Application Announcement
Human Rights Grants Scheme (HRGS) 2010-2011

The Australian High Commission is pleased to invite project proposals for funding under its Human Rights Grants Scheme for the year 2010-2011.

Please read “Human Rights Grants Scheme: Bangladesh Guidelines” below to find out more about the eligibility criteria, funding arrangements and applications procedure. Projects are expected to be self-sustainable and oriented towards self-help. The Australian contribution towards each project will range from between A$20,000 and A$100,000 for one-year projects. Projects of up to A$150,000 over two years will also be considered.

Deadline for submitting Expressions of Interest: 15 June 2010
Deadline for submitting Applications: 9 August 2010
(for selected organisations)

Human Rights Grants Scheme: Bangladesh Guidelines

1. Aim of Human Rights Grants Scheme 

The Human Rights Grants Scheme (HRGS) provides grant funding to organisations involved in developing countries to promote and protect human rights in direct and tangible ways.

2. Eligibility criteria

2.1 Eligible organisations: Who may apply?

2.1.1 Organisations must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for funding:

(a) Involved in promoting and defending human rights

(b) Have a proven track record in the type of activity the organisation wants funded and

(c) Are preferably local NGOs registered with the NGO Affairs Bureau. National and regional human rights institutions are not excluded.

2.1.2 Proposals from individuals are not eligible.

2.2 Eligible project activities: what types of projects may
be funded?

2.2.1 Projects eligible for funding must:

(a) Aim to achieve one or more of the following objectives:

• prevent or end gross human rights violations such as (but not restricted to) extra-judicial and arbitrary killings; torture; human trafficking; restrictions on freedoms of thought/expression/association; abuses in the judicial system; systemic discrimination; mass evictions; forced displacement; denial of the right to education for girls; denial of the right to economic livelihoods for particular groups; or forced labour

• promote positive change in policies or actions of government or relevant non-state actors (including corporations, international institutions, non-government organisations) in the area of human rights

• monitor, seek redress for and/or report on human rights violations, including supporting victims of human rights abuses

• educate and/or train human rights victims, workers or defenders

• promote observance and implementation of international human rights standards, including through treaty ratification, domestic legislation and/or effective engagement with international and/or regional human rights institutions or mechanisms

• promote and strengthen national or regional human rights institutions or mechanisms

(b) demonstrate that the equal rights of women and men and girls and boys, underpin the project., in line with AusAID’s gender equality policy (see 2.2.4 below)

(c) be designed and delivered in accordance with human rights and community empowerment principles

(d) deliver concrete outcomes

(e) represent value for money.

2.2.2 Where relevant, projects should also:

(a) involve the active participation of marginalised groups such as people with disability, women, children, youth, the elderly, people living with HIV/AIDS, prisoners, homeless people, refugees, internally displaced persons, indigenous peoples, ethnic and religious minorities.

(b) strengthen the applicant organisation’s ability to deliver human rights work after funding under the HRGS has ended

(c) encourage self-help and self-reliance by involving communities in developing, implementing and managing project activities and by using community structures and systems

(d) promote collaboration in funding and networking to optimise the impacts of activities.

2.2.3 Applications for joint or partial funding of a larger project with other contributors will be accepted.

2.2.4 Applications must be for projects that adhere to the following Australian Government policies:

• Gender Equality in Australia’s Aid Program—Why and How 

(for guidance on implementing the gender policy see AusAID’s Gender Equality Guidelines http://www.ausaid.gov.au/keyaid/gender.cfm)

• Environmental Management Guide for Australia’s Aid Program

• Development for All – Towards a disability inclusive Australian aid program 2009-2014

• Safeguarding your organisation against terrorism financing

• Family Planning and the Aid Program: Guiding Principles

• Child Protection Policy (in particular the child protection compliance standards at Attachment 1)

 
2.3 Project activities not eligible for funding

2.3.1 Funding will not be provided for:

• projects that support independence movements
• evangelism or missionary outreach activities
• political party campaign activities
• emergency relief activities
• recurrent costs, unless the organisation demonstrates in its application how it will take over these costs
• retrospective activities
• activities that already receive significant funding through other Australian Government programs
• individuals
• welfare and service delivery activities
• academic research

