the Peacebuilding Fund announced a call for concept notes for two
special initiatives: a new Youth Promotion Initiative and its third
Gender Promotion Initiative.
The two calls marked the first time that the PBF opened its funding
directly to NGOs. Eligibility criteria outlined in the calls specified
that NGOs must be registered and have an office within the country where
the proposed interventions would be implemented.
While the Fund’s intention was to encourage proposals from NGOs that
would have the capacity to begin implementation immediately upon the
receipt of funds, subsequent messages to the Fund from NGOs themselves
have indicated that this requirement may be too restrictive, since NGOs
may have a range of well-founded strategic reasons for not establishing a
full office in a given country.
In recognition and support of our NGO partners’ strategic choices,
the Fund will relax this criterion within the calls and accept proposals
from NGOs that are not officially registered or do not have an office
in the country of proposed intervention.
On 26 May, the Peacebuilding Support Office has updated the calls for
concept notes that reflect this change. NGOs are still strongly
encouraged, however, to clearly demonstrate their capacity on the ground
and how they will work in partnership with local NGOs and CSOs to
jointly achieve the aims of their proposed interventions.
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