Democracy Commission Small Grants Program
Purpose of the Program
The purpose of the Democracy Commission Small Grants Program is to award grants for specific projects that support democracy and the development of democratic institutions in Montenegro. Grants will be primarily awarded to non-governmental (NGOs) and other non-profit organizations. The maximum amount of a grant is $24,000, but smaller grants are preferred in order to support more projects. To be eligible for consideration, every applicant must be registered in the territory of Montenegro and engaged in, or propose to carry out, a project whose purpose is to further the development of democratic institutions in Montenegro, especially in local municipalities. The Democracy Commission is interested in projects relating to:
- Montenegro's integration into European-Atlantic institutions
- rule of law reforms, including criminal justice system, anti-corruption, transparency in government
- civic education, youth development, inter-ethnic relations, rights of people with special needs
- environment and sustainable economic development
- promotion of free and responsible media
Guidelines for Application
- The maximum grant amount is $24,000.
- The maximum grant period is one year.
- Project proposals should be completed in English. Supporting documents may be in Montenegrin.
- Project proposals should include all of the information requested in the Application Form. Proposals will not be considered until all information is received.
- Amounts in the project budget have to be in U.S. dollars and should include local taxes.
- Project budget should not include any expenses incurred outside of the territory of Montenegro, such as international transportation, purchase of goods or payment of services in other countries, etc.
- 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:
- those submitted by non-Montenegrin organizations and individuals;
- those relating to partisan political activity;
- conferences and individual trips abroad;
- charitable activity and humanitarian aid;
- fund-raising campaigns;
- commercial projects;
- arts and culture projects;
- scientific research;
- individuals not affiliated with an organization that can provide long-term sustainability to the project;
- those that duplicate existing projects.
Evaluation Criteria
The U.S. Embassy has established the Democracy Commission, which reviews and evaluates proposals. The Embassy will also be in touch with other donor institutions and countries that provide financial support for the projects promoting democratic institutions.
Project proposals are evaluated according to the topic of the project, clearly formulated goals and target groups, project sustainability and the ability of the applying organization to carry out the project aims.
Project proposals that meet the basic criteria outlined above will be considered at meetings of the Democracy Commission. If your proposal meets the criteria of the Democracy Commission and is under consideration, you may be invited for an interview or asked to submit additional information.
The deadline for receiving completed application forms by regular mail or by hand is December 30, 2008. The final results are expected by the end of February 2009.
How to Apply
Please access the Application Guidelines and Application Form in Adobe PDF format:
The links above are PDF files, which can be downloaded using Adobe Reader. If you do not have Adobe Reader, download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from here. Completed applications and required documents are then sent to the following address:
Democracy Commission
Public Affairs Section
United States Embassy
Ljubljanska B.B.
81000 Podgorica
Grant Awards and Reporting Requirements
Grant awards exceeding $3,000 will be made in two or more installments in bank transfers in Euros. The first installment will be transferred to the Euro bank account of the grantee organization prior to the beginning of the project. The applicant must provide receipts and an interim report about the use of the first installment of funds before additional funds will be released. If no interim report is provided, no additional funds will be released.
Upon completion of the project, all grantee organizations must complete a formal report, which consists of remaining receipts, a narrative and a financial report, and submit it to the Democracy Commission. Form for narrative report and guidelines for financial report can be obtained from the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy.