Bâle

0:01

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Maybe just another question from here. What is the percentage of administration fees within a project you're able to cover? I think we covered this question. Let's go back to Juryan. You have a question.

0:16

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Yeah, actually, thank you for this. There are so many questions in the Q&A that I wonder if you would follow up on all those. But my question one is answered already. It was about the double financing between Swiss laws and your project grants. That is answered. My other question still stands. That is, how do you see your role compared to the SDC stepping out of support of Global South cultural?

0:47

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

projects is there a chance that these grants you are talking about now could be also supported when they come from the cultural background when they come from a what background i didn't understand the last part of christian if it comes from culture because stc stepped out of the support there was a huge outcry from different partners organizations uh and as we are also not anymore

1:19

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

getting support from SDC, I was wondering if this cantonal fund could replace that, or at least partially. Okay, so in general, and this is more of a political answer, the canton does not fill any financing gaps at the national level.

1:40

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Obviously, when you look at the reality, we are probably filling some gaps somewhere, but it's not our job. And also, we cannot fully fill these financing gaps. When it comes to culture, I'm not sure if you've already had a look at the website, but one of our funding focuses...

2:00

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

for the next four years will be culture as a lever for poverty reduction. This strategic focus is specifically for, we call them targeted project funds, which will start as of next year. So as of next year, we will do call for proposals for either one or two of these thematic priorities. So culture as a lever for poverty reduction being one of them. The other two are health.

2:28

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

and climate resilience so in that in the frame of that call obviously you can apply with a project that is centered around cultural initiatives and here for me it's important to mention that we do not promote culture

2:47

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

So the project proposal actually has to make a meaningful and clear contribution to poverty reduction with the means of cultural initiatives. We do see the potential of cultural initiatives as being very innovative or that can be used in contexts that are politically difficult, where structures are very...

3:11

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

are non-existent or it's difficult for people to speak their minds so we do see that potential and that's also why we chose the strategic focus for one of our funding tools all right next question we have received funding for one of our projects in 2025 we will will we still be able to apply for fund funding in 2026 for a different project for instance yes you will

3:45

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

I mean, the funding that we did last year was a one-year focus. Even if your project that got approved last year runs into 2026, we do not see this as a, how to say, so the answer is yes, you can. All right. Rahel.

4:13

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Yes, thank you very much. Thanks for all the information. I'm sorry, I have to go back to these multi-year projects. I'm still not quite clear about the budget. So you're saying in 26, we can apply for 50,000. Now, if I hand in a three-year budget, can I apply for 150,000? Is it 50,000 a year or is it 50,000 divided by three years?

4:40

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

okay maybe let me go show you the website or the online form and i hope that um i can clarify your questions by showing you our website and online form

5:00

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Can you see the website? Yes. OK, so I'm on the website now and I'm going to enter the online forum.

5:23

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Unfortunately, the form is only in German. We will professionalize also digitally this year. We will change to a new software that will hopefully make the whole application process easier for you and us. So if you see the form, we actually ask for the overall project budget for the whole project. So including those three years that you mentioned.

5:52

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

the whole amount you want from us for those three years. So you are actually applying for that whole amount. So in your case, example, I think it was 150,000. We want to know when does the project start? So the whole project, not just the phase and the end of the project in, let's say, three years. But then we also need to know the project phases. So the years, what is the budget for the first year?

6:21

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

And what is the amount you need from us in that first year? And the second phase, third phase, fourth phase. The maximum you can apply for is four years. I hope that this is more clear now. Looking at the faces, do you see nodding, Julia? Good. All right, let's go back to the questions.

6:48

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Good morning. What are the preferred languages for proposal submission? Also, is co-funding required or co-founding? I imagine you meant co-funding, required or encouraged. So yes, definitely co-funding. We ask for at least 50% in general.

7:05

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

What language do you prefer? It is possible to submit in German, French and English. I think this is a very personal question. For me personally, I prefer English or German. My French is okay, but not that great. But we also have a lot of people in the commission that speak very good French. No one raising the hand. So let's go back to the written questions.

7:31

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

How do you allocate your budget across the years in terms of volume and other criteria as well? Does it make a difference for an organization in terms of success chances to apply by April or September?

7:44

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

So we allocate the budget across the year. So it has to be calendar years. I know that some projects run from June to June and then again from June to June. But for our administration, that would be very difficult to administer. So we would please ask you to divide your project phases in calendar years. And then how much you ask for each year is really up to you because it depends on the funding situation, etc.

