1. Applicants’ eligibility
1.1. Type of structure
§ Are NGOs and private companies allowed to submit a project?
Yes, the present Call for proposals is open to Non-Governmental Organisations, cultural enterprises, private education or research institutions and other private entities, provided that the project is non-profit making and they meet all the eligibility criteria (see Guidelines §2.1.1). Applicants who have been provisionally selected will be requested to submit the official documents allowing to verify the establishment of the private legal entity (see Guidelines, §2.4).
1.2. Capacity to implement the actions
§ How will the ACP Secretariat check the partnership financial capacity, in particular the applicants’?
By first checking information included in Section II of the application form. Provisionally selected applicants will moreover have to provide other official documents allowing to check their eligibility (see Guidelines §2.4).
§ Our organization was set up less than 24 months ago but as individuals we have wide experience. Is our project eligible for a grant?
In this area, the eligibility criteria is the organization’s registration date, which should have happened more than two years ago (see Guidelines, §2.1.1). An organization registered less than two years ago is thus not eligible, notwithstanding its employees’ individual experience. Pre-selected applicants should provide the official documents allowing to check their eligibility in relation to the registration date of the private legal entity (see Guidelines, §2.4)
1.3. Nationality
§ I am a cultural operator from Cuba and would like to submit a project with South-African operators. Are we eligible for a grant?
Operators from Cuba – a country for which the participation in the Cotonou Agreement has not yet been concretised - are not eligible as applicants, only as partners or associates and may not be awarded any grant. The final beneficiaries of the activities implemented by Cuban or South-African operators have to be always the population from ACP States other than Cuba or South-Africa (see Guidelines, §2.1.1).
§ May operators from Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) participate in the programme?
Yes, as applicants or partners but always subject to certain conditions. Activities taking place in the OCTs can be eligible too as long as the final beneficiaries of the action are the population from ACP States. No component of the project can benefit operators located in the OCTs (see Guidelines, §2.1.1).
§ How will the ACP Secretariat check the nationality of the applicant and the partners?
Pre-selected proposals must submit any official document allowing to check the partners’ eligibility in relation to the nationality criteria (see Guidelines, §2.4). The statutes or articles of association of the applicant organisation and each partner must demonstrate that the organization in question has been established by an instrument governed by the internal law of an eligible country.
1.4. Other
§ Is the programme opened to National Museums?
No. Public bodies and public-owned corporations are not eligible as applicants or partners, since the programme aims at private legal entities. Nevertheless they can participate in the project as associates (see Guidelines §2.1.1 and 2.1.2).
§ It seems that the objective of the programme is to reinforce the capacities of the ACP cultural operators. Does it mean that the applicant must be from an ACP country or that the European applicants must work in partnership with ACP operators?
The EU-ACP Support programme to cultural industries in ACP countries is an intra-ACP programme funded by the 9th EDF. It means that it must benefit several countries and regions within the ACP Group of States and notably contribute to regional integration. This is why applicants are requested to submit their proposals with partner organisations.
Applicants, either from ACP States or from the EU, must always act in partnership and the number of partners located in ACP States must always be greater than the number of partners from EU Member States. Partnership with organizations from EU Member States is not imperative (see Guidelines §2.1.2.).
Special attention will be paid to actions carried out in partnerships where the majority of partners are from ACP countries (see Guidelines §1.2).
2. Partners’ eligibility
§ I am an African cultural operator, may I work with someone from my own country?
Yes, provided that the number of partners is sufficient for representing at least three different ACP States, belonging to at least two different ACP regions (see Guidelines, §2.1.2.).
§ I am a European cultural operator, must I work with ACP partners?
Yes, applicants from EU Member States must enter into a partnership with at least three ACP organizations, located in different ACP regions from at least two different ACP geographical zones within the three beneficiary zones (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific).
§ May I have American/Brazilian… associates?
