1. INVESTING IN SYRIAN HUMANITARIAN ACTION (ISHA)
RESPONDING TO A CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
GUIDANCE AND SUGGESTIONS

2. This presentation is designed to provide guidance and suggestions regarding the process your organization could use when deciding if you want to apply to a Call for Applications and preparing your Application. There are two sections:
General guidance relevant to all Call for Application processes
Information specific to the ISHA Call for Applications
Call for Applications are highly competitive and the donor often knows little about your organization. To be successful, you need to comply with their Application rules and demonstrate that your organization is the best choice to achieve their objectives.

3. General Guidance for Calls for Applications

4. The Application Process
Read the guidance
Make sure you understand the donor priorities
Discuss with colleagues
Ask ISHA questions
Decide if you will apply
Identify beneficiary needs
Identify organizational strengths and priorities
Agree project strategy, activities and budget
Design the project
Review the questions and research your answers
Ask specialist colleagues to complete appropriate questions
Read the final version carefully to ensure accuracy, completeness and quality
Complete the application form

5. Decide if you will apply
The Call for Applications guidance and application form should contain all the information you need to decide if:
Your organization is eligible to apply
Your project approach is eligible and in line with donor priorities
You have access to all the information you need to complete the application form
If you have questions after carefully reading the guidance - ASK

6. Eligibility considerations
Your organization
Your project
Is your organization the type of organization the donor wants to fund?
Is your project the type of activities the donor wants to fund?
Is your organization located in the right country according to the donor requirement?
Is your project budget within the donor’s minimum and maximum amount?
Is your organization the right size for the donor rules?
Is your project duration in line with the donor requirements?
Does your organization have the experience required by the donor?
Is your project located in a place the donor wants to target?
Are your target beneficiaries in line with donor priorities?
Are there any other rules or restrictions regarding programming that you need to consider?

7. Making the decision
If your organization and project are eligible to apply, consider:
Are the donor’s priorities in line with your organization’s priorities?
Do your staff have the time and skill to prepare a high quality Application? Who is involved in designing the project and completing the form?
Who in your organization needs to be part of making the decision if you should apply?
When do you need to decide by – when is the submission deadline?
Are there parts of the guidance or Application Form you don’t understand – can you ask the donor?

8. Design the Project Before you design your project, consider:
Do you have enough information about the location, beneficiaries and needs to answer the questions in the Application form?
Does the Application guidance include any technical criteria you need to include?
Can you access enough financial information to complete the budget?
Are there any restrictions on how you can spend the funds you need to include in the project design?
Are there any requirements or priorities regarding activities, procurement or standards? Do you know what these are and how they apply to your project?

9. Complete the Application Form
Before you complete the Application Form, check:
The submission deadline and method
The length and format for the completed Application Form
If any signatures are required, whose and on which document?
If you have all the right information to answer all of the questions
What the evaluation criteria is – where will you get the most points for high quality information?

10. Common Mistakes
ISHA’s experience is that most organizations make the same mistakes when filling out the Application Form. The main ones are:
Incomplete Application – every question must be answered. If you leave a question unanswered, your Application will be disqualified.
Incorrect format – if you change the Application form layout or if it is too long, your Application will be disqualified.
Lack of signatures – if one part of the Application needs to be signed, an unsigned Application will be disqualified.
The project is not eligible – if the project duration, budget, sector or locations are not in line with the donor requirements, the Application will be disqualified.
Number of Applications – check if each organization can submit more than one Application to each Call for Applications before you do; if you cannot, your Applications will be disqualified.
Location of your organization – donors often restrict Calls for Applications to organizations from specific countries. If your headquarters is in a country not included in the list of allowed countries in the Call for Applications, your Application will be disqualified.
Eligibility of your organization – if your organization does not demonstrate that it meets the eligibility criteria in the guidance, your application will be disqualified.

11. Before Submission What donors like to see in an Application form
Check before submitting the Application
One complete Application in the donor format, without any changes and signed where required.
Read the Application through one last time – make sure every question is answered, it is the right length and the quality is good.
Clear, concise information that directly answers the questions.
Make sure it is signed in the right place by the right person.
Donor priorities clearly reflected in project design and other information.
Check the submission deadline and address – make sure you send the Application in before the deadline and receive an acknowledgement of receipt.
No attachments unless specifically requested (unrequested attachments will be ignored)

12. After Submission
Share the Application with others in your organization – if you are successful, lots of staff will be involved in future design and implementation activities.
File the Application somewhere you can find it later – if you are successful, you will need to refer back to it.
Celebrate - Applications are hard work so congratulations on finishing it!

13. ISHA Call for Applications
Key information
Success factors
Hints and tips

14. Key Information - Organization
Submission deadline
31 January, 2017 at 11:59 PM
Submission
– if you do not receive a confirmation of receipt, resubmit!
Language
Arabic or English
Signature requirement
page 2 of the application form
Number of applications allowed
One (1)
Type of organization
Syrian-led civil society organizations
Location of headquarters allowed
Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Jordan
Size of organization
annual portfolio of under USD 2,000,000 (USD 2 million)

15. Key Information - Project
Project sector
vouchers and non-food items for humanitarian response
Project duration
6-9 months
Project budget
USD 100,000 – USD 200,000
Geographic locations
see page 9 of the Call for Applications
Technical and organizational criteria
see page 11 of the Call for Applications
Planned project start date
July 1, 2017

16. Success Factors
Applications that have been selected by ISHA demonstrate the following:
A strong commitment to capacity strengthening and a focus on growth and development
Strategic thinking and approaches to the organization’s long-term role in Syria
A clear understanding of beneficiary needs with a project strategy evidently addressing the identified needs
Strong reasons for the selected program modality (vouchers or NFI) with a good assessment of the location market
Well-defined approaches for including vulnerable groups throughout the project design and implementation
Good monitoring and oversight of project implementation, particularly in locations with poor access and security concerns

17. Hints and Tips
Read the guidance! Everything you need to know is there.
If you still have questions – ask! Everything is posted at:
Check the website – other organization’s questions are useful and ISHA might post new information here.
Don’t change the format – focus on answering the questions rather than presentation
Don’t add attachments or links – ISHA will not look at anything outside the application form