8:16

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

and for the the co-funding we look at the whole project not each phase um does it make a difference for an organization in terms of success chance to apply by april or september no it doesn't uh will projects that have already started but are not fully funded yet be considered for grants yes

8:39

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

So it is possible to apply for funding for a project that has already started. The funding, however, has to start in the current or the next year. So if you apply for funding now in 2026, the funding can start in 2026 or 2027. Not in 2025 or in 2028.

9:09

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

If maximum 50% of a proposed project budget is considered, does the NGO have to indicate in detail names and amounts of the other donor agents and foundations? Here, we do ask for some transparency. So just writing third-party funding is not very transparent in our understanding. So we would like you to detail...

9:35

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

at least what type of funding partner you have in some cases it can also actually be beneficial because if we see that for example sdc although it is not a single quality criteria as in okay if they're sdc finance then we will also finance them but it definitely helps to show that other established organizations are already supporting your project

10:04

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

the next question okay there's kula foundation you have a question yes thank you so much my name is niclin from kula foundation and we have projects in south africa and malawi they are ongoing projects they've been existing for several years and my question is for example the malawi project

10:30

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

The focus is on health care and community assistance and early childhood development. So could we then submit a proposal, for example, on early childhood development, where we would like to extend the program to cater for more children and assistance to more children, also taking the poverty reduction into account?

10:55

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

over a period of three or four years, would something like that be considerate? I mean, in general, early childhood development, et cetera, these are typically projects that we fund. But I cannot say, yes, we would fund that or not, because I would have to see the proposal, to be honest, to give you a very concrete answer regarding that.

11:19

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

But in general, these types of thematic focuses are within the scope of the funding purpose. Thank you. So it is possible to then submit a proposal for something that has started, but we would like to expand that. Yes, I get your question now. Yes, it is.

11:43

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Thank you. And may I also ask regarding the log frame, is that required for all project proposals or is there, you know, for example, if the budget is below, say, 50,000 Swiss francs, for example, like that, do you need to do a log frame irrelevant of how much the budget?

12:09

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

would be for? Or do you require a lot of rights for all projects, big or small? No, we don't. As I mentioned earlier, for a small organization or smaller projects, we ask much less in terms of methodology. So our threshold, let's say, is 100,000. So if the project budget, not our grant, but the overall project budget.

12:37

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

is below 100 000 swiss francs you do not need to provide the actual log frame but we do still need to know what your outcomes are you have to be able to describe the impact logic in the proposal but you don't need to provide the log frame right thank you so much that's very you're welcome thanks

12:58

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

A follow-up question regarding your private sector partners. Do you have exclusion criteria? For example, certain companies that couldn't be part of a support project, even if no funds go to the company. So we do do a due diligence assessment while we look at the proposals. And if we see red flags.

13:18

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

then we will contact you. But in general, we don't exclude certain companies. We also don't have a blacklist yet. Maybe we will start doing a blacklist. But we do look at not just the applying organizations, but also the partner organizations. Franca, another question?

13:41

S… Speaker 3 (Bâle)

Yes, and so I have two questions. One is something you have said, but I might have missed it. I'm sorry. So about the percentage of the budget that can go for admin. You said you've already answered that, but I missed it. Could you please maybe highlight once more? And then the second question I have is, can a partner, like a local partner, be involved in more than one project for the same grant?

14:07

S… Speaker 3 (Bâle)

simultaneously or at the same time or do you guys check that or is that forbidden you know i don't quite get the second question can we have a university in cameroon that is already partnering and with a swiss organization for this basal development grant and then another they want to against partner with another swiss organization for the same grant for not for the same um basal development grant is that allowed or not

14:37

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

I think so. Did you understand the question, Lucy? I think that what is important is that the organization that is submitting the proposal can only submit one proposal. But the local organization, there's no such exclusion regarding the local organization. So there is definitely...

15:00

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

would still be eligible so regarding the partner organizations if they're involved in several projects with different swiss partners that is not an exclusion criteria but it will be noted let's put it that way i mean it's actually quite unusual but

15:18

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

it has all happened that organizations swiss-based organizations have submitted unrelated to each other have submitted for instance applications for health projects in the same region in a particular country and that is something we just take into account that not all funds go into the same region for similar purposes but it's certainly not an exclusion criteria and it is not necessarily something that you would know either right

15:48

S… Speaker 3 (Bâle)

Yeah, because sometimes some local organizations, they have different departments. So there is health, there's agriculture. So this department may be involved in another Swiss organization. And then another department within the same organization is collaborating with another Swiss organization. So that's why I'm asking. And then you would see the same local organization mentioned twice in two different project proposals that are totally unrelated to each other.

