The Small Grants Program (SmGP) aims to make development more inclusive and equitable by providing grants to civil society organizations for empowering citizens to have greater ownership of the development process. Accordingly, grants focus on empowering people who have been historically excluded from society's decision-making processes, such as women, youth, people from racial and ethnic groups, people with low-income, and people from rural areas. Crucial elements for empowerment of vulnerable groups include: access to information, access to organizations outside the local domain, capacity to influence the public arena and to negotiate with local and national authorities, the existence of trustworthy national and local institutions, and the presence of enabling policy and legal frameworks for civic engagement. Back to top
What kind of activities are supported?
The Small Grants Program supports activities that empower marginalized and vulnerable groups to have a greater say in matters of public concern. Activities should: - Promote dialogue and disseminate information; and
- Enhance partnerships with key players in support of the development process. Key players could include government agencies, civil society organizations, multilateral and bilateral agencies, foundation, and private sector.
- Activities may include, but are not limited to, workshops and seminars, costs for publications or audio-visual materials, or other innovative networking efforts that small organizations generally find difficult to fund through their regular program budgets. The activity should be completed within one year of the date the grant is awarded.
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What kind of activities are not supported?
- Research programs,
- Formal academic training programs,
- Scholarships, fellowships, study programs, full-time salaries of NGO’s staff members (for example, the director of the NGO)
- Operational projects, infrastructure projects, such as water systems, wells.
- Ongoing institutional core support (such as equipment unrelated to the activity), overhead costs, such as rent, maintenance, or general office supplies
- Individuals applying on their own behalf, or non-registered entities.
- Computer equipment and installation;
Back to top Who can apply? - Civil society organizations based in the country and working on issues of development.
- These organizations must be in good standing and have a record of achievement in the community as well as a record of financial probity;
- Priority will be given to organizations not supported by the Program in previous years (organizations are not eligible for more than three grants from the Small Grants Program within a five-year period).
Back to top What Size of Grants are Awarded?
Most grants are in the range of $3,000 to $7,000 with a maximum of $15,000. The Small Grants Program rarely funds more than half of the proposed budget for an activity, and therefore prefers that its grants help leverage additional contributions from other sources. Applicant organizations are asked to describe how a grant from the World Bank might help them to raise matching funds from other donors. Back to top How are the grants awarded?
All proposals are submitted to the Small Grants Committee comprised of World Bank staff and other donors. Unfortunately, the Small Grants Program can only fund a limited number of proposals. Back to top
How to apply for a Grant?
Administration of the Small Grants Program has been decentralized to participating World Bank Country Offices. Not all Country Offices administer the Small Grants Program. 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. Applicant organizations should apply at least four to six months in advance of the date of the grant activity. 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 prompt consideration to all proposals. The review may take up to four months to complete. Given the very large number of requests, personal visits and phone calls to the World Bank Office by the grantees are not encouraged.
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