1. What are the funding agencies for Civil Society Fund (CSF)?

 

• The funding partners are the following; Irish Aid, USAID, DFID, DANIDA and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).

2. Who qualifies to apply for CSF funding?/Who is eligible for CSF funding?

• Implementing partners under the following categories are eligible for CSF funding:
  • National NGOs
  • District and Community Based Organizations
  • Faith Based Organizations
  • Academic institutions
  • Private Sector Organizations
  • International NGOs
  • Cultural institutions
• CSF is not designed to fund the following:
  • Clinical research
  • Experimantal drugs
  • ARV drugs and related commodities procurement. However, on a case by case assesment, a CSO may be permitted to procure other drugs, test kits,, medical supplies and condoms provided there is evidence that what is being requested for cannot be provided through other large on-going programs.

3. How can small Community Based Organizations (CBOs) or lower capacity districts compete with bigger national CSOs or higher capacity districts?

• Smaller CBOs that want to compete for these grants could form consortiums with strong lead CSOs/NGOs. This will enable them to pool resources and spread the geographical area more effectively.

4. Who manages CSF?

• The Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) oversees the CSF operations through the partnership Committee (PC) and Steering Committee (SC). The management and operations of the CSF are carried out by the Management agents under the supervision of the SC and PC. The Management Agents are Technical Management Agent, Financial Management Agent and Monitoring and Evaluation Agent. The UAC together with Aid Development Partners (ADPs) will identify and contract organizations to work as Management Agents.

5. How does CSF funding link to national priorities?

• The goal of the CSF is to ensure that civil society provision of prevention, care, treatment, and support services in HIV/AIDS and OVC are harmonized, streamlined, effective, and in support of the GOU National Strategic Plan, National Priority Action Pllan, and other national plans and policies; and the purpose of the CSF is to bring together multiple donor funds and disburse grants to civil society that are aligned with national plans and decision taking processes and enable an effective, scaled up, and comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS and OVC.

6. How is CSF reporting system linked to the national M&E systems?

• Request for applications (RFA's) have been tailored to feed into the HIV/AIDS Perfomance Measurement and Management Plan (PMMP), and OVC Management Information System (MIS) to ensure compliance with the national plans, approaches and indicators.

7. When is the next CSF release of funds and for what intervention areas?

• The next release will be in June 2011 targeting HIV prevention.

8. How does CSF ensure that the funds they disburse are put to proper use?

• The CSF Financial Management Agent (FMA), Techinical Management Agent and Monitoring and Evaluation Agent (MEA) provide financial, technical and moniotoring and evaluation oversght respectively.

9. How log are CSF funded projects?

• Unless authorized by the Steering Committee because of prevailing circumstances, all new grants are awarded for a minimum of two years. Funding levels are specifid in each solicitation and are guided by availability of funds and prioritization of interventions. Cost extensions of grants can be made at the discretion of the Steering Committee guided by recommendations made by Management Agents. The total duration of the original contract and cost extension contract does not exceed four years.

10. What activities does CSF fund?

• The majority of CSF's resources support grants to civil society organizations providing services in the following areas:
  1. HIV Prevention
  2. AIDS care and support
  3. HIV/AIDS treatment
  4. OVC
• In addition to service delivery, the CSF also supports the following activities aimed at stregthening the civil society response:
  1. Planning and coordination
  2. Technical assistance
  3. Institutional capacity building
  4. Monitoring and Evaluation
  5. Operations Research and Program Assesment
  6. Advocacy (particularly efforts aimed at social policy decisions, including gender equity, equal opportuniyies, stigmatization,, and equal access to care and treatment)

11. For how long will CSF continue providing funds to organizations?

• CSF will continue providing funds to organizations so long as the donors continue to commit funds to the CSF mechanism. In addition to the current donors, other development and funding partners wishing to channel resources for civiol society through the CSF can do so with the approval of the CSF steering committee.

12. How are the priority intervention areas for funding decided upon for the CSF?

• Priority areas for funding are determined by the Partnership Committee in support of the National Strategic Plan and respective line Ministries and sector working groups (e.g. Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MGLSD) for OVC), and the Civil Society Fund Steering Committee. The CSF funds projects and activities that are aligned with, and complement existing GoU and district plans.