Before Submitting Proposal
Start with downloading the Guidelines for Grant Applicants, Application Form, Budget Form and the List of Supporting Documents. All these documents can be found here.
Please read carefully the Guidelines for Grant Applicants. Next you will have to register in the online grant platform and start filling out your profile with basic information about you and your partner. In the next stage you will need to fill in the application
You will have to upload all the requested documents as specified in the List of Supporting Documents.
Applications will be accepted in the English language only.
Only applications received through the online platform will be considered.
Applicants must verify that their application is complete by using the checklist (section C. CHECKLIST FOR THE APPLICATION FORM in the Informative Grant Application Form). Incomplete applications will be declared ineligible.
The deadline for the submission of applications is 15 October 2019, 23.59 pm.
Please read the Guidelines for Grant Applicants carefully. It will give you all the necessary information to check if you are eligible to apply for this Call. All information on the eligibility of applicants/partners and actions are stated in the sections 2.1. to 2.7 of the Guidelines for Grant Applicants.
No, all the information relevant to your application must be included in the format provided; no additional documents will be accepted nor additional information considered. If your application form is not complete by the time it is submitted, it will not be considered.
No, once you have submitted your application you will not be able to make any changes. If you need to update information on the organisation/school such as address, phone numbers, names of legal representatives etc. because they have changed since the submission of the proposal, please send such information to: [email protected] stating in the subject of the email:
CHANGE OF INFO: RYCO CfP 2019/PROJECT TITLE/CONTRACTING PARTY[1]
However, you can edit your application on the platform as often as you want until the deadline, and make changes online before submitting it.
[1] Contracting Party can be one of the following: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, Macedonia, or Serbia, according to the seat of the Applicant
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence
No, applications sent after the deadline (15 October 2019, 23.59 pm Central European Time) will not be considered.
Each applicant , whether it is a secondary school from one of the WB6 contracting parties, or a CSO applying of behalf of a school, must act with at least one other secondary school from a different WB6 contracting party. Each proposal needs to gather partners from at least two different WB6 contracting parties .There should be not more than 5 partners included in any project proposal,
Under this Call for Proposals every legal entity can apply only once as a partner.
Please check section 2.2.1. and 2.2.2. of the Guidelines for Grant Applicants before selecting your partners.
No, the applicant may not submit more than one (1) application under this Call for Proposals.
In addition, the applicant may be a partner in only one (1) other application under this Call for Proposals.
In the case that an applicant or partner appear twice or more, either as an applicant or as a partner, all the respective project proposals will be automatically disqualified.
Please, do strictly adhere to this rule (1 x applicant, 1 x partner) to protect your project partnerships from exclusion!
All applications must be completed in English. Applications completed in other languages will not be considered.However prospective applicants who wish to ask qestions about the process in their local language can do by reaching out to the corresponding Local Branch Office.
Yes, if the association is registered as an NGO with status of a non-profit organization.
Yes, but only if they are registered as other civil society organizations with non-profit status. If a sport association is not registered as a CSO, it can only apply as a partner, not as a lead applicant.
Evaluation of the project proposals will be conducted in three steps:
1) Administrative check of the application:
RYCO will assess whether the submission deadline has been met, whether the application is complete and if other basic requirements have been met.
The proposals that do not pass the administrative check will not be further assessed.
2) Eligibility check of the application:
Assessment of whether the applicant and partners satisfy the eligibility criteria in sections 2.1. – 2.6. and sections 2.10 – 2.12 of the Guidelines for Applicant.
The proposals that do not pass the eligibility check will not be further assessed.
3) Technical Assessment of the proposal according to 5 criteria listed in the Assessment Grid
The Evaluation Grid is available in the Informative Application Form and the Guidelines for Grant Applicants.
Please make sure that your application meet all the criteria set in the Checklist for the Application Form
4) Strategic Assessment by RYCO’s Selection committee according to the criteria listed in the Informative Application Form.
The assessment results lead to the establishment of a shortlist (top-scored projects per Contracting Party).
As a final step of the assessment process, RYCO’s Selection Committee reviews the shortlist in light of the strategic criteria outlined below.
No, RYCO only funds initiatives that were designed specifically for this Call.
Yes, but at least one of them needs to be a secondary school from a different Contracting Party.
Yes, they can be included as participants, but project funding cannot be transferred to organizations outside the WB6. But they can still participate in the project on a voluntary basis or through their own funding.
Not with RYCO’s funds, but projects can contain activities outside the WB6 that are funded by other sources. If it is your case, you need to state this explicitly, otherwise there is a risk of being declared non-eligible due to location.
No, ineligible costs in the budget will make the proposal ineligible. Please refer to section 2.10. – 2.12. of the Guidelines for Grant Applicants for more information on the eligibility of the costs.
Administrative barriers refer to the institutional dependency of public high school from central or local government (depending on the Contracting Party) which results in lack of possessing a unique identification number. This legal barrier prevents public high schools, coming from these contracting parties, from applying for grants.
Even though the schools might not be the main applicants, it is expected that they participate in the project writing, and that they are included and active at all steps of implementation and reporting.
No, this would count as double application and make both proposals ineligible.
Carefully read all the Open Call documents, including the FAQ which are available on the RYCO website. In case your question is not answered, write to [email protected] or contact your respective Local Branch Officer via email no later than 7 days before the deadline for the submission of applications (8 October 2019). RYCO does not accept phone inquiries.
It is not possible for RYCO staff to provide individual applicants with project drafting support. However, key information about the call will be shared during the info-session. In addition, under this call, interested prospective applicants will have the opportunity to sign up for mentoring sessions (held in each CP) during which they will receive tailored advisory support (from thematic and project management cycle experts) to help them finalise their project application. Information about the mentoring sessions will be posted during first week of September, 2019 and the support will be made available on a first come first served basis.
