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UN Programme on Disability   Working for full participation and equality

Guidelines for Preparing
and Submitting Project Proposals



Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):


What kind of assistance is available from the Funds?

United Nations trust funds in the fields of ageing, disabled persons, family activities and youth were established, pursuant to guidance received from the United Nations General Assembly, to further implementation of the development objectives of international instruments in the social field.

The Funds provide seed-money grants to support catalytic and innovative action in the social field, to develop and test activities which are not yet part of an established programme framework or to reinforce the social perspective in mainstream development.

Grants from the Funds have supported the following types of action by governments and by the non-governmental community at national, regional and global levels:

- activities of a pilot nature, or which form part of larger development initiatives, that aim at building national capacities and institutional capabilities to improve livelihood and well-being among specific social groups in developing countries;

- communications support and public information activities that aim to build greater awareness and understanding of the situation of specific social groups in overall development;

- applied research, review and assessment of issues and trends, and evaluation of development strategies and policies from the social perspective;

- training and advisory services concerned with analysis, formulation and evaluation of integrated strategies, policies and programmes from the social perspective.

In accordance with the guidance of the United Nations General Assembly, special attention is directed to requests for assistance submitted by least developed and related categories of developing countries for which special assistance measures have been identified by the international community.

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What is a project?

The United Nations define a project as a set of activities organized in response to an identified need - or issue - and that aim to achieve a specific objective within a given period of time and budget.

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Who can qualify for assistance from the Funds?

Governments and non-governmental organizations, with the concurrence of government official(s) concerned, can submit requests for assistance for consideration by the Funds.

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How can a request for assistance be submitted?

Governments can submit requests for assistance directly to the United Nations Secretariat or through the local office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Consultation with the local office of UNDP can help to ensure that requests are consistent with ongoing and planned development cooperation activities.

Since the United Nations provide assistance to governments on request, non-governmental organizations first need to obtain the concurrence / no objection of the concerned governmental officials in their country prior to submitting a request for assistance to the Funds. NGOs may wish to consult with the local office of UNDP about procedures for obtaining an endorsement / no objection statement of concerned governmental authorities in the matter.

Requests for funding assistance should be concise, detailed and submitted in a project document format, which is described in the following sections. Concise and complete presentations facilitate appraisal by United Nations specialists.

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How are project proposals appraised?

Project proposals are appraised by an interdisciplinary team of United Nations specialists with respect to (1) their consistency with the terms of reference of the respective Fund, (2) their relationship to national development strategies, policies and programmes, and (3) the logic of the proposal design, its substantive content, work plan and budget.

Since resources of the Funds are limited, project appraisals focus on catalytic and innovative aspects, and funding recommendations generally involve seed-money rather than full-funding grants.

Recent grants from the Funds have ranged from US$5,000 to US$20,000. Positively-appraised requests for assistance whose resource requirements exceed these amounts may be circulated among potential donors with a view to obtaining additional third-party contributions.

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What is a project document?

The trust fund project document pro forma is designed to provide the basic information required to review and appraise a proposal quickly and to prepare a detailed plan of operations and budget once project finances are confirmed. The trust fund project document pro forma has five sections:

(1) Background and justification of the project: what is the origin of the proposal - the particular problem or issue addressed; what is the social and economic setting of the proposal; and why is assistance being requested from the respective Fund?

(2) Objectives of the project: how does the proposal relate to current national development strategies and policies; and what does the project expect to achieve if successfully implemented?

(3) Expected results of the project: what is the proposal expected to produce in terms of specific results; who will benefit and who is expected to pay for this?

(4) Project implementation and management: how will the project be carried out, in terms of a work plan, schedule of activities, and parties responsible for implementation management?

(5) Project budget: what will the project cost; how will this be financed; what components are the United Nations being requested to co-finance; and what will government - or the project implementation agent - finance, in cash or in kind?

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How should a project proposal be prepared?

The experience of the Funds suggests that precise identification of the problem to be addressed and the need for development cooperation, careful consideration of options by which the problem identified can best be resolved, and clear specification of a project plan of operations and budget are important factors in overall project success. Involvement of intended beneficiaries in project planning and implementation is equally important to project success and its capacity for sustained operations.

Projects which will involve complex, multi-year assistance should consider presenting their proposal in the standard UNDP project document format rather than in the trust fund pro forma. This will ensure that information required to review and appraise a multi-year request for assistance from the United Nations system will be available to potential donors.

1. Preparation of the Project Document Cover Page

A sample layout of a project document cover page is presented in the sample Project Proposal. In practice, the cover page is the last item to be prepared for a proposal, after all budget data have been compiled.

The Executing Agent refers to the body or organisation that will sign the project agreement, on approval by the parties concerned, and will be responsible for all aspects of implementation management. Implementing agent(s) are the parties which will assist with specific aspects of project implementation.

The Executing Agent should provide a concise, descriptive title for its proposal. It also needs to draft a brief summary of the project proposal, in terms of problem addressed, proposed solution, expected results, intended beneficiaries and reason(s) why assistance is requested from the respective Fund.

The United Nations will assign a unique "project number" to each proposal received and sent for appraisal by United Nations subject matter specialists.

2. Preparation of the Project Document

A project document has five main parts, which are described in the sample Project Proposal.

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Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Division for Social Policy and Development