Yes, as associates do not have to meet the eligibility criteria referred to in Chapter 2.1.1 of the Guidelines (see Guidelines §2.1.2.).
§ As a partner may I submit more than one project under this Call for proposals?
Yes, if you have the necessary capacity (human resources, equipment, management of budget) (see Guidelines, evaluation grid) and as long as you implement (as a partner) different actions for each project, since no single action may receive more than one grant funded by the EC or by the EDF (non-cumulation principle) (see Practical Guide to Contract Procedures for EC External Actions, § 6.2.7).
§ Who may participate as a partner?
Applicants’ partners participate in designing and implementing the action and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the grant Beneficiary. They must therefore satisfy the same eligibility criteria than the applicants as referred to in point 2.1.1 of the Guidelines (see guidelines, §2.1.2).
§ How will the ACP Secretariat check the partnership viability?
By examining a part of the responses provided in the application form. Provisionally selected applicants will be requested to supply a Cooperation Agreement, defining the specific and financial rights, as well as the obligations of each partnership member. Special attention will be paid to coordination activities among members of the partnership along the duration of the action (see Guidelines, §2.1.2 and 2.4).
§ I understood that each partner should fill in a description in the Form, and a Partnership declaration. But what is the supporting documentation requested from each partner?
None at the time of submitting the proposal. Pre-selected proposals will be asked to submit the statutes or articles of each partner organisation (See Guidelines § 2.4).
3. Actions’ eligibility
3.1. Duration of the actions
§ Every year we organise a theatre festival. May we benefit of a grant for the organization of the next festival?
The action must not have duration lower than 12 months. A theatre festival can only be a part of a wider project benefiting the population of the ACP States referred to in point 2.1.1 of the Guidelines (see Guidelines§2.1.3).
§ We have started implementing a 5-years project and would like to finance it partly with a grant under this call. Is it possible?
The action proposed may be included in a long-term global project, but all project’s activities (which should form a coherent whole and reach concrete results), financed by the programme should be carried out before 31st December 2012, and the duration of the action cannot exceed 30 months (see Guidelines§2.1.3)
3.2. Sectors or themes
§ We would like to organise an ACP cinema festival. Can we obtain financing in the context of your programme?
No. The Programme is opened to all areas of cultural and artistic expression, except cinema and audiovisual, which falls under the “EU-ACP Support programme to ACP cinema and audiovisual”. Information concerning any cinema or audiovisual-related activities can be found at the following address: http://www.acpfilms.eu
§ May a project concerning theatre, literature, dance and plastic arts be financed?
Yes, the programme covers all aspects of cultural development and all areas of artistic and cultural expression (with the exception of cinema and audiovisual). Multi-disciplinary actions or of transversal interest are eligible under the programme and may benefit of a grant provided that they satisfy the eligibility criteria (see Guidelines §2.1.3)
3.3. Eligible geographical areas
§ We would like to organize a music festival in Europe. Are we eligible for a grant?
Yes. Part of the action can take place in one or several EU Member States, provided that the final beneficiaries are always the population from ACP States (other than Cuba and South Africa).
In any case, special attention will be paid to actions taking place entirely in ACP States and involving the three ACP geographical zones (see Guidelines §1.2).
3.4. Type of actions
§ We would like to submit an action that may concern Lot 1 and Lot 2, should we submit a proposal concerning both Lots at the same or rather two different proposals for each Lot?
No. An applicant may not submit more than one (1) proposal and this proposal must concern one Lot only. Applicants submitting two proposals or one single proposal for the two Lots will see all the applications rejected by the Evaluation Committee (see Guidelines §2.1.3).
3.5. Other
§ My project consists of a conference on the ACP partnerships and cultural exchanges, is it eligible?
No, one-off conferences are not eligible. A conference could only be founded as part of a wider range of activities to be implemented in the lifetime of the action (see Guidelines §2.2.3).
§ Could you indicate whether our project could be eligible under this Call for proposals?