16:16

S… Speaker 3 (Bâle)

Yeah, that is not an exclusion criteria per se. Okay. And then could you please highlight about the mean cost that you mentioned? Can you maybe be more specific with your question? So I know what exactly you're interested in. Yeah, someone asked in the chat what percentage of the budget can be allocated to administration costs. And I think you answered the question, but I missed it. Please, could you highlight again?

16:44

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Yeah, maybe Lucy can add. So I mentioned earlier that we work with approximately 15%, but maybe Lucy can mention how you evaluate this overhead in the commission.

16:59

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

So I think 15%, anything between 12% and 15% is an internationally kind of accepted standard for overhead. As you know, efficiency is a quality criteria that we have. And so we...

17:20

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

We do check quite carefully how much of the budget goes into these overheads and administrative costs. I mean, look, it's not...

17:34

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

set in stone in any way, because obviously it depends very much on the organization. Like I say, we are very small, we are very large organization. And we do understand that their budget structure is very different as well. So, I mean, basically, we would evaluate that under an efficiency perspective, but also an impact.

18:00

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

you know, perspective. Are we funding a Swiss organisation or are we funding impact on the ground in the country in question?

18:10

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Thank you so much. Maybe just to add to this, some organizations submit proposals where the overhead is more than 15%, but they also allocate a lot more own contributions to cover these. I mean, in this case, from my point of view, it's not necessary to put the overheads in the proposal if they're being covered by own funds anyways, but just so you understand them.

18:37

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

The reality, yeah. Thank you. If a three-year project has already started, is it possible to apply for funding for the remaining two years? Yes, it is.

18:48

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Our peacebuilding program has already started in 2025. Can we apply for January 2000 to July? Yes, you can. Please make sure, though, that if the project runs from January 26 to July 27, to ask for the two calendar years, 26 and 27. I guess the one for 27 will be lower because it's only half a year. Okay, Joan, you had another question?

19:18

S… Speaker 4 (Bâle)

Yes, thank you. I have a question to the thematic scope. So we have several projects in the field of prevention of violence against women. And I was wondering, do you see this as poverty reduction by itself or only when it's linked, for example, with economic empowerment?

19:38

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

No, not at all. As I said in the beginning, we have a very multidimensional understanding of poverty. So poverty does not only include economic capacities, but also, for example, self-protection capacities. So prevention of violence against women is absolutely within the funding scope. Thank you so much.

20:00

S… Speaker 3 (Bâle)

Yes, hi everybody. I have also a question for a follow-up application. So I submitted last year and you gave us the grant and now I want to ask if I can make the follow application together with the interim report in the same document. Is this possible?

20:27

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

You can submit the... We actually have two different forms. I know this is a little complicated. And as I mentioned earlier, we are in the process of simplifying the processes. But please, you can submit them at the same time, yes. But we have two different forms for one the report and one the proposal. I hope that answers your question.

20:52

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Yes, thank you. All right, great. Thank you for the presentation. Did I understand correctly that the overall funding envelope for 2026 is 8.8 million and that it will gradually increase to 19.5 million by 2029? Yes. Well, the total in this year is actually 10 million, but...

21:20

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

That includes our administrative costs. So 8.8 is what we can actually spend on funding. Also, does the programme submission exclude a project submission or are both possible within the same year? Yes.

21:37

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

You can do both. However, the organizations that are eligible for program funding, with most of them, I have already had bilateral conversations. We do ask...

21:51

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

the organizations that are applying for program funding this year to, if possible, include all of the projects that they would like to have funding for. Because as I said, one of the requirements is that this program is actually part of an overall strategy of the organization. So ideally, it should include all of the projects that they're implementing. However, if in the following years, new projects pop up, new opportunities that are not in this program.

22:19

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

yet, then you can apply for project funding if you already get program funding. Tensia, you had another question? Yes. Hello. Thank you so much for the really amazing information. I would like to ask a question regarding the Global South, if there are a constraint.

22:51

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

of countries in the Global South in accordance with the DESA eligibility criteria, or is it a broader scope? For example, countries like Argentina that are usually not in the scope of DESA can be eligible in the context of poverty and development.

23:17

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

That's one question. And the other question is if there are a possibility of doing or presenting a project that is with, again, for children with socio-economical disadvantaged backgrounds across several countries in the Global South with the emphasis in

23:38

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

intergenerational dialogues, as empowerment for solving their problems that arise in these ages or regions? Yes, that's the two questions.

