The Small Grants Program (SmGP) of the World Bank aims to make development more inclusive and equitable by empowering citizens to have greater ownership of development processes.The program provides grants to civil society organizations to promote dialogue and disseminate information about development. The Program was created in 1983 and is funded by the Development Grant Facility of the World Bank. The Small Grants program in Belarus is managed by the World Bank Country Office.

The Small Grants Program in Belarus

The World Bank Small Grants Program for non-governmental organizations is a mechanism complementing the Bank programs on enhancing cooperation and communication between different partners and enabling the World Bank to directly cooperate with civil society organizations.

In Belarus the Program has been implemented since 1999 and during these years 50 projects of non-governmental organizations have received support in the amount of about US$ 300 000. These projects have been selected out of more than 480 applications. The focuses of the supported projects are in line with the World Bank’s efforts in the health sector, education, social assistance and environmental protection.

The SmGP awards start-up funds to ideas that bring people and local institutions together and have the greatest promise of moving from concept to results in addressing small communities’ development priorities through concrete actions drawing in volunteers and promoting self-realization and inclusion. Short projects linked to realistic set of issues and involving those members in the community closest to the more vulnerable population are more likely to be effective.

Programs received SmGP support are focused on :

• self-realization of vulnerable groups and creation of suitable jobs;
• knowledge sharing, learning, communications, networking;
• promotion of a dialogue on regional/local development issues;
• development of social partnerships among state, business, civil society groups and mass-media.

Who can apply?

Any institution involved in development broadly defined may apply for a grant in response to the announcement of an annual round. However, the SmGP prefers to support nonprofit, nongovernmental, nonacademic organizations.

What kind of activities are supported?

Activities supported by the SmGP promote dialogue and dissemination of information about international development, e.g. conferences and seminars, special editions or start up costs of publications, audio-visual materials, or other innovative networking efforts that small organizations generally find difficult to fund through their regular program budgets. SmGP grant activities focus on socioeconomic development problems such as poverty reduction, environmental protection, human resource development, and private sector development.

What kind of activities are not supported?

Small Grants cannot fund: research programs, formal academic training programs, operational projects, 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?

Individual grants are expected to be up to US $10000. The SGP will fund 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 funds from other donors.