Become a CSO Partner

AcT is at the moment not accepting any applications. Should a window for funding be opened then it will be announced here.

To become a CSO partner, AcT has a two-step application and selection process:

Step 1

The first step in the process is for organizations to present their ‘Idea for Change’. This could be a summary of work planned in your existing strategic plan or it could be an idea for a completely new project.

We simply request that you summarise your concept on a single page and submit it to act@accountability.or.tz.

You should explain:

  1. What accountability issue(s) you are addressing?
  2.  What is your Idea for Change and why do you think it will work?
  3. What change(s) in power, practices and/or policies you are trying to achieve?

We judge these initial applications according to the following criteria:

  • Alignment with AcT and DFID objectives;
  • The potential for impact on poor and excluded groups and the number of people the interventions will affect;
  • The robustness and realism of the strategy that links activities to projected results; and,
  • The innovativeness of the approach.

Successful applications will pass to Step 2 of the selection process. Unsuccessful applications will receive a response providing the reasons for why they did not qualify and suggestions for alternative sources of funding.

Step 2

The second step of the application process is a more detailed review of the applicant’s Idea for Change.

First we will ask you to submit relevant documentation. For those applying for core funding of the organisation’s strategic plans we will ask you to submit:

  • The plan with its budget;
  • The last 3 periodic progress reports and the last 3 annual reports; and,
  • The organisation’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plans.

We will then enter discussions in order to develop a mutual understanding. A particular focus for the AcT team will be the degree to which your expected results are measurable. This will give us confidence that we are entering into a partnership based on a shared understanding of expected results.

We offer assistance to strengthen your systems of monitoring and reporting on progress towards your outcomes, using the Rapid Outcome Mapping Approach or other tools that you may prefer. This may also offer benefits in strengthening your theory of change, perhaps leading to a redefinition of your objectives and approach. If, on the other hand, we find that there are already strong systems in place for monitoring and reporting against progress, we may decide that no further changes are needed in the proposed approach.  

Once these discussions have progressed in a positive direction we will be ready to undertake a Financial Management and Risk Capacity Assessment (FMRCA). We will field a team to undertake this assessment at a mutually convenient time.

Normally the partnership negotiations will be completed within three months. Many organisations complete the process in a shorter time period, while some may take longer.

The end point of the process is a Strategic Grant Agreement. The maximum grant we will make will be the lower of either:

  • 40% of the strategic plan budget; or,
  • The highest level of income in any of the last three years.