23:54

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Okay, so for the first question, we do not have priority regions like the SDC does. So in general, we fund worldwide, but the country has to be on the list of the OECD DAC, which is the list that basically contains all of the countries that are eligible for ODA funding. I'm not sure if Argentina is on that list. You would have to check. Okay, thank you.

24:20

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

The second question, I guess the question was around whether it's possible to hand in a project that covers various countries. Is that correct? Yes. In general, yes. It's not an exclusion criteria per se, but it has to be clear that there is a common outcome, that it is a clear beginning and an end.

24:45

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

The level of detail really also is relevant. If the project is implemented in 10 countries and you can only describe at a very general level what the project is about, because you do have a...

25:00

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

and an amount of 10 pages for the proposal, then I would not recommend that you put all the 10 countries in there because we do need some level of detail to be able to evaluate the project. Thank you.

25:16

S… Speaker 4 (Bâle)

Yes, I understand the challenge of that, but it's, yes, to convey the importance of this intergenerational and intercultural exchange for a better world, yeah, within regions and across regions as well. Thank you. You're welcome.

25:49

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

In terms of co-funding projects, when additional funding besides Baselstadt is needed, do you require all co-funding before submission to Baselstadt?

26:00

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

So we do differentiate, and I think this is also written in the guidelines, please indicate whether the co-funding has been approved or if it has only been submitted to another funding agency. And this will also be part of the evaluation. If we see that you have requested a lot of co-funding, but none of it is actually approved, then this will obviously add a lot of risk.

26:27

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

to the project and this will be considered in the material assessment by the Commission. So the more approved funding you have, the better. Let's go to some people that haven't had the chance yet to ask a question. Katja? Yeah.

26:47

S… Speaker 3 (Bâle)

Hello, everybody. I have seen in the intro that you have written SEBO certified or average annual income of at least 5 million is required. So I'm correct understanding that smaller organizations who are private based that do not meet this requirement never have a chance to submit any application to you? No, this only applies for the program grants.

27:16

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

So the program grants, you have to have a table certification or this minimum annual revenues. For the project grants, there is no such requirement. Okay, thank you. Very good. Thank you. You're welcome. And then we have Foundation of Hope. Hello, my name is Angelica and thank you for the presentation. I wanted to know, do we have access to the presentation?

27:47

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

We are recording the event and we will share this recording with you. Okay, thank you. The second question is also about the CIVO certificate. The organization is a foundation and...

28:08

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

It's a revision, yes, it's under revision. Is it sufficient if we send the revision report for the last three years? You mean revision by table or? Eingeschränkte revision. Oh yeah, you need a company who does a revision year by year.

28:41

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

and it's an independent company for foundations they are under revision and it's also yes it's a registered organization and are those revisions sufficient so you said your foundation and your annual revenues are above 10 million francs

29:06

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

No, it's very small. Then I think you're not required by law to do an external revision of your budget, so you are not required to hand it in. But if you have one, please do hand it in. From one year, from the last year?

29:22

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

I think it's written in the guidelines. Three years, I believe. Yes, it doesn't explicitly say revisions. That's why it was. And then you grant 50%. Sometimes I understood 5.0 and sometimes I understood 1.5. So can you please repeat it?

29:50

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Yeah, I understand it's a little confusing. So the 50-5-0 refers to the co-financing that we require. And the 15...

30:00

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

refers to the overhead costs. Okay, okay. So this doesn't apply. Okay. Thank you very much. You're welcome. I'm looking at the time.

30:17

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

According to our plan, we would switch to the program grounds now, which probably many of you are not, it's not relevant for you. But since I've already been in contact with many of the organizations in Basel, maybe I could get, you could raise your hand. If you're from Basel and you would like to know more about the program grounds and ask questions, because if there's no one here that actually is interested in that part.

30:47

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

We have Marcel, yeah, okay. Okay, quite a few, okay. All right. Our foundation is in Basel, which is foundation, but I think you require for the program the civil certification, right? So we are, okay, so we are not in that league yet. Yeah, yeah. Okay, maybe last few questions regarding project grants, and then we will go over to the next session.

31:32

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

All right, let me just we'd like to hand in a project which starts in 2022 and will end.

31:43

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Will end at the end of 2026? Is this possible? Yes. So this would, I guess, be just funding for one year. That is possible. For the future, if we hand in a multi-year proposal, will your funding be paid out once? No. We pay in installments. So the amount that you put in the online form, the amount that you want for one year, we will pay that out in one installment. And then the next installment will be done once we approve your interim report.

