Democracy Commission Small Grants

GENERAL OVERVIEW

The Democracy Commission Small Grants Program was initiated in 1994 as a flexible mechanism to enable American Embassies to support the development of democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and the CIS.  The Democracy Commission in Moldova started its activity in 1996. 

Grants are awarded mainly to non-governmental, non-profit organizations (NGOs).  To be eligible for consideration, every applicant must be engaged in, or intend to carry out a project whose purpose is to further the development of democracy and open society in Moldova. 

The Democracy Commission, chaired by the Ambassador, acts as the implementing body and includes members of most of the U.S. Government agencies active in Moldova.  The Public Affairs Section administers the program.  

Grants are awarded on a competitive basis.  Decisions are based on the eligibility and quality of the grant application.  Once approved by the Democracy Commission in Chisinau, the application undergoes a technical review and receives final approval by the Department of State in Washington D.C.  The final review ensures compliance with program requirements and allowable expenses and accuracy of budgets.

Eligibility of Applicants: Who May apply?

Applications must come from registered Moldovan non-governmental and non-commercial organizations, or independent mass media.  American and third-country organizations and individuals are not eligible. Projects can only be submitted by organizations, not by individuals.  Government agencies, businesses, and commercial institutions are not eligible.

Potential applicants are not eligible to apply or be awarded a grant if:

• They are guilty of serious misrepresentation in their application or subsequent dealings with the U.S. Embassy;
  
• They are deemed to have performed poorly in previous narrative or fiscal reporting for the U.S. Government or other grants;
  
• They have inappropriate contact with Democracy Commission members while their application is pending
  
• They advocate violence in any form.
  

Eligibility of Projects: What Projects Can Be Supported by the Democracy Commission?

The Commission prefers to support complete projects instead of individual activities, such as conferences, publications, or round tables.  A complete project involves a sequence of compounding events designed to achieve specific goals within a particular time frame, focusing on target audiences, and leading to concrete and measurable results that will directly benefit the local community.

Themes:

In general, the Democracy Commission Small Grants Program supports democracy-building initiatives that promote civil society in Moldova, such as projects targeting:

• Institutionalization of open, pluralistic, and democratic political processes at the local level;

• Public participation in decision making;
• Independent media, free flow of information, transparency in government;
• Civic education, strengthening and promotion of civil society and democratic institutions;
• Anti-corruption awareness;
• Conflict resolution;
• Development of market economy, economic reforms

The Democracy Commission Small Grants Program CANNOT fund:  

• Humanitarian assistance or charitable activities
• Political or partisan activities
• Scientific research; conferences and/or individual trips abroad
• Trade activities;
• Health Programs
• Projects aimed at primary institutional development of the organization
• U.S. organizations and individuals
• Activities that have no connections with the priorities listed above

Grants are made on a one-time basis.  An organization may re-apply for a second grant after the completion of the previous grant.

Geographic Areas:

The Democracy Commission welcomes projects from all regions of Moldova, and encourages projects with activities outside of larger cities.  There are no specific geographical priorities or limitations except that the project is implemented in Moldova.

Eligible time period:

The time frame for the project should not exceed 12 months. 

Eligible size of grants:

The maximum grant is $24,000. However, most awards are much smaller.

Eligible costs:

Only costs necessary for carrying out the project will be considered for funding.  Long-term infrastructure needs that support the operation of an applicant organization will not be funded.  Salaries, administrative expenses, and purchase of equipment should be linked to specific project activities, and the need for these items for the project should be explained.  Only depending on the specifics of the project proposal, can such categories as coffee breaks, food, receptions, salaries or other types of payment be covered.

All eligible costs must be real itemized costs and cannot take the form of lump sums.  More details about eligible costs can be found in the application instructions.

SUBMISSION OF PROJECTS

Applicants must complete the standard application form in English.  The forms are available for download on the website. 

If you need assistance, contact Stelian Rusu at (+373 22) 22-99-50 or rusus@state.gov. 
We also ask that you read carefully all the information provided on the website, including the instructions, before filling out and submitting your application.

Applicants must submit the following mandatory items:

• Completed electronic version of the application form (e-mail, Floppy, or CD)

Applicants must be ready to submit the following documents on request:

• Certificate of Registration
  
• Bylaws of the organization
  
• List of founders and Board Members
  
• CVs of the implementation team members
  
• Evidence of the organization’s previous activity
  
• CV of the organization

• Letters of support
  
• Additional information about the project
  
• Partnership agreements, etc.
  
• Detailed Work-plan
  

Electronic version of the application should be e-mailed to the following e-mail addresses:

To: RusuS@state.gov CC: stelianrusu@gmail.com  Subject: DEMCOM APPLICATION

Applications submitted over the deadline will be disqualified.
Absolutely no exceptions will be made.

Deadlines:
The Democracy Commission reviews applications once every three months.  Generally, the competitions are held in: September, December, March, and June.

The deadline for a particular round can be confirmed by checking our website and/or press releases.

The complete grant process (from the time a project proposal is submitted to the Democracy Commission to the time the funds are available for use) takes approximately three months.
 

SELECTION PROCESS

The Democracy Commission, which is made up of senior officials of the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, examines the project proposals and recommends selected projects for funding.  The U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C. confirms the decision.  Project proposals are selected on the basis of an open competition four times a year.

Project selection is competitive.  Proposals are judged on the following criteria: 

• Social importance of the project
• Sustainability and opportunities for development
• Clearly formulated goals and target groups
• Specific and concrete results
• Feasibility

The full proposal should be prepared with great care, for a poorly prepared proposal will be rejected, even if the idea is a good one.

The Democracy Commission will fund the proposals that best address the Commission's themes and reflect the values of the United States and the mandate of the Embassy and the Democracy Commission. Winning proposals will contain accurate and well-developed implementation plans and clear explanations of how the project goals will be achieved. 
The decisions of the Democracy Commission are final. 

NOTIFICATION OF APPLICANTS

Throughout the process, applicants will receive several kinds of notifications.

Project proposal receipt: The applicant will receive an e-mail notification when the project proposal is received and entered into the system. We discourage the applicants from calling and checking if the application was received. Applicants may also check the application status section of the website.

Results: The results will be communicated electronically once the application is reviewed. You can also check the status of the application on the website. Semifinalists will be contacted and informed about further actions.

The Democracy Commission will not provide reasons for rejection

Additional Information: The program coordinator will contact the applicant if there are questions. Therefore, it is very important that you provide accurate contact information.  Applications for which we are unable to obtain additional information in a timely manner will be refused.

PROGRAM WEBSITE:

English:
http://moldova.usembassy.gov/democracy_grants.html  
Romanian:
http://romanian.moldova.usembassy.gov/democracy_grants.html
Russian:
http://russian.moldova.usembassy.gov/democracy_grants.html

Program distribution list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DemComMoldova/