Call for Proposals

Posted by Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy, March 5th, 2025

Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTPs)

Grant Fund Guidelines

Overview of the Grant

DW Akademie (DWA) and the Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy (BCMD) are jointly implementing the European Union (EU)-funded project “Building Inclusive Democracy: Civil Society, Parliamentarians, Media, and Youth Strengthen Good Governance in Bhutan” (2024–2026). This initiative aims to empower Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to actively participate in policy discussions and effectively advocate for inclusive development within their specific thematic areas. To support these efforts, a grant scheme has been established to fund CSOs’ research activities and the creation of thematic policy briefs. This support is designed to enhance CSOs’ analytical skills and strengthen their arguments, enabling more effective engagement with political stakeholders.

In this context, DW Akademie and BCMD invite registered Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to apply for grant funding under the 2025 grant scheme. CSOs may also apply as a consortium.

What are the Objectives of the Grant Fund?

Overall Objective (OO): CSOs engage in open and well-informed dialogues with the parliamentarians, policy-makers, and relevant agencies/stakeholders.
Specific Objective (SO): Bhutanese CSOs have a better understanding of key policy areas and their leverage in respective policy-making processes.

Who Can Apply?

Registered Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)

Be duly registered with the CSO Authority.
Is an active CSO in Bhutan.
Does not have an ongoing project through this grant-making window.
Contributes to the achievement of governance goals and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Has sound credentials in financial management.
Possesses relevant experience in one of the key topics of interest.

What are the Eligible Areas for Support?

The Grant scheme will support CSO research activities and the production of policy documents in the areas of:

Art, Culture and Recreation
Education and Youth
Environment and Climate Change
Gender and Vulnerable Groups
Good Governance, Media and Democracy
Health and Sanitation
Socio-economic Development and livelihood
Wellbeing (Caregiving, Rehabilitation and Welfare)

The research topic proposed should contribute to the objectives (OO and SO) of this Grant Fund.

Additionally, the grant scheme will support:

Any costs related to services and work related to the activities approved in the proposal.
Costs that are verifiable. This means that the costs are recorded in the accounting ledgers of the applicant using standard accounting procedures. A documentation of these costs through receipts/bills is to be provided to BCMD.

What are the Ineligible Costs?

Profit-generating projects.
Scholarships to support educational opportunities or studies.
Projects that support electoral campaigns of political parties and/or individuals.
Projects that support religious activities.
Other unrelated capital expenditures (e.g., vehicles, etc.).
Costs already covered by other projects.
Taxes.
Contributions in kind.
Provisions for future liabilities.
Debts and debt‐service charges.
Any credits to third parties.
Fines, financial penalties, and any litigation costs.
Personal expenses.
Any additional fees and charges from the applicant’s staff and management for services such as overtime, holiday pay, vacation pay, gift reimbursement, unauthorised travel, and housing expenses.

How are Proposals Assessed?

1) Eligibility Criteria:

The Sub-Grant Committee (SGC) will conduct an initial screening of the grant proposals based on the eligibility criteria below:

Submission of documents as per the requirements stated in the announcement including:
- Grant application form.
- A valid certificate of registration for CSOs.
Adherence to the budget ceiling (maximum EUR 8.000; 10% of the total cost may be spent for administrative expenses as e.g. consumables, office utilities, staff costs, etc.) and the duration does not exceed 10 months.

If the grant proposal submitted meets the above-mentioned eligibility criteria, a detailed assessment of the proposal by the SGC will be carried out, as outlined below.

2) Assessment Criteria:

The SGC will assess and score the grant project proposals based on the criteria below. Based on the scores assigned, the SGC will rank and determine the proposals to be ‘recommended’ or ‘not recommended’ for the final selection.

Criteria	Guiding Questions	Score
Relevance	Does it correspond to the objectives of the Grant Fund? Does the project idea converge with the experiences and expertise of the applicant organisation? Does the project focus on one of the topic areas detailed in this call?	30
Quality of the Project Proposal	Is the problem statement clear? Are the expected results and activities clearly linked? Can the objectives be realistically achieved within the implementing context, project timeframe, and capacities of the applicant? Is a strategy presented on how the research proposed/the policy briefs will be used for advocacy with stakeholders or contribute to policy dialogues? To what extent has the proposal assessed potential risks and identified mitigation measures? If CSOs apply as a consortium: Are roles and responsibilities clearly defined?	30
Value for Money	Is the ratio of activity costs to administration costs appropriate? Are the project inputs priced reasonably?	20
Sustainability and Scalability	Is the proposal idea innovative or contain elements of innovation to address financial sustainability? To what extent can the idea be sustained beyond the project period? How is the applicant planning to share the research results within the CSO fraternity, thus enhancing exchange? Does the applicant consortium/organisation have a track record of project implementation and management, including financial management of a similar funding level?	20

What is the Eligible Budget and Duration of Projects?

Applicants may apply for grants with a ceiling of EURO 8,000. The implementation period for grants shall be for a maximum period of 10 months.

Administrative costs shall not exceed 10% of total project costs. All administrative‐related costs over and above 10% must be financed by the CSO from sources of funds outside of the grant.

How and Where to Apply?

Project proposals must be submitted in English and must follow the Grant application format. Proposals that do not follow the outline of the application format and that are received after the deadline will not be accepted. The project proposal shall be accompanied by:

Grant Application Form
A valid Certificate of Registration for CSOs

Applications shall be emailed to bcmd@bcmd.bt

Proposal Deadline

31st March 2025, before 5 PM.

Should applicants have any further queries that are not covered in the guideline, kindly contact the Project Coordinator at phuntshoc@bcmd.bt

Download the Grant Application Form