32:18

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

okay if a project budget is 100 now i have to do some math here if a project budget is 100 000 swiss francs and if pizza provides maximum 50 000 is is it still required a log frame yes so the log frame requirement um refers to the overall project budget not the grant all right and

32:45

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Does a project on one thematic, health and solar energy, but implemented in four countries fall under your definition of project? I think I answered that question earlier. It's not so much the number of countries that is relevant, but the level of detail you're able to provide in the proposal. I doubt that you'll be able to provide enough detail on the implementation in four countries in just 10 pages.

33:17

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

And maybe the last question for this round, and then we'll go over to the next session. Sorry if this has been answered. Are project staff costs in Switzerland eligible for a project whose coordinator is based in Switzerland, but with local partners in developing countries? Lucy, can I maybe hand this question over to you?

33:40

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

So I'm not quite sure whether I understood the question. I can't see it. So the question is the project coordinator is in Switzerland, but the project is being implemented in countries of the South. Is that correct? Yeah.

34:02

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

So there again, I think we would look at the percentage of overhead costs that remain in Switzerland. I think there is no different, we wouldn't treat that any differently than other. I mean, that's quite a usual setup that you have a project coordinator based in, say, in the headquarters in Switzerland.

34:29

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

And they coordinate and collaborate with partners on the ground. All right. Thank you. I would like to close this session on Project Grants. If you have any urgent questions after this, please drop us an email or give us a call and we can hopefully answer your question. Yes. Before you leave, we would very much love if you can fill out the poll. It's just quick questions on your expectations regarding.

35:00

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

the event and if we've been able to fulfill those expectations. So as you leave, you can fill in the poll in the chat and we will now go over to the next session. I will go back to my PowerPoint presentation. Thanks to everyone that joined us today, the people leaving now. Thanks for your questions. Thanks for your interest. We're very much looking forward to receive your proposals and hopefully we've been able to answer your questions.

35:34

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Thank you very much. That was very helpful. Great. Thanks. Thanks. Okay. Going back to the presentation. I think I have to stay in my window again. Right now, we should have, let's see. Okay. Program grants. So I already mentioned the eligibility at the beginning.

36:19

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

And I would like to just briefly show the procedure, which is very similar to the project grants in terms of the chronological flow, let's say, obviously in terms of the contents and what has to be submitted is quite different.

36:37

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

But in general, the steps are the same as with the project runs. So now I will only focus on the parts that are different to the project. So the submission deadline, as probably most of you know, is March 1st, very soon. The further deadlines are...

36:57

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

going to be communicated not all of you will have a program that runs from 2026 to 2029 so some will um you know have only a three-year period and then want to apply again in 29 so we will communicate those other deadlines with you as soon as possible and the submission of the proposal can be done by email so we do not have an online form for the program proposals

37:24

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Also, looking at the timeframe, since most of the program grants will be more than, will be higher amounts, not all, but most of them will be quite high so that the government council has to take the funding decision. So it will take a little longer, three to four months is what we're expecting for the whole process.

37:49

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Also, the downloads obviously are different. So in addition to the guidelines, please do not, or let me phrase it positively, please do hand in your proposal in either German or English and not in French. And please also use the Excel template. This is only applicable to the program grants.

38:11

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

For reporting, we asked for annual interim reports and the deadlines and requirements, as I mentioned earlier, will still be communicated. The final report is due six months after the end of the whole funding period. Okay.

38:31

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

This is it in terms of the same evaluation criteria applied to program grants. The criteria that Lucy mentioned are the same for project and program grants. I'm sure you have quite a few questions. So let me go back to the question box. Okay. Andrea has a question.

39:05

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Yes, thank you. It's actually a project grant, program grant related questions. I'm from FHNW, from the Hochschule of Life Sciences in Mutens, and I was wondering how FHNW is considered, because the headquarters is in Brug, I believe, and our Hochschule, our school is in Mutens, which is Basel region, I suppose.

39:31

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

So how do you consider this? Also in terms of you saying one application per organization is allowed? Same question here. So the headquarter needs to be in the Basel region. We understand the Basel region as the Swiss parameter of the tri-national Euro district Basel. I believe Brug is on it. You'd have to check on the website.

40:01

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Okay, but then again, also how you had another person from FHNW earlier in the call who asked the question. And then it's a very large organization. So how do you consider like the different research foci, the different research schools and groups? Is this all one or is like each school one? So this is really difficult.

40:22

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Yeah, to be honest, we haven't solved this question yet because we haven't, we don't expect to get that many proposals. If we do get proposals from the same organization, but different units, we will get in touch with you. Okay, thank you. You're welcome. André? Not there, it seems. Okay, let's go to a question in the chat box. Do programs need to, should they be multinational?

