Frequently asked questions on Competitive Selection for Grants

• Who is eligible to apply for a Grant?

  Only Fund member states may apply for a grant. Grant Agreement is signed by the member state and the EDB, acting in its capacity of the EFSD Resources Manager. The countries, eligible to apply for the available grants, are: Republic of Armenia, Republic of Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic.

• How to apply for a Grant?

  The Application is filed with a Cover Letter of the Ministry of Finance:

  • in hard copy posted to the following address: 12 Krasnopresnenskaya emb., 12, entrance 9, Moscow 123610 or delivered to the EDB Representative Office to be forwarded to the EFSD Secretariat;
  • and as scanned copies and in Word and Excel formats emailed to: secretariat_efsd@eabr.org.
• Who signs the Grant Application?

  The Application should be signed by the head of the potential Grant Recipient's executive agency, authorized to ensure preparation and implementation of the Project. As a general rule, it is signed by the Minister, responsible for the Project supervision.

• Who should the Cover Letter be addressed to?

  It should be addressed to the Chairman of the Fund Council (Finance Minister of the Russian Federation).

• Who signs the Grant Application Cover Letter?

  It should be signed by the member of the Fund Council, representing the potential Grant Recipient (Minister of Finance of the said Grant Applicant's country).

• How many Grant Applications can be filed by one member state?

  Unlimited number of Applications can be filed by one country. Yet, the overall limit should be considered and the per-project amounts (US$ 0.5 - 5 million).

• Is it possible to re-submit an Application, if it was rejected during the previous EFSD Grants Competitive Selection?

  Yes, it is, and such Application will be examined by the Manager.

• What projects qualify for a Grant?

  The EFSD provides funding for projects in the following sectors:

  • Education;
  • Healthcare;
  • Public administration;
  • Social security and protection, including food security.

  Projects must comply with the requirements of the Statutes of Incorporation of the Fund, the Regulation on Provision of Grants and mandatory Criteria for Selection of Projects, and the Manager focuses specifically on sustainability of Project outcomes.

• In what language should the Application be submitted?

  In Russian.

• Is it possible to submit a draft Application for prior review before the Competitive Selection?

  No. Only duly completed and signed applications will be examined.

• Should the projects, submitted for selection, be incorporated into a government program?

  Not a mandatory requirement, but it may be indicative of the Fund member state's social and economic priorities, pursued by the proposed project, and, hence, of its compliance with the relevance criterion, which is one of the most essential for selection.

• Is it possible to merge several projects into one Application?

  Applications are filed for each project separately.

• Do project preparation activities qualify for a project?

  No.

• How should project indicators be identified?

  The indicators and their number are determined at the Applicant's discretion based on the Project goals.

• How does the Manager describe the concept of Project Sustainability?

  The continuation of projects benefits and impact after the project itself has ended.

• What is the process of examination of the submitted Grant Application?

  The Fund performs a preliminary review of the filed Applications in accordance with the requirements of the Regulation on Provision of Grants and the approved Selection Criteria, and produces an Appraisal documents for each Application.

  Next, the Application materials are submitted to the Fund Council of Experts (see. Fund Governing Bodies), which makes a list of Applications for further detailed appraisal.

  In the process of detailed appraisal, the Manager performs collection of relevant information and documents with a view to obtaining data on the current status of the Project, its participants, potential environmental and social impacts.

  Then the Fund Council determines the list of projects for negotiating the conditions of financing with potential Grant Recipients.

  Given below is the flow-chart of examination of Applications in a Competitive Selection:

  
• How are the Applicants notified of the Competitive Selection's outcome?

  Following completion of the Competitive Selection, the appraisal results are communicated to the Applicants in special Information Notices (according to lists of contacts appended to the Applications).

• What are the next steps of the Manager and the Recipient after the Application has been approved?

  Upon approval of the Application by the Fund Council, the Manager, together with the Recipient, works on conditions of the Grant, prepares and signs the Grant Agreement.

  Next comes ratification of the Agreement in accordance with the laws of the country and the Manager's verification of compliance with conditions of its entry into force, including preparation of the Project Implementation Guidelines and Procurement Plan, and their approval by the Manager.

  Thereafter, the Manager notifies the Recipient of the Agreement's entry into force, and project implementation activities get underway.

  Given below is a compact flow-chart of steps that follow the approval of an Application by the EFSD Council: