Request for Applications

Public Policy and Accountability Grants (PPAG) Program

The East-West Management Institute (EWMI) Advancing CSO Capacities
and Engaging Society for Sustainability (ACCESS) project is pleased to
announce the Public Policy and Accountability Grants (PPAG) program.
Georgian civil society organizations (CSOs) or CSO coalitions whose
primary work is policy research or monitoring are invited to submit project
proposals. PPAGs will focus on increasing government accountability on
national level policy issues and will support: (1) think tanks to conduct
policy research, analysis, and advocacy, and (2) watchdog organizations
to monitor and report on existing policy implementation, or if necessary,
advocate for evidence-based changes in policies, legislation or
procedures.
PPAG applications that propose to conduct policy research should aim to
foster informed public debate and policy-making by conducting
comprehensive research and analysis on an important policy issue or
process. Policy research projects should offer concrete recommendations
to address the issue. Applicants should also propose a broad range of
sustained advocacy activities targeting key policy stakeholders and the
public to promote the projects findings and recommendations.
Applications that propose watchdog activities should provide a detailed
plan for effectively engaging key government stakeholders and the public,
including through citizens awareness-raising activities if needed, to
ensure project activities result in more effective policy implementation
and/or improved policies.
EWMI ACCESS highly encourages projects in which Tbilisi-based
organizations partner with their branch offices or other organizations in
the regions of Georgia in conducting major project activities. For example,
regional partners could assist in conducting research, advocacy, and/or
monitoring activities in their respective regions. Region-based
organizations might also help build broad-based support in the regions for
national policy recommendations by Tbilisi-based think tanks. Coalition
projects of this nature can help ensure better results and greater policy
influence by providing countrywide evidence.
FUNDING PRIORITIES
PPAGs under this RfA will support projects that propose to
address issues of Georgias European/Euro-Atlantic integration.
Projects could seek to, for example, monitor the Government of Georgias
progress on implementing specific aspects of the EU-Georgia Association
Agreement (AA), including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area

#5 Marjanishvili St., Third Floor Tbilisi 0102 Georgia Tel (995 0 32)
Civil Society
https://www.facebook.com/EWMI.ACCESS/

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(DCFTA), or NATO integration processes; research, identify, and advocate

for policy solutions to implementing particularly difficult aspects of the EU
AA; and/or raise public awareness and mobilize citizen support for reforms
that facilitate specific aspects of European/Euro-Atlantic integration. These
are illustrative activities intended as examples. Applicants are encouraged
to propose other ideas leading to more effective European/Euro-Atlantic
integration that fit with the requirements of the PPAG program. As
European/Euro-Atlantic integration covers a wide variety of issues (trade,
competition, security, good governance, minority rights, health,
sanitation, environment, agriculture, intellectual property, and many
others), applicants are encouraged to focus on a particularly important,
difficult, or overlooked aspect of the European/Euro-Atlantic integration
process. In addition to specific subject-matter issues, projects could also
address broad, overarching issues or processes that can contribute to
European/Euro-Atlantic integration.
ACCESS will prioritize projects that:
(1)involve partnerships between Tbilisi-based CSOs and regional
organizations in conducting research, advocacy, citizen mobilization,
and/or monitoring activities;
(2)include innovative uses of technology in project activities,
particularly in components dealing with problem illustration and
citizen engagement;
(3)include a well-thought-through plan to engage with policy- and
decision-makers
and
promote
project
findings
and
recommendations;
(4)include a plan to effectively communicate policy research results
and recommendations to the broadest relevant audiences.
ACCESS encourages applicants to propose projects that:
(1)apply well-established and/or credible rankings, scorecards, and
other policy research evaluation methodologies;
(2)apply thorough policy research and analysis methodologies, such as
social experiments, field studies, statistical methods, etc.;
(3)take into consideration government action plans and programs in
identifying priorities;
(4)reflect priority policy issues and/or concerns identified through
public opinion surveys and/or other credible means;
(5)build on a policy window of opportunity;
(6)propose to monitor implementation of government programs, action
plans, strategies or policy processes/procedures that directly or
indirectly enhance government performance on European/EuroAtlantic integration (e.g. EU Information and Communication
Strategy, AA Implementation Action Plan, DCFTA Implementation
Action Plan, Government Policy Planning Reform Strategy and
related processes etc.);
(7)research, evaluate and propose best practices and models for the
key government institutions involved in the European/Euro-Atlantic
integration process.
ACCESS will not fund applications that propose any of the following:
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Support for or lobbying on behalf of a particular political party;

Religious activities. However, EWMI ACCESS may support a religious
organization for non-religious aims if its proposal corresponds to PPAG
objectives;
Humanitarian activities;
Theoretical research; or
Individual and/or group travel as a primary project activity.

