About the Program The Civil Society Fund Program (CSFP) (formerly known as the Small Grants Program) complements and facilitates 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 public sector to strengthen mechanisms for inclusion, accountability, and participation in order to enhance and influence development outcomes. Civic Engagement can…
Promote public consensus and local ownership for reforms and for national poverty reduction and development strategies by creating knowledge-sharing networks, building common ground for understanding, encouraging public-private cooperation, and sometimes even diffusing tensions; Give voice to the concerns of primary and secondary stakeholders, particularly poor and marginalized populations, and help ensure that their views are factored into policy and program decisions; Strengthen and leverage impact of development programs by providing local knowledge, identifying potential risks, targeting assistance, and expanding reach, particularly at the community level; Bring innovative ideas and solutions to development challenges at both the local and global levels; Improve public transparency and accountability of development activities, contributing to the enabling environment for good governance.
Before You Apply The World Bank Civil Society Fund 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 Civil Society Fund Program as closely as the selected proposals. Your activity may fall within the objectives and criteria, but the demand far surpasses the availability of funds. Before applying, please take time to read the Guidelines to determine if there is a match. Also, please determine (by calling the World Bank Country Office or checking the World Bank website) whether the country in which your program operates has a Civil Society Fund Program.
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 Program in previous years (organizations are not eligible for more than three grants from the Civil Society Fund Program within a five-year period).
What Kind of Activities are Supported? The Civil Society Fund Program supports activities whose primary objective is civic engagement. In addition: Activities may include, but are not limited to workshops and seminars to enhance civic engagement skills and/or knowledge; appropriate communication campaigns to influence policymaking or public service delivery; or innovative networking efforts to build 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 Program in previous years.
What Kind of Activities are not Supported? The Program 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? In Turkmenistan the individual grant could be in a range of 5,000 to 9,000 US dollars. The 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. How to Apply for a Grant? The Program is administered out of participating World Bank Country Offices. Requests and proposals should not be sent to the World Bank Headquarters, as decisions are not made at the Headquarters. Guidelines and application forms for applicants from Turkmenistan are available from the World Bank Liaison Office in Turkmenistan. The Civil Society Fund Program (CSFP) makes decisions only once a year. Applicants are advised to read the criteria and the application form carefully before submitting an application to the World Bank Liaison Office in Turkmenistan. The applications could be submitted at the beginning of the year. The review may take up to two 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. Grant Application forms should be submitted in Russian or English to the World Bank Liaison Office in Turkmenistan. World Bank Liaison Office in Turkmenistan
UN Building
40, Galkynysh str., 4th Floor
744013, Ashgabat
Tel: +993 12 350477
Fax: +993 12 351693
Email: sdjepbarov@worldbank.org
Related documents: Application form CSFP Guidelines Proposal writing |
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