41:01

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Not necessarily, no. I mean, we do also have some very small organizations in the Basel region that have a very focused strategy, either geographically or thematically, and they are also eligible for funding. Will submissions be invited annually and are program grants or multi-year grants? As I said, the...

41:33

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Yes, it will be possible. This is not the last deadline in the next four years, let's say. But we haven't figured out yet what schedule we will set up for the program grants. But this is not the last opportunity in the next four years to submit a proposal. Our program runs all multi-year grants. Yes, I think so.

42:01

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

The idea behind program grants is also that they correspond to the organizational strategy. And strategies are typically multi-year strategies. If you have maybe an example, I could maybe evaluate this question a little better. Who's this question from?

42:28

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

there he is yeah you can speak yeah hi sorry i can maybe just explain where um i guess i was trying to understand whether they're fixed for you mentioned a four-year period so 26 to 29 so is that how it's always envisioned to to be that it would be a kind of three to four year period

42:49

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

No, so we also have examples from organizations that also get the SDC core funding. And I told them, for example, that it's okay to hand in a proposal only for three years because the SDC funding period ends in 2028. So they haven't been able to define outcomes as of 28. So it's okay to hand in that as well. Okay, thanks. Peter Steinmann.

43:25

S… Speaker 3 (Bâle)

you had a question yes thank you very much um the question relates to the co-funding um is you you say this

43:34

S… Speaker 3 (Bâle)

expectation is similar as for the project. So I guess that's the 50%. However, in a program, we also understand that activities are described in much less detail. It's more a conceptual submission and not concrete projects. So it's more difficult to show co-funding for the concrete activities. Or do you also then consider the co-funding at a more institutional level?

44:03

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Regarding the first comment, we do not do co-funding of 50% for program funds. By large, we would have to spend all or more of our funding. So it's not 50% for the program grants. It's much less.

44:23

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

SDC has a maximum co-funding of I believe 30 to 40 percent, depending on the type of organization or program. We will not even be able to give that in co-funding. It will be less.

44:38

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

And regarding the second aspect, more conceptual, yes, absolutely right. It's a much less detailed proposal. And yes, please do also. So the idea is that you basically describe in the proposal what is your program. And as I said earlier, usually that.

45:00

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

program or at least that's one of the requirements that it's in line with your strategy it doesn't mean that you have to hand in the whole organizational strategy or all of the programs that the organization is doing but it should

45:18

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

cover a part of the organization. So if you get co-funding or core funding for the organization, then please do put that in the proposal.

45:31

S… Speaker 3 (Bâle)

Okay, so I understand that for funding now you talk about the Canton of Basel co-funding. I was talking about the co-funding from the applicant side. So you expect that, I don't know, 20 or 30 percent of the overall budget would come from the Canton of Basel and the rest is through other sources. Yeah, 20 to 30 is at the very upper edge. Very upper limit. Okay, very good. All right.

46:04

S… Speaker 3 (Bâle)

If there are no other questions, I have actually a second one. Do you encourage collaborations between institutions in the Basel area or do you expect that they come from individual institutions?

46:18

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

So we absolutely welcome collaboration. Absolutely. But in terms of the technicality, we need to have proposals from each organization. But if you have an ongoing collaboration or you're planning to collaborate, please mention it in both of your proposals. Okay. So they would be complementary to each other. And then you explain that you look out for the second one. Yeah.

46:43

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Maybe in the coming years we'll have to see. It will be possible to also hand in proposals as a consortium. But at the moment we're not ready to manage that from a methodology point of view.

47:01

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

I can just quickly jump in here and say we absolutely welcome collaborations between organizations, even if the technicalities now are a little cumbersome. And, you know, ideally, we would see that there would be a specific value added in this collaboration between these organizations, you know, that I think that will be very interesting.

47:31

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

for the canton of Basel, actually. Perfect. Thank you. All right. Alexandra, you had a question.

47:43

S… Speaker 4 (Bâle)

Yes, hello, good morning. Thanks a lot for the presentation. I have a very specific one regarding the budget. There is a term that says program relevant and I wanted to make sure that we understand it correctly. Does it mean that those sections where the program relevant term is used, that those sections are considered as relevant to the program or does it mean...

