Technical Assistance United Nations Trust Fund
Technical Assistance
United Nations Trust Fund
Guidelines for submitting proposals to the United Nations Trust Fund on Family Activities
- What kind of assistance is available from the Fund?
- Who can qualify for assistance?
- How can a request for assistance be submitted?
- What is a project?
- How are projects appraised?
- How is a project proposal prepared?
- What is a project document proforma?
What kind of assistance is available from the Fund?
The United Nations Trust Fund on Family Activities provides financial assistance for activities specific to the family and projects of direct benefit to it, with the special focus on least developed and developing countries, and countries with economies in transition. Grants from the Fund support practical action by governments and by non-governmental organizations at the national, regional and global levels in the following areas:
- Activities of a pilot nature or which form part of larger development initiatives which aim at building national capacities and institutional capabilities for improved livelihood and well-being of families in least developed and developing countries, and countries with economies in transition.
- Public information, awareness building and related communications support measuresv concerned with the situation of families in the context of national development.
- Training and applied advisory services on emerging issues and trends, assessments of their implications for families, and evaluations of strategies, policies and programmes.
Who can qualify for assistance?
Governments and non-governmental organizations can submit requests for assistance for consideration by the Fund.
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 will help to ensure that requests are consistent with ongoing and planned multi- and bilateral development assistance activities.
Since the United Nations provide assistance to governments upon request, non-governmental organizations should obtain the concurrence/no objection of the concerned governmental officials in their country prior to submitting a request for assistance to the Fund. NGOs may wish to consult with the local office of UNDP about procedures for obtaining the endorsement /no objection of the concerned governmental authorities in the matter.
Requests for funding assistance should be concise, detailed and submitted in a project document format, as described in the following sections, to facilitate project appraisal and a prompt reply.
The United Nations defines a project as (1) a set of activities which are organized in response to an identified need or issue, (2) carried out within a specific (a) period of time and (b) budget and (3) achieve a set of stated objectives.
Project proposals are appraised with respect to:
1. The consistency of the request with the terms of reference of the Fund,
2. the relationship of the proposal to national development strategies, policies and programmes,
3. the logic of the project design, its organization, substantive content, work plan and budget
Since the resources of the Fund are designed to provide seed-money grants for catalytic and innovative action, grants generally co-finance rather than cover the entire cost of a proposal. Grants recently have ranged from US$5,000 to US$20,000 per proposal.
How is a project proposal prepared?
Clear and concise formulation of (a) a project plan of operations and (b) budget, and the involvement of intended beneficiaries in project planning and implementation, are important factors in determining overall project success and represent important contributions to the project’s sustained operations.
Project proposals which will involve complex, multi-year assistance should be submitted in the standard UNDP project document format rather than on the Trust Fund proforma so that all information required to appraise a request for assistance from the United Nations system will be available.
What is a project document proforma?
The Trust Fund project document proforma is designed to provide the basic information required to appraise a proposal and to prepare a detailed plan of operations once funding is confirmed. The project document proforma must have:
(1) a cover page (see the format presented below), and
(2) the following five sections:
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Background and justification
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Objectives
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Project implementation and management
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Project monitoring and evaluation
- Budget
The Project Document must follow the format presented and include all the information requested (all highlighted information with italics or with “*” or “**” must be provided for the appraisal process to be initiated).
Cover Page
PROJECT DOCUMENT
Fund: United Nations Trust Fund on Family Activities
Project Number: ______________________________
Project title: ______________________________
Implementing agency: ______________________________
Location of project operations: ______________________________
Cooperating agency(ies): ______________________________
Proposed starting date: Duration: ______________________________
Financial Information Cash (local currency and US$) In kind (local currency and US$)
Total Cost: ______________________________
Fund inputs: ______________________________
Third party cost-sharing: ______________________________
Government inputs: ______________________________
Other sources: ______________________________
Specify who and the contribution that will be made.
Signed: ______________________________
Name: ______________________________
Title: (On behalf of Government) ______________________________
Date: ______________________________
Name: ______________________________
Title: (On behalf of Implementing Agency) ______________________________
Date: ______________________________
Name: ______________________________
Title: (On behalf of United Nations) ______________________________
Date: ______________________________
Summary of the Proposal: ______________________________
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