GRANT AWARDS
EWMI ACCESS will award a maximum of three grants of up to $50,000 USD
under this RfA. Grant funds may be used only for the activities directly
related to the implementation of the project, except for any proposed
institutional development activities (see Institutional Support section
below). The duration of project activities should not exceed 18 months.
EWMI ACCESS reserves the right to fund one or none of the applications
submitted.

ELIGIBILITY
Think tanks, watchdog CSOs, and CSO coalitions in Georgia are eligible to
submit proposals for the PPAG program. The applicant organization or
organizations must be legally registered in Georgia. Applicants should
meet the following criteria:
Have at least two years of operational experience. As a rule, EWMI
ACCESS will not provide start-up funding, although EWMI ACCESS
may make an exception if sufficient evidence is presented to show that
the organizations directors and experts have adequate prior
experience and the organization is filling a niche that has been
underserved in the past.
Have a governance structure that ensures proper rotation of leadership
and delegation of power, including at least a Board of Directors, a
Chairperson, and an Executive Director. The same individual should not
hold the position of the Board Chairperson and the Executive Director,
unless the size of the organization precludes this separation. If the
above criteria are not met, the applicant must submit a proposed
reform process that will work towards meeting these standards.
Have a transparent system of bookkeeping that is in compliance with
Georgian legislation and International Accounting Standards (IAS). If
such a system is not in place, the grantee must work closely with EWMI
ACCESS to ensure that accurate expense reports are prepared and a
transparent bookkeeping system is put in place.
Must not be a debtor, must have cancelled any debt to the state, or
have arranged for debt collection prior to receiving the first
disbursement of EWMI ACCESS grant funds.
Must operate as an independent, non-politically affiliated organization.
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Civil servants, political appointees, members of the current parliament,

staff of public broadcasting companies, and/or leaders of political parties
cannot participate in a grant project as a director. In most cases, these
individuals are also excluded from being grant-remunerated participants
in projects.
EWMI ACCESS gives preference to organizations with a strong record in
policy research, analysis, and/or monitoring; high institutional capacity;
and in-house expertise relevant to the proposed project.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
EWMI ACCESS will offer PPAG grantees the opportunity to benefit from
technical assistance on topics including research methodology,
collaborative advocacy techniques, communicating policy research to
decision makers and the public, and project-based topics as identified by
the grantee.
Peer Review
All PPAG projects will undergo a peer review process facilitated by EWMI
ACCESS. Policy research projects will have their research methodology
reviewed before the research begins, and all PPAG grantees will have their
draft final reports reviewed before the final versions are produced.
ACCESS will rely on its network of Georgian and foreign policy experts in
conducting peer review. In conjunction with this requirement, applicants
may propose to conduct their own internal and external peer review
processes as part of the grant. The project timeline should reflect the
additional time needed for peer review.

Training
PPAG grantees will be eligible to apply for a Non-profit Leadership Program
(NLP) conducted by ACCESS implementing partner the Centre for Training
and Consultancy (CTC), which will receive new applications in September
2016.
Mentoring
EWMI ACCESS will also offer local and international mentors for PPAG
grantees in areas of need. ACCESS and PPAG grantees will work together
to identify potential mentors as needed shortly following the grant award.
Mentors will provide on-site consultations and/or long-distance advice and
information on a variety of organizational or project-based issues.
Organizational Capacity Development
PPAG grantees have the option to participate in a technical assistance
program by CTC that includes the Organizational and Advocacy Capacity
Assessment (OACA) of the grantees strengths and weaknesses, and the
subsequent development of the Capacity Development Plan (CDP),
followed by the targeted trainings for the grantee.

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Institutional Support
PPAG applicants can include institutional development activities as part of
their proposals. The purpose of this optional support is to enable
organizations to implement self-initiated organizational strengthening
initiatives that will contribute to their effectiveness and sustainability.
PPAG applicants can allot up to $5,000 of the total grant amount to
implement measurable organizational development activities. Examples of
such activities include, but are not limited to: purchasing computer
software to assist in accounting or management; local or long-distance
professional development training courses for staff; conducting an audit;
developing a strategic plan through participatory processes; preparing a
fundraising plan; and developing and implementing specific policies and
procedures that improve organizational management and/or financial
sustainability. Applicants should detail any institutional support activities
in their applications and budgets. ACCESS will require all PPAG grantees
requesting funding for this purpose to provide specific deliverables (e.g.,
records to prove the policies and descriptions of the procedures have been
developed and implemented).
APPLICATION SUBMISSION PROCEDURES
PPAG applications must be submitted in English. Applications can be
mailed, e-mailed, or hand-delivered to the EWMI ACCESS office in Tbilisi.
Faxed applications will not be accepted.
Applicants must submit the following documents:
1. A copy of the proposal, proposal cover page, and budget, based on
the PPAG Application Form;
2. A copy of the organizations most recent Public Registry Record
printed out from www.reestri.gov.ge;
3. A copy of the organizations most recent Act of Comparison printed
out from www.rs.ge;
4. A copy of the organizations Annual Report, both financial and
technical (if available);
5. A letter of support from relevant public institution(s) or media if the
applicant plans to work with public officials or media staff.
Before making the final decision, EWMI ACCESS may request additional
documentation such as:
An auditors report;
Financial Statements (balance sheet showing profit and loss and
cash flow);
Organizational policies.
Proposals must be the original and sole work of the applicant organization.
Plagiarism will result in disqualification from the grant competition.
EWMI ACCESS will retain all materials and documents submitted by
applicants. EWMI ACCESS will not use this information for purposes other
than proposal review and will not share it with other persons or
institutions, except when required by Georgian law or requested by USAID.
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Please note that in order to avoid a duplication of efforts, ACCESS will