2.4 Amount and duration of funding

2.4.1 Proposed projects should be for between A$20,000 and A$100,000 (BDT 1200,000 and BDT6,132,000]

2.4.2 Projects should preferably be of one-year duration.

2.4.3 Projects of up to A$150,000 [BDT9,198,000] over two years will be considered.

2.4.4 Funding will not be provided for travel expenses exceeding 20 per cent of total project costs, or for the provision of equipment, freight or buildings, where each exceeds 10 per cent of the total project costs. Costs for audits must be reasonable.

3. Application Process

Step One (for all interested applicant organisations)

3.1 Applicant organisations must submit a completed Expression of Interest Form (Attachment A) to the Australian High Commission, Dhaka to be received by Tuesday 15 June 2010. Late Expressions of Interest will not be accepted. Expressions of Interest must be submitted in hardcopy by mail or delivered in person to the Australian High Commission, Dhaka. Envelopes should be clearly labelled ‘Human Rights Grants Scheme’.

3.2 Expression of Interest forms must be typed and in English and must not deviate from the template format (Attachment A) or exceed the word limits specified.

3.3 The Australian High Commission will assess all Expressions of Interest and invite selected applicant organisations to submit full applications for consideration for funding.

3.4 The Australian High Commission will contact these selected organisations in July 2010. Please note that applicant organisations which have not been successful at the Expression of Interest stage will not be contacted and should consider their application unsuccessful if they have not heard from the Australian High Commission by July 2010.

Step Two (for those short-listed organisations invited to submit a full application)

3.5 The Australian High Commission will provide an Application Form and guidelines for submitting a full application to selected organisations.

3.6 Submitting the application

a. Selected organisations must submit a completed Application Form (Attachment B) to be received by the Australian High Commission, Dhaka by Monday 9 August 2010. Application Forms must be submitted in hardcopy by mail or delivered in person to the Australian High Commission. Envelopes should be clearly labelled ‘Human Rights Grants Scheme’.

b. Late applications will not be accepted

c. The applicant organisation must submit their completed Application Form
(Attachment B), including a Project Budget calculated in Australian dollars.

3.7 Supporting documentation

The following supporting documents must be submitted with the Application Form.

• a copy of the organisation’s constitution or articles of association
• an audited annual financial statement certified by a public accountant who is not
  a member of the organisation
• a copy of the organisation’s annual report, or an equivalent document
• an outline of the organisation’s annual plan or program of work activities.

3.8 Reporting requirements for successful organisations

Organisations awarded a grant must enter into a funding agreement with the Australian High Commission, Dhaka. The funding agreement will set out all terms and conditions relating to the grant, including implementation of project activities, accountability, outcomes required, funding arrangements and project reporting.

Each successful organisation must provide a Project Progress Report (Attachment C) to the Australian High Commission, Dhaka every six months from the date the funding agreement is entered into, until all funds are expended. Organisations undertaking two-year projects must provide a Progress Report plus a certified statement of expenditure to receive the second tranche of grant funding.

Successful organisations must also submit a Project Completion Report (Attachment D) and a certified statement of expenditure to the Australian High Commission covering all project activities included in the Application Form on completion of the project. These are due no later than six weeks after the project completion date. The report must account for the grant funding by:

• outlining how the project met its goals
• providing details on the outcomes achieved
• describing how the project was measured (and the results from such 
  measurement)
• including/attaching a financial statement signed by an authorised representative 
  of the organisation, acquitting all expenditure against the original Application Form
• attaching a statement or report from an independent auditor.

3.9 The Australian High Commission may, from time-to-time and at its own expense, monitor, review and/or evaluate the project in consultation with the successful organisation.

4. Further information

For further information please contact:
Senior Research and Communications Officer
Australian High Commission
Phone: 88-02-8813105
Fax: 88-02-8811125
E-mail: [email protected]