Preparing the proposal: some practical help

"Thank you for the quick announcement and your appreciation of our work on the proposal. I am convinced the proposal would not have been successful if it were not for your valuable work and comments. We are very much looking forward to working with you and the EECONET Action Fund on the project". Katarina Rajcova, For Nature , Trencin, Slovakia.

There is no formally established procedure for contacting the EAF Secretariat and starting the application process. Some organisations send a complete application form without any previous contact and others work together with the Secretariat throughout the whole process. EAF is a flexible funding body and both ways are therefore valid. Guiding the applicants however, is one of the most important functions of the EAF Secretariat. This is done in order to avoid applicant organisations investing a lot of time in the preparation of a project that does not qualify for EAF support. Moreover, it is a way to ensure that the EAF Board gets all the information they need in order to take a decision.

A real example

The best way to explain the application process is through a real example and the project entitled "For Nature" in Tematinski Hills, Slovakia is a good example. The application process in this case followed the "ideal" route and ended with the support of the EAF Board. The project is, at this moment, being implemented.

The first contact with the NGO "For Nature" was an e-mail asking for general information about the EECONET Action Fund. It was a few weeks after receiving and information package that the Secretariat got another message with very specific questions. This is one of the most important steps in the application process, to make sure from the very beginning that the project idea you have in mind qualifies for funding according to the EAF Guidelines. The questions may seem very simple but they are important to guide the proposal in the right direction. In this specific case, questions regarded the budgetary and temporal limits of EAF projects, the kind of equipment that could be purchased, the kind of actions that EAF would support and the number of organisations and sites that can be involved in one project. The NGO "For Nature' mentioned alternative approaches for the project from which the Secretariat could provide guidance.

Once these questions were answered, the organisation started working on the proposal. At this stage again, many practical question can arise and the best way to proceed is to contact the Secretariat. Details such as the validity of electronic applications, the possibility of modifying some details of a project proposal after formal submission etc. can facilitate the work of submitting a proposal. This kind of contact further creates a working relationship between the applicant and the Secretariat which is a very good basis for the implementation stage provided that the proposal would be supported. It also gives the Secretariat some knowledge of the way the applicant organisation works and a good understanding of the objectives and activities that the project aims to undertake. The organisation was then able to take all the time they needed for submitting their full proposal since the EAF has no specific deadlines for submission.

The process inside the secretariat

Once the proposal arrived at the Secretariat, the first task is to make sure that all the information needed is included. The fact that the application has already been submitted doesn't impede modifications. The For Nature proposal, for instance, was not giving enough budgetary information and the price of an area to be leased was not clear. The Secretariat informed the NGO about the situation and it was only one week later that EAF had satisfactory answers to the questions.

Once the whole information was gathered the EAF Secretariat draws up a recommendation for the EAF Board. Even though the Secretariat does not give priority to a particular means of application, it usually has a deeper relation of trust and a better understanding of the proposals elaborated following the above mentioned process. In the case of the organisation For nature, the EAF Secretariat could inform the Board not only that the objectives and activities of the project proposal fulfilled all EAF requirements but also that the organisation was well organised, could communicate efficiently and timely and gave a very professional impression. The EAF Board, after examining all materials, agreed with the EAF Secretariat and the project was funded.

Following this process, gives the project a distinct advantage during implementation because both organisations have already some experience working together. It is then much easier to deal with all contractual discussions, agree on a project plan and all the preparatory activities before the project begins the implementation phase. The Temantiski Hills project is now successfully running, and EAF Secretariat is pleased to see that the impression received from the organisation during the application process was correct.

Therefore, the EAF Secretariat urges any potential project applicant to simply contact us with any questions and ideas so we can seek together about the ways of co-operation which will lead towards the establishment of the Pan European Ecological Network.