Finally, please note that RYCO builds proposal development capacities throughout the year for variety of actors (such opportunities are typically announced through RYCO social media channels).
The mentoring sessions will be an additional opportunity for applicants to get further support in the development of their project proposals. Not mandatory, these sessions will be organised after the info sessions to provide assistance to the applicants on thematic areas of intercultural learning and reconciliation and overall to mentor applicants in designing and preparing the project application. This help will be individualised and will depend on the needs formulated by the applicants.
Mentoring sessions will be offered to applicants on a first come first served basis.
More information on how to register will be provided during info sessions and online.
RYCO does not provide direct support to the applicants for creation of partnerships but provides information on platforms that serve the purpose of facilitating partnerships and peer learning. For example, you can visit the ‘RYCO Meeting Point’ Facebook group or the Western Balkans Cooperation Platform (www.connecting-youth.org) created by civil society organizations.
For this call, info sessions in Albania and Kosovo will also include a networking activity, during which applicants can meet schools and NGOs.
Yes, school applicants can have CSO partners. However, at least on of the partners must be another school from a different Contracting Party than the school applicant.
After Submitting Proposal
Evaluation of the project proposals will be conducted in three steps:
1) Administrative check of the application:
RYCO will assess whether the submission deadline has been met, whether the application is complete and if other basic requirements have been met.
The proposals that do not pass the administrative check will not be further assessed.
2) Eligibility check of the application:
Assessment of whether the applicant and partners satisfy the eligibility criteria in sections 2.1. – 2.6. and sections 2.10 – 2.12 of the Guidelines for Applicant.
The proposals that do not pass the eligibility check will not be further assessed.
3) Technical Assessment of the proposal according to 5 criteria listed in the Assessment Grid
The Evaluation Grid is available in the Informative Application Form and the Guidelines for Grant Applicants.
Please make sure that your application meet all the criteria set in the Checklist for the Application Form
4) Strategic Assessment by RYCO’s Selection committee according to the criteria listed in the Informative Application Form.
The assessment results lead to the establishment of a shortlist (top-scored projects per Contracting Party).
As a final step of the assessment process, RYCO’s Selection Committee reviews the shortlist in light of the strategic criteria outlined below.
The final list of selected proposals will be published on RYCO website.
Following the decision to award a grant, the grantee will be offered a grant contract. By signing the contract the applicant agrees to accept RYCO’s contractual conditions.
Prior to the signing, the applicant must submit additional documents requested by RYCO in due time (FIF and LEF).
After the signing of the contract, the grant will be disbursed through 2 payment instalments – 80% of the total budget approved at the start of the project implementing period and 20% upon approval of the final report.
FIF is a Financial Identification Form stating:
– banking details of the applicant such as account name, IBAN/account number, currency, BIC/SWIFT code, bank name and address
– account holder’s data as declared to the bank, account holder, street & number, town/city postcode
At the first application stage, it is not necessary to have a FIF. This document will be needed in case your project proposal is selected for funding. In that case, RYCO will send you a FIF to be filled out and stamped by the bank where you have your organisation’s account.
LEF is a Legal Entity Form stating the basic legal information of the applicant.
At the stage of applying, it is not necessary to have a LEF. This document will be needed in case your project proposal is selected for funding. In that case, you will receive a LEF template from RYCO to be filled out by your legal representative.
Regular progress updates will be necessary and one of the core obligations towards RYCO. Grantees should perform their internal monitoring and evaluation process as they state in the section 4.2 of the Application Form. The grantee will also contribute to RYCO’s monitoring and evaluation as defined in the contract, for example by providing all available documentation regarding the project implementation to RYCO upon request.
The grantees are also obliged to submit narrative and financial reports to RYCO, to receive the second instalment.
The grantee is also obliged to document all activities in regard to external communication/visibility (e.g. newspaper articles, TV appearances, campaigns, etc.) and to share them with RYCO on a regular basis, including any communication products produced in the course of the project, such as photos, videos, testimonials, etc.
Additional Help
In case you are having issues with the application platform, please contact RYCO via email at [email protected], before 14 October 2019, 17:00 pm
The info sessions will inform the applicants on the aims and the structure of RYCO and on the call, including general information on the call, objectives, eligibility criteria and financial package. During the info sessions, RYCO will also go through the application form in details. Applicants will also learn about the mentorship opportunity and hear about implemented projects from previous grantees. Finally, info sessions can be an opportunity for participants to network and meet potential partners.
If you cannot attend these info sessions, information will be available on the call documents, and applicants are welcome to contact RYCO for further questions.
It is not possible for RYCO staff to provide individual applicants with project drafting support. However, key information about the call will be shared during the info-session. In addition, under this call, interested prospective applicants will have the opportunity to sign up for mentoring sessions (held in each CP) during which they will receive tailored advisory support (from thematic and project management cycle experts) to help them finalise their project application. Information about the mentoring sessions will be posted during first week of September, 2019 and the support will be made available on a first come first served basis.
Finally, please note that RYCO builds proposal development capacities throughout the year for variety of actors (such opportunities are typically announced through RYCO social media channels).
The mentoring sessions will be an additional opportunity for applicants to get further support in the development of their project proposals. Not mandatory, these sessions will be organised after the info sessions to provide assistance to the applicants on thematic areas of intercultural learning and reconciliation and overall to mentor applicants in designing and preparing the project application. This help will be individualised and will depend on the needs formulated by the applicants.
Mentoring sessions will be offered to applicants on a first come first served basis.
More information on how to register will be provided during info sessions and online.
During the entire implementation of the projects, applicants are invited to contact their Local Branch Office for any questions related to the project implementation.