herein is mandatory for each Danish grant holder. As part of year one of DERF implementation modalities for including local partner organisations in the peer reviews shall be explored. 16