Call for Expression of Interest for multi-annual partnership with The Netherlands Refugee Foundation (Stichting Vluchteling) for in-country partners, as part of the ASPIRE direct funding and capacity strengthening program.
About The Netherlands Refugee Foundation
The Netherlands Refugee Foundation (Stichting Vluchteling) is an emergency relief organization that supports partner organizations globally to assist displaced populations. In case of acute need, the Netherlands Refugee Foundation provides funding to international and national partners in order to provide direct assistance, such as shelter, medical care, clean drinking water and sanitation. In the Netherlands, the Refugee Foundation provides information to the Dutch public about the situation of refugees and internally displaced as well as about emergency aid in general.
In recent years, following its commitments on advancing localization, the Netherlands Refugee Foundation has been growing its direct funding and organizational capacity strengthening support to over 50 local and national partners in over 20 countries.
Read more on https://www.vluchteling.nl/en
Background of the Expression of Interest
ASPIRE: Advancing Sustainable Partnerships to Improve Resilience and Empowerment.
The Netherlands Refugee Foundation is launching the ASPIRE program: “Advancing Sustainable Partnerships to Improve Resilience & Empowerment” which aims to advance the leadership of in-country partners in Iraq, Lebanon, and Türkiye, through equitable, multi-annual partnerships that focus on the priorities and aspirations of these organizations by integrating streams of organizational capacity strengthening and direct funding. ASPIRE has the following two objectives: 1. Protection of refugees and internally displaced persons by in-country partners1; and 2. Access to improved services, facilities and information systems for displaced persons and host communities2. The program will be implemented in the three countries simultaneously during a period of five years with two cohorts of partners to be selected. The first cohort selection takes place in the second quarter of 2024, while a second cohort will be selected during the second quarter of 2025.
From the kick off of the program on April 1st 2024, during the first three months of inception, the Netherlands Refugee Foundation will identify potential in-country partners through the publication of the call for the Expression of Interest on various relevant platforms in all three countries, and conducting a partner and humanitarian landscape mapping. ASPIRE will target organizations often excluded from international funding streams due to lack of access to the standard INGO funding channels, their size precluding them from INGO or donor awareness, and/or the age of the organization and potential lack of a long enough track record for many INGO or donor eligibility requirements. As such, ASPIRE will prioritise, but not be limited to, Community-based Organizations (CBOs), Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs), Women-Led Organizations (WLOs), and (small) national Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)3 (not being country offices or sister organizations of northern/international NGOs).
Following partner selection, selected partners will develop projects aligning with the two above-mentioned objectives and community priorities for a funding amount ranging from 40,000 to 100,000 euros per year. In parallel, partners will conduct organizational self-assessments to identify organizational capacity strengthening and -sharing priorities. In addition, partners will participate in workshops to develop joint risk sharing plans, accountability mechanisms and participatory feedback loops. Each partner will be part of ASPIRE for a period of three years.
ASPIRE is funded through the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as part of the “Migration & Displacement 2023-2028 subsidy framework”. Please find more information about ASPIRE and the framework of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on https://www.vluchteling.nl/en/about-us/collaborations/aspire.
This call is published in parallel in Türkiye, Lebanon and Iraq, where a number of partners will be selected to participate in each country.
[1] By stating protection we aim to sustainably improve the lliving conditions of refugees and internally displaced persons in host countries by providing access to basic human rights. This may include freedom of movement, access to basic socio economic rights, improving access to legal documentation, access to justice and/or civil documents, and countering violence (inclusing gender-related violence), exploitation and discrimination.
[2] By stating access to services we aim to sustainably improve the living conditions of refugee communities, vulnerable host communities and internally displaced persons in host countries by providing access to improved services, facilities and information systems (=essential infrastructure). This may include access to improved safe drinking water systems, sanitation and/or waste management.
[3] When referring to “small” organizations in this call, we consider organizations with an annual income of €500.000 or less. For the selection of partners, the Netherlands Refugee Foundation will be focusing on the lower quartile (according to annual income) of the initial shortlisting.
How to apply
Skills and qualifications
Minimum eligibility requirements for in-country partners to participate in the ASPIRE program:
Have a relevant track record of working with Palestinian and/or Syrian refugees, internally displaced persons, and/or host communities of at least one year.
Have active presence and be operational in Lebanon for no less than one year, with available human resource and program management structure.
Have expertise in one or both of the two project-level objectives as stated above.
Have the ability to be operational in the targeted location within maximum 4-6 months.
Possess project management expertise, both financially and operationally, and are able to provide supporting documentation, such as project reports, evaluations, and audit reports in Arabic or English, for example.
Demonstrate a strong commitment to protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, and prevention of fraud and corruption.
Required documents:
If available, a valid certificate of registration for Lebanon.
(Audited) financial statements for at least the last one year (please share up to three years, in case available). If not available, we kindly ask for elaboration in the template below.
Organogram of the organization.
How to apply
Please carefully read the eligibility criteria and submit the completed form, including the upload of the supporting documents, no later than 30 June, 2024.
The Netherlands Refugee Foundation will conduct a screening process to verify all submitted documents after submission.
Short-listed organisations will be asked to provide more in-depth information about the organization at the next stage. Moreover, a vetting process and a reference check will be conducted as part of the next stage.
Applications can be submitted in Arabic or English and will be assessed by a Technical Review Panel to identify organizations that have the mandate, capacities and expertise to support the achievement of 1. Protection of refugees and internally displaced persons by in-country partners; and 2. Access to improved services, facilities and information systems for displaced persons and host communities. Please note that Concept Notes for projects under the direct-funding stream will only be requested after final selection.
For the English version of the application form, please visit: link
For the Arabic version of the application form, please visit: link
Important Notice:
If you encounter issues accessing the links above due to the absence of a Gmail account, kindly complete the table provided with this announcement. Please send the completed table along with any relevant documents to [email protected]
Please ensure that your organization only submits one application. For any questions in the meantime, please send us an email at [email protected]
All applicants will receive feedback on their application via email. Expressions of Interest submitted after the deadline will not be considered. It should be noted that the participation in this Call for Expression of Interest does not guarantee the organization will be selected for a partnership with the Netherlands Refugee Foundation.
The Netherlands Refugee Foundation does not charge any fee at any stage of the selection process. For any complaints, feedback or suggestion please send us an email at [email protected].
