Human Rights and Democracy Fund Strategy and Call for Bids
The Programme Team at the British Embassy Mexico City is pleased to announce the call for submission of Project Proposals for the Human Rights and Democracy Fund 2015-2016.
The Human Rights and Democracy Programme
The Human Rights and Democracy Programme (HRDP) is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) dedicated fund supporting human rights and democracy work across the world. The Programme aims to make a difference to people’s lives, helping to build the capacity of governments and civil society to promote and protect human rights, supporting over 70 projects worldwide. It is a centralised budget which is managed in the United Kingdom and open to project proposals from civil society organizations globally.
The Human Rights Fund and Democracy Fund work is complementary to activities being undertaken by the FCO in other fields of relevance to human rights and democracy. Our partners, like DFID, the British Council and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, also have their own detailed strategies that address these topics.
Call for Bids – Mexico
The Human Rights and Democracy Fund is looking for projects which aim to have an impact on policy– or its delivery – in Mexico in the following thematic areas:
- Torture Prevention
- Enforced disappearances
- Democratic Processes
- Implementation of Mexico’s justice reform
- Freedom of Expression
- For Human Rights Defenders at risk
- For Journalists at risk
- Business & Human Rights
- Promoting Women’s Rights
N.B. Please note that Project Proposals that do not fall under one or more of these priorities will not be considered.
Projects preferably start in April 2015 and must be completed by end February 2016. We will fund projects up to a value of £200,000 GBP.
We welcome projects jointly funded with other donors as a way of increasing impact and enhancing co-ordination. All projects must demonstrate how they complement the efforts of other donors and bring added value. We strongly encourage projects that seek to secure future funding from other bodies (e.g. EU, UN) for follow-on work. We also strongly encourage projects in collaboration with the Mexican government or designed to deliver government priorities.
Projects must be submitted using the Project Concept Proposal Form via Mexico.HumanRights@fco.gov.uk, and include “HRD Fund Project Proposal” in the subject line.
The deadline for submitting project proposals is Friday December 12th at noon (local time).
Download the Project Concept Proposal Form Download the Guidance for Project Proposals
Eligibility / Selection Criteria
- Project proposals must encompass at least one or more of the individual thematic priorities listed above and clearly demonstrate this in the concept proposal form.
- Projects must deliver outputs and outcomes relevant to this Programme’s targets. Projects that clearly demonstrate how they will address the target areas will increase the likelihood that the project will be accepted.
- We are looking for practical interventions that will make a real and timely difference to decision-making. Proposals which focus entirely on research, analysis, seminars or workshops will not be accepted unless they lead to measurable actions and positive results. Infrastructure projects are not funded by the HRD Fund.
- Proposals should outline impact. We want to know the concrete changes that the project will deliver.
- Proposals should demonstrate that host governments have been consulted and are supportive, or if they have not, the project proposal should explain how the project has sufficient ‘buy-in’ from the necessary stakeholders to deliver the expected outcomes.
- Proposals should demonstrate that the project will produce sustainable outcomes.
Bids will also be assessed against the following criteria:
- Value for money
- Evidence of local demand/need
- Project viability, including the capacity of implementing organisation(s)
- Project design, including clear, achievable objectives/outputs
- Sustainability
- Good risk and stakeholder management
Projects should be realistic in the results which they aim to deliver and how these contribute to the long term achievement of the targets. Proposals must also be supported by a realistic budget. These are key requirements in evaluating the project proposal and the lack of a detailed budget was among the top reasons why projects were rejected in earlier years.
The Bidding Process
The bidding process is executed in three sequential stages:
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Concept bid (high level project proposal) DEADLINE: Friday December 12, 2014 The British Embassy in Mexico City will review and assess all concept proposals and shall contact those successful implementing organizations who will be invited to submit a Full Bid format.
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Full Bid (detailed proposal) DEADLINE: Friday January 16, 2015 Successful implementing organisations will then be required to complete and submit a detailed form, known as a ‘Full Bid proposal’, to the British Embassy in Mexico. At this stage, the Programme and Human Rights team at the British Embassy in Mexico City reserves the right to select only those project proposals which are aligned with the local strategy on Human Rights. The Programme and Human Rights team will also perform eligibility checks and discuss with the implementer, to ensure that all relevant information has been included.
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International Evaluation Board Following evaluation in the Embassy, full bid proposals will be submitted to the Human Rights and Democracy Programme Board, comprised of Human Rights experts at the FCO in London, for assessment. It is our aim to inform all successful and unsuccessful bidders by March 17, 2015.
Additional Points
- Projects which do not follow or comply with the above bidding guidance will be rejected.
- Projects are encouraged to begin April 2015 and must be completed by end February 2016.
- At all stages, implementers may be asked to submit additional information to the British Embassy in Mexico City to support the bid, especially between January and February, when the bids must be submitted to London.
Bidding Process Timetable
- End of November, 2014- Call for Bids and launch on British Embassy Mexico City website
- Friday December 12, 2014- Deadline to submit concept bids to the British Embassy Mexico City
- Wednesday December 17, 2014- British Embassy Mexico will inform successful bidders who should then begin the preparation of full concept bids
- Friday January 16, 2015- Deadline to submit full bids to British Embassy in Mexico City, who will then forward successful full bids to London
- Tuesday March 17, 2015- Notification to implementers announcing results of full bids bidding round and next steps.
- Wednesday April 1, 2015- Start date for projects 2015-2016
- Sunday February 28, 2016- End date for projects 2015-2016
Questions?
Queries related to the project concept proposals, the HRD Fund or other funding opportunities should be submitted to Mexico.HumanRights@fco.gov.uk with ‘HRD Fund Project Proposal’ in the subject line.
We strongly suggest you consult the Guidance for Project Proposals and the Frequently Asked Questions to clarify any doubts you might have.