48:12

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

only the part relevant to the program is to be submitted we would actually our understanding would be that yeah we submit basically our entire organizational costs so yeah so if you submit the entire cost of the organization it doesn't really it's not that relevant yeah this part yeah um for other organizations that only submit i don't know half or a quarter of their

48:41

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

That question is all right. All right. Thanks. That clarifies. All right. I think we have more questions in the chat. Can you give some practical examples of what GITSA considers under the heading program compared to projects? Practical examples. Okay. Yeah. So if you have a program, as I said, is a overarching initiative that includes various projects.

49:13

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

and usually the program is cross-country, cross-sector, and the outcomes that you define for the program are much higher, much more abstract level, whereas the project is usually, and as an example, you have an organization that works in the areas of health.

49:35

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

food security and education in Africa, Asia, and South America. And the program would then consist of all those activities. And you would probably have one outcome that is geared at food security, one outcome, and that outcome is being targeted or the contribution to that outcome is being...

50:00

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

being implemented in various countries. Then you have the second outcome that targets education and et cetera, et cetera. And a project would then be a project to enhance food security of primary school children in Tanzania. That is the practical understanding of how we differentiate our programs and projects.

50:26

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Marcel, the 10-page limitation does not only apply to programs. What is the size of the application expected? Yes, we didn't put a limitation because I think the size of the programs will be very different according to the organizations. Like FEPA is a rather small organization, whereas Swiss TPH is a very big organization. So we really, you know...

50:52

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

What did I communicate to Swiss TPH? 40 to 60 pages. But I guess in the case of FEB, I can also be less. In any case, if you would like to submit.

51:02

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

I have to be careful now because how many organizations are watching. But you can submit a draft proposal before the deadline. And we will not be giving you an assessment as in this, you fulfilled the criteria or not. But we might be able to or will be able to tell you if you need to provide a little more information or detail here and there that people will be able to do.

51:29

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

So if you hand in your proposal and we deem it's not detailed enough or there's information missing, we can tell you. Thank you for that. A question regarding the budget for program submissions. Would you specify further the term... Ah, okay. But this is from... Ah, yes. Excellent. Is your thematic and geographic focus of project funding synchronized with the International Corporation Strategy of Switzerland? No, it's not synchronized. I mean, we do...

52:06

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

We do try to orientate ourselves.

52:12

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

by the national strategy, but we do not want to do the same thing necessarily. We do want to be complementary in terms of geographic and thematic focus. We don't have any for the project and program grants, as I said earlier. So as long as the countries are on the OECD deduct list of ODA recipients, it is possible. And also in terms of the...

52:41

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

the thematic focus there is no restrictions for program funding can an organization apply for more than one of these funding vehicle is the itza project fund as well as the new vehicles yes

53:00

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Yes, the targeted project grants that will start next year. We will launch a call for proposals for these. You can apply for that even if you already have a running project grant and or program grant. Maybe I missed it, but what is the distribution of your funds between project and program grants? We don't have one yet. I mean, we did budget.

53:27

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

according to how many proposals we expect to receive, for example, from Basel-based organizations. But there's no strict size of the various tools. We really want to try and orientate ourselves according to the needs also. So we want to see what comes in first and then we can decide how much we contribute to each of the various tools. Am I missing any raised hands?

53:58

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Let's go back to the questions. Is a partnership with a Swiss-based organization required or can organizations based directly in Kosovo apply independently for GIZA funding, for example, for projects in education? No, that is not possible. The law actually stipulates that the organization has to be a legal entity based in Switzerland at least. Until what date draft proposals can be handed in?

54:28

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Now, if you all hand in your draft proposal on February 25th and the deadline is on March 1st, that will be very difficult for us. Let's say the shorter time you give us, the more...

54:44

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

the more minimal the feedback will be. Some organizations have reached out and told me, okay, we'll give you the proposal then, and we'd like to have a feedback by then. You can do that. And we try to fit in a slot in our calendars to really look at your proposal.

55:00

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

But if you, as I said, if you hand it in two days before the deadline, our feedback will be very minimal.

55:09

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Next question, maybe I missed it, but what is the distribution of your funds? We already looked at that. You mentioned it is allowed to monetize voluntary work and indicate it as in-kind contribution. How much is the hourly rate of one hour voluntary work evaluated as possible? I mean, that really depends on your organization. I mean, there are ranges of...

55:32

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

of acceptable rates in the sector and you really have to orientate yourself according to what is what different organizations ask for a different expert levels ask for an hourly rate we cannot tell you it is very individual obviously you know if you're asking for 300 francs an hour then we will raise our eyebrows yeah um

56:00

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

What would you consider elementary pillars that should really be part of the program? For example, education or capacity building? That is a very difficult question to answer, actually. I cannot say. Maybe you can raise your hand and we can talk about it, because I don't quite know what you're trying to get at this is from. Yeah, Savitra, you can talk.