In the interest of equal treatment of applicants, the ACP Secretariat cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of an applicant, a partner or an Action (see Guidelines §2.2.4).
4. Costs’ eligibility
§ For my proposal, I have already been awarded some funds from the «Regional Fond for the Promotion of Cooperation and Cultural Exchanges in West Africa» and from the Cultural Initiatives Support Programme (“PSIC”), may I present this funds as my contribution to co-financing?
No. The applicant must co-finance his project with funding from other sources than the EC budget or the European development Fund (see Practical Guide to Contract Procedures for EC External Action, § 6.2.9 and Guidelines, §1.3).
§ The Guidelines mentions that at least 20% of the budget for the project must be financed from the applicant’s or partners’ own resources, does it mean money, or services?
The co-financing by the applicant and his partners may consist of money, but also of services, as the cost of staff affected to the Action may be considered as co-financing within the budget, provided that it is paid by the Beneficiary or his partners (see Guidelines, §2.1.4 concerning contributions in kind).
§ If I am awarded a grant, how can costs be justified?
Costs must be real costs, based on supporting documents; except subsistence costs and indirect costs, for which lump sum financing is used (see Guidelines, §2.1.4). For each cost mentioned in the financial report a supporting document should be provided as requested in the general conditions of the Grant Contract (see Annex H). In conformity with the provisions of the contract, an audit report should be attached to any request of grant payments in order to justify the eligibility of the expenditure incurred when carrying out the Action (see Guidelines, §2.1.4).
§ May I include in the budget my staff’s salaries?
Yes, as long as the employees are affected to the action on a regular or repetitive basis. The calculation will be made by multiplying the number of days/months the person in question is affected to the Action for the salary/honoraries per day/month if applicable (see Annex B, footnote 4).
§ May I purchase computers?
Yes, provided that the price of the computers or of any other equipment used for implementing the action do not exceed 15% of the total eligible costs (See §2.1.4).
§ May I purchase a building to set a dance academy?
Purchases of buildings are not eligible costs, except where necessary for the direct implementation of the Action. In that case, ownership must be transferred to the final beneficiaries and/or the Beneficiary’s local partners (see Guidelines §2.1.4 and Annex H- General Conditions of the Grant Contract).
§ May using my own car be considered as co-financing?
No, as the car is a contribution in kind and cannot be considered as co-financing. (See Guidelines §2.1.4).
§ What is it imperative to include in the budget?
An amount of maximum 5.000 € per year must be entered to allow for the coordinator to participate to thematic/accompanying meetings about the implementation of grant contracts, organised in Brussels by the ACP Secretariat.
Applicant should include in the budget the necessary resources to allow the audit/certification of underlying accounts for any request of interim payments and payment of a balance of the grant.
Applications should include budget for a communication and visibility strategic plan, as well as a monitoring and evaluation system for the proposed action.
5. Presenting the application
§ Can I send my proposal in Spanish or Portuguese?
No, as the proposals must be drafted either in English or in French (see Guidelines, §2.2.1).
§ Can I send my proposal by fax or e-mail?
No, proposals must be submitted in a sealed envelope, by registered mail, by an express courier or in hand-delivery to the address indicated in section 2.2.2 of the Guidelines.
§ How many copies of the documents do I have to send?
Applications must be submitted in one original and one (1) copy in A4 format, each bound. Applicants must provide in the same envelope a CD-ROM containing exactly the same version of the full grant application form, the budget and the logical framework as the paper version enclosed (see guidelines §2.2.2).
§ What happens if the communications between my country and Belgium are slow?
The applicant is the sole responsible for the choice of means of expedition and for following-up the delivery. The deadline for submission is set in the Guidelines, as evidenced by the date of dispatch, the postmark or the date of the deposit slip (see guidelines §2.2.3).
§ We are submitting a proposal, do we have to submit the supporting documents mentioned in point 2.4 of the Guidelines at the same time?