EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES PODGORICA, MONTENEGRO

Competition for 2013 is open

Purpose of the Program

The United States Embassy in Podgorica supports specific projects and initiatives that facilitate the development of democracy and democratic institutions in Montenegro through grant awards of up to $24,000, although most awards are smaller.  Grants are awarded to local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), media, or other organizations that have displayed organizational skill and trustworthiness.  Proposals will be evaluated according to the ability of the applying organization to carry out a project with clearly formulated goals, that reaches the intended audience or beneficiaries and which has the potential for positive impact in the subject areas listed below in paragraph 2. Preference will also be given to applicants that have received little or no support from the U.S. Government or other international donors in the past, but have capacity to implement the proposed activity.

In 2013, the Commission is interested in projects that focus on 1) Empowerment of the disabled and disadvantaged; 2) Empowerment of youth and women in economics and politics; and 3) Bolstering the rule of law. These themes include projects which, for example, promote the rights of disabled persons, refugees, LGBT population, domestic violence victims and which engage women and youth to be more involved in politics and in their economic futures. In addition, these themes encompass programs focused on addressing and combating corruption and organized crime, supporting human and minority rights, promoting responsible journalism practices regarding rule of law reporting, supporting the rights of marginalized or disabled communities, protecting the work of whistleblowers, educating youth and academic institutions about transparency and fairness in grading, etc.

How to Apply?

Qualified organizations may apply to the Democracy Commission no later than February 22, 2013 at 17:00 local time.  Please submit completed application and all supporting documentation to brajovicv@state.gov. Upon submission of an application you will receive a confirmation. Please note that all organizations are encouraged to use the suggested Democracy Commission application form to submit their project proposals in English.  Applications that do not meet minimum standards set forth in application guidelines will not be considered. 

Guidelines for Application

• The maximum grant period is one year.
• Project proposals should be completed in English.
• Project proposals should include all of the information requested in the Application Form.
• Amounts in the project budget have to be in U.S. dollars and should include local taxes. Important note: Costs incurred before the grant period start date will not be reimbursed.
• Project budgets should only include expenses incurred only on the territory of Montenegro.
• Fees for staff engaged in the project implementation on a regular basis (project manager, project assistant, accountant, etc.) should not exceed 25% of the total project budget.
• The project budget should include bank charges.
• Grants are made on a one-time basis. A successful applicant may re-apply for a second grant, but the second proposal must be for a distinctly different project from the first project funded by the Democracy Commission.

Projects not funded by the U.S. Embassy Democracy Commission include:

1. Those submitted by non-Montenegrin organizations and individuals;
2. Those relating to partisan political activity;
3. Conferences and individual trips abroad;
4. Charitable activity and humanitarian aid;
5. Fund-raising campaigns;
6. Commercial projects;
7. Scientific research;
8. Individuals not affiliated with an organization that can provide long-term sustainability to the project;
9. Those that duplicate existing projects.

Evaluation Criteria

The U.S. Embassy has established the Democracy Small Grant Commission, which reviews and evaluates proposals. The Embassy is also in touch with other donor institutions and countries that provide financial support for the projects promoting civic participation.

The deadline for receiving completed electronic application forms is February 22, 2013, at 17:00 local time. Applicants are requested to send in only the electronic application.
The Democracy Commission will use the following general criteria to evaluate all submitted grant proposals:

• The project proposal demonstrates that the organization has sufficient expertise, skills and human resources to implement the project;
• The organization demonstrates that it has a clear understanding of the underlying issue proposed to be addressed through the activity and is able to articulate it without using excessive generalizations;
• The organization has identified appropriate beneficiaries or target groups in a way that maximizes project outputs and outcomes and the project has a clear focus , manageable scope and can yield tangible results ;
• The project idea and approach is innovative yet the proposed project activities are concrete and detailed and supported by a reasonable work plan;
• The project’s budget is well organized, detailed and reasonable.  There are no budget lines labeled miscellaneous expenses.  Entertainment and alcoholic beverage expenses are not included in the budget.  The budget demonstrates that the organization has devoted time to plan for and assess actual expenses associated with the project instead of providing rough estimates;
• The organization has clearly articulated how it will assess and measure its own performance throughout the project implementation phase using concrete quantitative and qualitative assessment tools;
• The project proposal describes clearly the approach that will be used to ensure maximum sustainability of the project’s results after its completion.

Incomplete, extremely lengthy, and unclear applications will not be taken into consideration. 

How to Apply

Application Guidelines in Adobe PDF and Application Form in Word format:

• Application Guidelines (PDF file, 56 KB)

• Application Form (World File, 48 KB)

Democracy Commission
Public Affairs Section
United States Embassy
Džona Džeksona 2
81000 Podgorica