Call for Proposals for Local Civil Society Actors Working Under the 3RF Framework or Working in Alignment with the National Anticorruption Strategy

PROJECT BRIEF 

Funded by the European Union (EU), and in partnership with Transparency International Secretariat (TI-S), Transparency International-Lebanon (TI-LB), and the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS), BINA’ (Building Integrity and National Accountability in Lebanon) project overall objective’s is to enhance the role of civil society actors as active pillars in enhancing governance, accountability, and transparency in Lebanon, as it specifically expands the abilities of civil society, both local and national, to actively monitor and advocate for transparency and accountability on the 3RF in Lebanon.

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Deadline: 20 January 2024 

Timeframe and budget: 
The expected start of successful Action implementation for both LOTs is April 2024. 
•    LOT (1) Actions with a maximum duration of 12 months with a budget of up to USD 50,000. 
•    LOT (2) Actions with a maximum duration of 8 months with a budget of up to USD 20,000. 

For this specific call the portfolio consists of USD 300,000, awarding three to four actions under LOT 1 and five to seven actions under LOT 2.

SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES
The objective of this call for proposals is to empower civil society organizations (CSOs) and grassroots initiatives in Lebanon. 
1.    LOT 1 "National level policy advocacy" will specifically focus on CSOs operating under the 3RF (including Working Groups, IOB, CG, LFF, etc.) and strengthen their role as advocates for issue-based policy-reforms by focusing on one of the priority areas of the 3RF’s revised framework.  
2.    LOT 2 "Local action for anti-corruption" will empower CSOs and grassroots initiatives operating in various regions of Lebanon and enhance their role in advocating for anti-corruption and good governance actions in alignment with the National Anti-Corruption Strategy.

ELIGIBILITY 
The following types of activities are eligible:
For "Lot 1: "National level policy advocacy" in the priority areas of the 3RF's Revised Framework:
•    Sector-specific advocacy actions in relevant priority areas of the 3RF’s revised framework;
•    Concrete advocacy actions that focus on policy change at parliament, government, or ministerial/administrative levels;
•    Advocacy actions that adopt participatory and inclusive approaches, creating dialogue and target government counterparts, donors, international and local civil society organizations involved in the 3RF reforms process;
•    Actions enhancing awareness and engagement among communities and local authorities on reform efforts;
•    Engagement of citizens in advocating for reforms, with a particular focus on women, people with disabilities, and youth.
Attention: Additional research and/or capacity building activities are encouraged only to the extent that they directly contribute to the action, and each should not constitute more than 15% of the entire action. 
For LOT (2) "Local action for anti-corruption" in alignment with the National Anti-Corruption Strategy:
•    Mobilization of civil society organizations and activists to encourage responsiveness, access to information, and proactive disclosure by municipalities and public institutions at the local level;
•    Advocacy on the application of the Access to Information ATI and proactive disclosure law, adhering to best practices in public procurement and addressing issues related to illicit enrichment;
•    Advocacy actions for good governance in the public sector on specific issues related to citizens’ needs and/or public services;
•    Actions designed to raise awareness among communities and local authorities regarding reforms, transparency and accountability mechanisms;
•    Engagement of citizens in advocating for reforms, with a particular focus on women, people with disabilities, and youth.
The following types of action are ineligible:
•    stand-alone research or awareness raising efforts;
•    actions concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences and congresses;
•    actions concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses.

3.    ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS OF APPLICANTS 
CSOs can submit stand-alone applications or applications that are part of a consortium. Specific eligibility criteria for co-applicants and affiliated entities are detailed in the application form. In order to be eligible for a grant, the applicant or the lead applicant must:
For LOT 1:
1.    Be a registered non-profit organization in Lebanon that has been involved in the 3RF with a minimum of 2 years of experience in project implementation.
2.    Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.
3.    Complete the application form, provide a detailed budget and a detailed logframe (please use provided templates), and submit the required documents, including registration certificates, financial capacity evidence (audited financial statements, management letters, staffing of programs and finance team, accounting and procurement policy (if available), bank account details).
For LOT 2:
1.    Be a registered non-profit organization in Lebanon.
2.    Experience with project implementation will be considered as an asset.
3.    Take an active role in planning and managing the proposed project.
4.    Complete the application form with a budget and a logframe (please use provided templates).
5.    Provide essential documents, including registration certificates and basic financial information.

To successfully submit the application, the applicants must:
(1)    fill in the application form and duly sign it.
(2)    provide a detailed budget using the budget template.
(3)    provide the following set of documents: 
Registration documents 
•    Certificate of registration at the Ministry of the Finance
•    Certificate from the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities 
Financial capacity of the organization
•    Audited financial statement 
•    Management letters
•    Staffing of programs and finance team 
•    Accounting and procurement policy (if available)
•    Bank account details

4.    EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF APPLICANTS

Applications will be examined and evaluated based on the evaluation grid. External assessors might be involved in the assessment. All applications must adhere to the eligibility and awarding requirements of this call for applications and accompanying documents. 
If the examination of the application reveals that the applicant does not meet the eligibility criteria stated in Section 3 and the applicant didn’t provide corresponding documents, the application will be rejected on this sole basis. 

5.    POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS
Awarded actions must subsequently adhere to TI-Lebanon’s Transparent Hearts’ methodology (http://bit.ly/3lva33Z)  ensuring the highest standards of transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability. It is a requirement that all information related to the implementation of awarded grants should be published on the platform. 

Grantees will be also required to participate in the capacity development program which will contribute to their growth at organizational and advocacy levels.

Applicants will also be required to engage and participate in cross-cutting activities under BINA’ project where and when relevant, such as:
o    Coalitions and joint advocacy campaigns
o    Capacity building programs, EU-structured dialogue events, and related activities
o    Use of TI-LB’s digital tools and platforms:
(a)    Multifunctional Portal: an online platform dedicated for CSOs to exchange knowledge, exchange updates on their activities and their operations, to engage with the general public on the reforms they are pushing for, the achievements they are accomplishing, and the challenges they are facing in the context of the 3RF
(b)    School of Governance: an online school with a rich and diverse digital library including self-paced courses that aim to develop knowledge on several topics and laws
(c)    Transparent Hearts: an online platform that CSOs are required to use in order to auto-assess/auto-evaluate the transparency of their work based on TI-LB’s methodology and guidelines, and disclose information related to this action for greater transparency.
Implementing partners should ensure that the basic values and principles commonly shared by the EU (notably concerning racism, incitement to violence, and discrimination based on religion, gender, or sexual orientation) are duly respected and promoted by their proposed actions.