 The Small Grants Program (SmGP) was created in 1983 to provide a way for the World Bank to promote dialogue and disseminate information about international development in forums outside its own operations. Grants are provided to civil society organizations through participating World Bank Country Offices.
The purpose of the Small Grants Program is to complement and facilitate the social development agenda of the World Bank through its focus on civic engagement. Civic engagement is defined as citizens, either individually or as organized groups, interacting with the pubic sector to strengthen mechanisms for inclusion, accountability, and participation in order to enhance and influence development outcomes. Before you apply? | Download |  | Guidelines - MS Word (41 KB) and PDF (65 KB) | | Application Form - MS Word(42 KB) and PDF (35 MB) |
The World Bank Small Grants Program is able to fund only a very small percentage of the requests it receives. Many requests are declined, not because they lack merit, but because they do not match either the current objectives, or the criteria of the Small Grants Program as closely as the selected proposals. Your activity may fall within the objectives and criteria, but the demand far surpasses the availability of funs. Before applying, please take time to read the guidelines to determine if there is a match. Who can apply? Civil Society organizations based in a developing country and working on issues of development can apply for a grant. Civil Society organizations must be in good standing and have a record of achievement in the community and record of financial probity. Priority will be given to organizations not supported by the SmGP in previous years (organizations are not eligible for more than three grants from the Small Grants Program within a five-year period). What kind of activities are supported? Activities whose primary objective is civic engagement. In addition: Activities may include but are not limited to workshops and seminars to enhance civil engagement skills and/or knowledge; appropriate communication campaigns to influence policymaking or public service delivery; or innovative networking efforts to building the capacity of the particular sector. The activity should be completed within one year of the date the grant is awarded. Priority shall be given to organizations that have not been supported by the SmGP in previous years. What kind of activities are not supported? Small Grants cannot fund: research programs, formal academic training programs, operational projects, provision of basic services, ongoing institutional core support (such as equipment), scholarships, fellowships, study programs, individuals applying on their own behalf, or non-legal entities. Proposed activities should not compete with or substitute for regular World Bank instruments; the activity should be clearly distinguishable from the Bank's regular programs. What size of grants are awarded? Mostly grants are in the range of $4,000 to $7,000. The SmGP rarely funds more than half of the proposed budget for an activity. Applicant organizations will be asked to describe how a grant from the World Bank might help them to raise matching funds from other donors. How to apply for a Grant? Administration of the Small Grants Program has been decentralized to participating World Bank Country Offices including the Tanzania Office. Requests and proposals should not be sent to the World Bank Headquarters, as decisions are not made at the Headquarters. The Small Grants Program makes decisions only once a year. Applicants are advised to read the criteria and the application form carefully before submitting an application to the participating Country Office. Grants are usually awarded by a Small Grants Committee, convened in the World Bank Country Office. Applications are screened and reviewed to ensure that the criteria is met. The Small Grants Program gives full consideration to all proposals. Given the very large number of requests, personal visits and phone calls to the World Bank Tanzania Office by the grantees are discouraged. Additional resources for CSOs are available from the World Bank website , www.worldbank.org The application in English should be sent in an envelope addressed to: Small Grants Program
The World Bank Tanzania Country Office
P.O. Box 2054, Dar es Salaam
Tanzania Attention: Small Grants Committee – 2007 Closing Date: February 7, 2007  |
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