share a list of received applications with other donors supporting CSOs in
Georgia.
EVALUATION PROCESS AND CRITERIA
A Grants Review Committee (GRC) established by ACCESS will review all
proposals and select awardees. The GRC will be composed of ACCESS staff
and independent experts. Short-listed applicants may be asked to provide
additional information.
EWMI ACCESS will assess proposals based on the following main criteria:

Technical approach, including:

o Compliance with PPAG program objectives and criteria;
o Relevance of the proposed project to particularly important,
difficult, and/or overlooked European/Euro-Atlantic integration
issue;
o Overall effectiveness of the proposed strategies, objectives
and activities in addressing the problem/issue;
o Relevance
and
robustness
of
the
proposed
research/monitoring design and methodology;
o Use of comprehensive and extensive public advocacy and
outreach campaign to engage citizens;
o Use of effective communication plan to engage with decisionmakers;
o Reliability of quantitative and qualitative indicators for
measuring and evaluating the projects impact;
o Innovation and technology used in the proposed approach;

o Level of consideration of issues related to women, girls, youth,

ethnic and religious minorities, the LGBT community, or other
marginalized groups in the proposed analysis and activities
(for example, a project might propose to include an analysis of
how the policy issue particularly affects these groups), as well
as inclusion of these groups in project implementation as
relevant.
Organizational capacity and management, including:
o Adequacy of the proposed project implementation team;
o Applicants past performance in similar projects as applicable.
Budget proposal, including:
o Cost-effectiveness of the proposed budget;
o Proposed co-funding, especially from local business, other
donors, and/or government, as well as media and other
partner organizations and/or volunteers.

Applicants should respond to all of the requirements of the grant

application form. Organizations must clearly demonstrate their experience
and expertise with the policy issue and with research, advocacy, and/or
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monitoring, as relevant. EWMI ACCESS also expects applicants to propose

concrete steps for publicizing their research or monitoring results and
galvanizing support for the proposed solutions. All projects must include at
least one public discussion with key stakeholders on the projects policy
topic.
TIMELINE
RfA launch date
Deadline for submitting clarification requests to
ACCESS
Date when ACCESS will issue clarifications
DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSALS

November 24, 2015

December 7, 2015

December 14, 2015

16:30, December
25, 2015
Evaluation of proposals
January 22, 2016
Grant award notification to successful applicants
January 27, 2016
Grant agreement signing
February 15, 2016
Please note that evaluation and award dates are subject to change

CONTACT INFORMATION
Application Form: To download the application form, please see the
PPAG announcement on www.jobs.ge. Alternatively, please contact Nodar
Tangiashvili
(ntangiashvili@ewmi.org), ACCESS Public Policy and
Accountability Advisor, for an application form.
Clarifications: Requests for clarification should be sent to Nodar
Tangiashvili at ntangiashvili@ewmi.org by the deadline listed above.
EWMI ACCESS will issue clarifications to all interested organizations via email.
Proposals: Applicants should submit their proposal and required
documents via e-mail to Temo Danelia, EWMI ACCESS Grants and Finance
Manager, at grants@ewmi.org. E-mails must have PPAG PROGRAM in
the subject line. Alternatively, EWMI ACCESS will also accept applications
submitted in a sealed envelope to: PPAG Program, Advancing CSO
Capacities and Engaging Society for Sustainability (ACCESS)
Project, 5 Marjanishvili St., 3rd floor, Tbilisi, Georgia.

Advancing CSO Capacities and Engaging Society for Sustainability (ACCESS) is funded by

the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by
Civic Responsibility
East-West Management Institute (EWMI). USAID administers U.S. foreign assistance
programs providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries
worldwide.

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