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Notes on Submitting Proposals
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- Essential Criteria for Projects
SSACI's primary objective is to alleviate poverty by providing disadvantaged young South Africans (aged 16-35) with the knowledge and skills they require in order to earn a living. Projects which seek funding from SSACI must serve that objective. Specifically, they must:
- Serve out-of-school youths
- Have a workable plan of action for producing measurable results in terms of employment opportunities created
- Incorporate a strong technical or vocational training component
- Provide comprehensive post-training support to trainees that will help them set up their own micro-enterprises or find employment in existing businesses
- Be cost-effective, with an efficient management structure, low overhead costs, high levels of technical expertise and an effective means of service delivery
- Have the potential to be replicated
- Bring equal benefits to men and women
- Operate in one or more of the geographical areas upon which SSACI is presently concentrating, namely Limpopo Province, North West Province, Mpumalanga, Freestate Province, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape.
Each project may receive a grant of up to R800 000 per year for a maximum of three years.
- Exclusions
2.1. SSACI operates only within the borders of the Republic of South Africa. Proposals from other countries, or for projects that will be implemented in other countries, cannot be considered.
2.2. SSACI channels funds to projects only through non-profit, public-benefit organisations that have 18A tax-exemption status. SSACI does not fund projects or programmes initiated or managed by government departments, though they may be partners in the implementation of SSACI-funded projects.
2.3. Commercial companies may be contracted at market-related rates to provide goods or services to SSACI-funded projects, but they may not themselves be the project-holders or principal beneficiaries.
2.4. SSACI funds projects, not organisations as such. Proposed budgets may include the costs of all goods and services procured from commercial or non-profit providers for the implementation of the project, including a management fee not exceeding 12% of the total services budget (i.e. excluding capital expenditure). SSACI will not, however, cover organisational running costs that were not incurred in implementing the project.
- The Content and Organisation of Proposals
Proposals should be written under the following headings and should contain at least enough information to answer these questions:
3.1. Objectives
What exactly does this project aim to achieve? How many young people are likely to benefit from it? (Be specific about the intended final outcomes of the project, e.g. "To train fifty youths from Soweto in the skills of basic carpentry and joinery over a period of eight months and then, within another four months, to establish at least fifteen of them in their own micro-enterprises and place at least another fifteen in jobs within existing companies".)
3.2. Organisational Information
Provide some background information on your organisation and any other organisation that will be involved in the project. How is your organisation constituted and structured? How does it operate? How long has it existed? Who are its members or trustees? Who are the executive managers? Who funds the organisation? How is it connected to the community it serves? What has it achieved to date?
3.3. Action Plan
How will the objectives and desired outputs be achieved? When will the project start and end? What are the important milestones along the way and when will they be reached? What factors may hinder the attainment of the objectives? What assumptions have to be made about the environment within which the project will be implemented and what are the implications of unforeseen changes in that environment? How will the project's outcomes be sustained in the longer term?
3.4. Partners and People Involved
Who will participate in the project (i.e. names of all organisations involved and people within them who will be responsible for implementing the project)? Who will be responsible for what? What experience do they have that is relevant to this project? Who will be the beneficiaries? Who else besides SSACI will sponsor the project?
3.5. Co-ordination and Reporting
How and by whom will progress be monitored? What will be considered indicators of success? Who will write progress reports and how often?
3.6. Budget and Financial Controls
What is the total amount being requested from SSACI? What are the main line-items and costs? Who within your organisation will manage the project's day-to-day finances? What financial controls exist within your organisation? Who audits your accounts and how often? Does anyone in, or connected with, your organisation receive a percentage of donations received by the organisation?
N.B. It is an express condition of any SSACI grant that no percentage or commission may be paid out of it, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to any third party.
- The Format
4.1. The length of your proposal should not exceed eight A4 pages, excluding supporting documents.
4.2. All proposals should be submitted electronically, either by e-mail or on stiffy disk, in MS-Word format. Financial documents attached to the main proposal may be in MS-Excel format.
4.3. Supporting documents may be submitted on paper, by fax, hand delivery or through the post.
- Supporting Documents
Your proposal should be supported by the following documents (which should be sent in hard copy as soon as possible after your e-mailed submission) :
- A copy of your organisation's founding document (e.g. a constitution, Articles of Association or Deed of Trust)
- A certified copy of your organisation's certificate of registration by the Department of Social Development as a Non Profit Organisation (NPO Certificate)
- A certified copy of the letter from SARS (South African Revenue Services) granting 18A tax status to your organisation
- Your most recent annual report (if your organisation has existed for more than a year)
- An audited financial statement for the previous year
- Any external evaluations which have been made of the work of your organisation
- The Submission
Your proposal may be submitted to us :
- by e-mail at info@ssaci.org.za
- or on stiffy disk posted to:
The Chief Executive Officer
Swiss South African Co-operation Initiative
PostNet Suite 267
Private Bag X30500
Houghton
2041
- or hand delivered to:
The Chief Executive Officer
Swiss South African Co-operation Initiative
First Floor, Harrow Court 1
Isle of Houghton Office Park
11 Boundary Road
Houghton, 2198
- You can also contact us :
By phone : +27 11-642-2110
By fax : +27 11-642-4206
- The Process After Submission
7.1. Immediately upon receipt of your proposal by SSACI we will send you a written acknowledgment. Shortly thereafter - usually within two weeks - we will send a further response informing you whether or not the proposed project falls within our current scope of interest. If it does, someone from SSACI will arrange to meet with you to discuss it in more detail. We may suggest modifications to the project that would make it more compatible with SSACI's funding criteria, but you are not bound by these: the proposal must reflect what your organisation believes it can do best. Please note that an initial expression of interest does not in any way commit SSACI to a decision to fund your project or to provide any other form of support.
7.2. Once agreement has been reached on a final proposal, SSACI's manager will present it to the Board of Trustees for a decision at their next quarterly meeting. Please note that the trustees are not bound to accept proposals recommended by the manager. In all matters of policy and funding only decisions of the Board of Trustees are binding upon SSACI.
7.3. Shortly after the trustees' meeting - usually within ten days - you will be informed in writing of their decision regarding your proposal. During this period, enquiries about the status of your proposal will not be answered. If your proposal is unsuccessful, a specific reason will be given. Unless the letter from SSACI indicates otherwise, you may not submit another proposal within six months and no further correspondence on the trustees' decision will be entered into.
7.4. If your proposal is successful, a formal Memorandum of Agreement between your organisation and SSACI will be drawn up, usually within ten days of the trustees' meeting. This agreement will specify how and when funds will be made available, along with procedures for reporting on the progress of the project. The first tranche of the grant will be deposited into your organisation's account on signature of the Memorandum.
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