56:30

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Yeah, I suppose I was just getting at, you know, if you consider any core elements that would distinguish a program from sort of a collection of an umbrella of just different smaller projects, or if you really expect it to have kind of this, a layer of, yeah, this education, capacity building, things that you would consider being really.

57:01

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

core elements of a program so i don't think i can answer that question um in general like that um what the focus of your program is really depends on the strategy of your organization um maybe lucy if you're still here you can say a few words or what your take is on this question i'm not quite sure i understood it correctly but um

57:33

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

I mean, we will be assessing the programme contributions also with regard to the relevance of the whole programme and the coherency of it and the impact that we feel it has, of course, on an overarching level.

57:54

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Like we've elaborated, you know, the types of organizations which are eligible to submit program proposals are very diverse, you know, from a small organization like FEPA to a larger organization. And so we would be we will be evaluating this on a case by case basis, not have generalized criteria that we can apply. OK, I know that does answer it. Thank you.

58:24

S… Speaker 3 (Bâle)

All right. Peter Steinmann. Yeah, thank you for giving me a second chance. I'm asking about the local ownership criterion, which is...

58:38

S… Speaker 3 (Bâle)

somehow favoring to work in places where we already know the partners and already have established partnerships? Is this the intention of it? Or can local ownership also be demonstrated at the end of a project? As we have a program, we develop...

58:59

S… Speaker 3 (Bâle)

specific initiative, specific activity, and then local ownership is demonstrated at the end of that by, for example, it's taken over, continued by the local partners, which would enable that we work in an area where until now we had not worked. So expansion of collaborations instead of continuing what has already been done.

59:31

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

I think that's probably...

59:37

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

Not quite the right way to put the question, actually, because what we will be looking for is a convincing proposal where you tell us how you are achieving that local ownership. And there, too, like I mentioned, I mean, one important element would have to be also kind of the.

1:00:00

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

on the ground, right? I mean, in the case of Swiss TPH, obviously, you've got very longstanding collaborations, you've got expertise, you know, you've got a huge track record. And if you are seeking to scale up or to set up kind of a new unit of something, then, you know, I'm sure you will be able to convincingly argue in what way that would be achieved.

1:00:29

S… Speaker 2 (Bâle)

and how you are seeking to strengthen local ownership or to ensure local ownership. But that part would have to be demonstrated convincingly. That should not be implicit. I think I would encourage you to make that very explicit. Okay.

1:00:56

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Just a few last questions as we're nearing the end of the event. Our organization received the program contribution from the SDC. We are currently in the 2025 to 2028 program phase. This contribution covers 80% of four projects, as well as most of our HR and HQ costs. We therefore conduct fundraising to secure the remaining 20. Would this be a type of funding that we could request from Baselstadt in the program?

1:01:26

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

category um so you mean the remaining 20 being all right sorry i was cut off i didn't expect my laptop to only survive for two hours luckily we have two laptops um so i was saying that

1:02:11

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

So in general, we do want to see how much the contribution of Baselstadt is also to the outcomes. So not just the HR and the HQ costs. But obviously, since the program proposals and budget are at a much less detailed level, we will not go to each individual franc and see which money comes from us and which comes from the rest.

1:02:37

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

But I think to really be able to answer this question, we would need to see the proposal. I don't know if you have an opinion on this, Lucy. No, I think I would underline what you've just been saying. All right. Last question. Is it eligible to allocate funds from this grant to the local partners as well? Yes, absolutely. I mean, this is something that...

1:03:08

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Lucy has mentioned several times, also me, that we do want the money, the resources. This is very much in line with the localization aspect. We want the money to be implemented on the ground. So the idea is not to subsidize with salaries, but to really have an impact on the ground. And for that, you also need to invest locally.

1:03:34

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

in resources, in capacities, competences, etc.

1:03:40

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

All right. We have no more questions and we are at the end of the session. Perfect. I hope this means that we've been able to answer all of your questions. Maybe as you leave, you can also fill in the poll. Do you need to reactivate it or it's still open? So it should still be open in the chat. Thanks a lot. If you have any remaining questions or concerns, please do reach out. You have our phone number on the website or email.

1:04:09

S… Speaker 1 (Bâle)

Thanks a lot. We're looking forward to see your proposals. Thanks also to you, Lucy, over there in India. Thank you. Thank you, everybody, for joining. Have a good lunch. Thank you. Bye. Thanks a lot.

Summa

De hoc translatio scripsit.