Training for NGOs in Moldova, Romania and Ukraine in Proposal Writing for Institutional Funding

Kindernothilfe (KNH) is looking for a consultant company or a team of consultants to develop and implement a training concept to improve the capacity of NGOs working with KNH in Romania, Moldova and Ukraine to write effective proposals to secure institutional funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ, Development and Transitional Development Aid), the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) and the European Union (no ECHO).
The training aims to equip partner NGOs with the necessary knowledge and skills to develop comprehensive and compelling proposals that align with the respective funding agencies’ guidelines and priorities.

Background
Kindernothilfe e.V. (KNH) was founded in Germany in 1959 as an organisation with a Christian background to support vulnerable and marginalized children and youth to develop their full potential and is now one of the largest child rights organisations in Germany. Kindernothilfe partners with local and/or national non-governmental organisations who (co-)design and implement around 530 projects in 36 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean, reaching out to more than 2.3 million children and young people. The areas of work range from community-based development projects and self-help groups to humanitarian assistance as well as social work and street work programs, from networking and advocacy to capacity building and development education programs. Our work is founded on UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – promoting a child’s right to protection, provision and participation. Kindernothilfe’s global head office is located in Duisburg, Germany, with coordination structures in nearly all partner countries.

In addition, KNH has been realising institutionally funded projects in collaboration with its partners for almost three decades. Based on the success of our partners in utilising their expertise in institutional funding to diversify their revenue streams, KNH would like to offer partners in ukraine, moldova and Romania the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the guidelines and requirements of our funders. This will enable them to identify the most appropriate funding option for their specific context and focus and prepare a successful application under expert guidance.

KNH has conducted a preliminary survey of partners in the three countries to assess their interest in and prior knowledge of institutional funding. The results of the survey will be made available to the selected consultant or consultant team.

Required qualifications, skills and competencies

• The training provider(company, team or at least two individual trainers) should demonstrate extensive experience in delivering capacity development programs, specifically in the area of proposal writing and institutional funding.
• In addition to English as the training language, the provider should also be able to organise translations into Romanian and Ukrainian if required.
• The provider should have prior knowledge and understanding of the BMZ, GFFO, and EU funding mechanisms.
• Experience working with NGOs and international development organizations is desirable.
• The provider should have excellent facilitation skills, including the ability to create an engaging and participatory learning environment.
• Strong communication and reporting skills are essential.
• The selection will be based on the provider’s technical proposal, relevant experience, expertise, and budget.

Objectives

• Enhance participants’ understanding of the BMZ, GFFO, and EU institutional funding mechanisms, including eligibility criteria, application processes, compliance requirements and evaluation procedures.
• Develop participants’ skills in conceptualizing, designing, and articulating project proposals that effectively address the identified needs of people, specifically children, in line with funding agencies’ priorities and objectives.
• Provide participants with practical tools and techniques to ensure the overall quality, coherence, and responsiveness of proposals submitted for institutional funding.
• Strengthen participants’ ability to incorporate monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks into their proposals to meet the reporting requirements of funding agencies.
• Foster a collaborative learning environment for NGOs to share their experiences, challenges, and best practices in proposal writing.
• Enable participants to write a draft proposal for a suitable funding line based on their own problem analysis and project idea by the end of the workshop series.

Specific tasks

• Conduct an in-depth review of the funding guidelines, requirements, and priorities of BMZ, GFFO, and the EU to inform the training content.
• Develop a comprehensive curriculum for a four-day practice-orientated training workshop in person preferably in Moldova or Romania close to the Ukrainian border and three digital follow-up sessions, including interactive sessions, case studies, and group exercises.
• Cover key topics such as understanding donor priorities, project design and logical frameworks, budgeting, situational-, stakeholder- and risk-analysis, and theory of change.
• Provide practical guidance on conducting participatory needs assessments, stakeholder analysis, and incorporating gender, conflict (Do-No-Harm) and social inclusion perspectives in proposals.
• Facilitate sessions on result-based management, including indicator selection, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and impact assessment.
• Offer guidance on writing compelling narratives, structuring proposals, and ensuring alignment with the funding agencies’ required formats.
• Provide templates, tools, and resources to support NGOs in developing high-quality project proposals.
• Encourage interactive discussions, group work, and sharing of experiences among participants to foster peer learning in two digital follow-up sessions to the four days’ in person workshop
• Virtual counselling and facilitation of a peer-to-peer exchange between the participating NGOs in the preparation of a concrete application for one of the funding options presented

Expected deliverables

• Training curriculum and materials, including presentation slides, handouts, and templates (KNH will provide the results of a pre-training survey with interested partners).
• Training workshop agenda and session plans.
• Facilitator guide providing step-by-step instructions for conducting the training and engaging participants effectively.
• Pre-training meeting with KNH to discuss first draft of curriculum, training agenda and facilitator guide.
• Evaluation tools to measure participants’ satisfaction and knowledge gain from the training.
• Post-training report summarizing the training methodology, key outcomes, participant feedback, and recommendations for further capacity development.

Timeline

• The face-to-face training should take place on four consecutive days in November 2024 at the latest. Three digital follow-up and peer-to-peer exchange sessions of 2 hours each should take place until December 2024.
• The preparation of training materials and curriculum should be completed at least two weeks before the scheduled training dates.
• The post-training report should be submitted within four weeks after the completion of the training workshop sessions.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

• The training provider (company, team or at least two individual trainers) should demonstrate extensive experience in delivering capacity development programs, specifically in the area of proposal writing and institutional funding.
• In addition to English as the training language, the provider should also be able to organise translations into Romanian and Ukrainian if required.
• The provider should have prior knowledge and understanding of the BMZ, GFFO, and EU funding mechanisms.
• Experience working with NGOs and international development organizations is desirable.
• The provider should have excellent facilitation skills, including the ability to create an engaging and participatory learning environment.
• Strong communication and reporting skills are essential.
• The selection will be based on the provider’s technical proposal, relevant experience, expertise, and budget.

The ToR for the assignment can also be downloaded here: https://cloud.kindernothilfe.net/s/Gr5BFa3XzZrPLa3