FRENCH EMBASSY’S (TANZANIA) FUND FOR INNOVATIVE PROJECTS FOR CIVIL SOCIETIES AND COALITIONS OF ACTORS (PISCCA)

The French fund for Innovative Projects from Civil Societies and Coalitions of Actors (PISCCA) is an instrument from the French Embassy to Tanzania to support projects from local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

PISCCA is the successor of the French Social Development Fund (SFD). The last SFD was implemented in Tanzania between 2009 and 2012 and funded 9 projects for a total amount of 500 000 euros, covering a large scale of sectors of intervention, including education, agriculture, health and access to water.

PISCCA aims at funding small-scale project and local initiatives which contribute to the strengthening of the Tanzanian civil society and to promoting social, economic and cultural rights in the country. Its main objectives are to support local initiatives, foster networking and synergies between stakeholders on the field and strengthen the capacities of the beneficiaries and civil society organizations.
The programme will last 3 years and is starting in 2016. It comprises two calls for proposals, in 2016 and 2017.

The 2016 call for proposals is open from the 18th April to the 20th May 2016.


WHO CAN APPLY?
The eligible applicants are Tanzanian Civil Society organizations (CSO) that have been officially registered for at least 2 years.

The underlying principle of PISCCA is to encourage innovative projects carried out by motivated and ambitious small and medium-sized Tanzanian CSOs that are not already used to carrying out large-scale projects, but still show a potential for growth, strive to implement new ideas and want to make a difference in their community. Therefore, priority will be given to emerging Tanzanian CSOs who’s main sources of funding are not international donors.

The programme strongly encourages partnerships and coalitions of actors, including with more experienced organizations, non-Tanzanian organizations or local authorities. PISCCA also strongly encourages synergies and proposals presenting a capacity-building component for the holder of the project, for example through a mentoring partnership with a more experienced organization. These elements will be considered as strong assets during the selection process.

WHAT ARE THE PRIORITY AREAS?
PISCCA supports innovative short and medium-term projects that should fall under one or more of the following priority areas:
  • Mitigation of the negative impacts of climate change and environmental degradation
  • Support to most vulnerable groups
  • Capacity building for CSOs and networks


WHAT TYPES OF PROJECTS ARE SUPPORTED?
The selected project should:
  • Enhance the use of innovative methods and techniques or original development dynamics ;
  • Respond to a need already identified by the community, directly benefiting to it in an inclusive way and beyond the initial circle of the project holders;
  • Achieve tangible realizations or improvements that are sustainable when external funding comes to an end;
  • Anticipate the necessary running and maintenance costs.


Examples of projects that cannot be supported by PISCCA:
  • Prestige operations without well-defined economic or social objectives;
  • Projects limited to seminars/conferences or construction work;
  • One shot operations (scholarships, invitations, mission of experts, logistic support, etc.);
  • Annual or regular events/celebrations.


WHAT ARE THE FINANCING CONDITIONS?
To be eligible, the grant application has to strictly meet the following criteria:
The time-frame for the project should be comprised between 6 and 12 months. Short durations are considered an asset;

The contribution by PISCCA should be between 50 and 100 Million Tanzanian shillings (20 000 – 40 000 €) and should not exceed 90% of the project’s total costs;

The expected contribution of the applicant should be at least 10% of the total costs, for example in the form of financial contribution, allocation of dedicated human resources or equipment.
The maximum overhead rate is 7%.

In addition to the contributions provided by the applicant and the French Embassy, co-funding of the projects by other partners/donors is possible and strongly encouraged.

The grant will be disbursed in two installments: a first installment (50% of the total PISCCA contribution) will be disbursed when the contract between the French Embassy and the beneficiary is signed, and a second installment will be disbursed halfway through the project and after the submission of satisfactory midterm narrative and financial reports.

HOW TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL?
The PISCCA call for proposals for 2016 is open from Monday 18th April to Friday 20th May.
Before filling the application form, please download and carefully read the project proposal guidelines by clicking on the link below:


To submit a grant application, please download the application form by clicking on the link below and follow the instructions.


If you have question on the programme or the application process and did not find the answer in the guidelines, please send an email to:
piscca.dar-es-salam-amba@diplomatie.gouv.fr

NB: It is mandatory to read the guidelines before filling in the application form as it explains the requirements for a project to be considered. The proposals that do not strictly respect the different requirements and financing conditions will not be considered.

HOW WILL THE PROJECT SELECTION BE DONE?
The French Embassy’s Cooperation and Cultural Affairs unit is in charge of the first examination of the proposals and will check the following elements to ensure the pre-selected proposals meet all the requirements:

The proposal meets all the eligibility criteria;
The application form is complete and all the requested documents are provided (cf. application form and guidelines for the complete list);

The nature of the project is aligned with PISCCA’s main objectives and the proposal falls under at least one of the 3 priority areas of the call for proposals
The technical and financial implication of the applicant is described and all the financial conditions are met;

The budget of the project is realistic and the project is cost-effective.
Following this first pre-selection, the projects are submitted to a steering committee chaired by the French Ambassador to Tanzania and composed of representatives from the French Embassy, representatives from the civil society, as well as other key partners (EU, AFD).

After this process, the selection by the steering committee is made official through a written decision from the French Ambassador. The first installment of the grant is then disbursed upon signature of the contract between the beneficiary and the French Embassy.

The selected projects for the 2016 call for proposals are expected to start in June/July 2016.



SOURCE: FRENCH EMBASSY TO TANZANIA WEBSITE.

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