Berghof Foundation’s Grant for Innovation

Deadline: 7 July, 2012
Open to: All Countries
Grant: 30,000 Euro per year

Description

The Berghof Foundation is dedicated to supporting conflict stakeholders and actors in their efforts to achieve sustainable peace through peacebuilding and conflict transformation. The Foundation’s grantmaking budget supports state-of-the-art conflict transformation projects that complement its operational activities in various synergistic ways.
Amongst the three grant programmes maintained by the Foundation, the Grant for Innovation in Conflict Transformation has currently issued a call for proposals 2012. This year, the thematic focus is “Virtual Spaces for Conflict Transformation” to support projects exploring the role of internet based platforms and social media as a catalyst for conflict transformation. The proposals should contribute to:

• conceptualising virtual ‘Spaces for Conflict Transformation’ in the area of conflict research, peace support and peace education;
• improving existing tools and platforms to support conflict transformation with means of virtual communication,
• information and social networking;
• creating new tools and platforms to support conflict transformation in local, regional and global settings;
• providing ‘lessons learned’ from the use of virtual tools for violence prevention, crisis management and conflict transformation;
• developing ‘virtual’ learning and information platforms aimed at socialising a culture of non-violence.

Eligibility

There are no geographic limitations for this programme. Both organisations and individuals are eligible to apply.

Grant

There is no minimum grant request, and the maximum grant amount is 30,000 Euro per year. The maximum project duration is two years. Willingness on the part of the applicant to provide matching funds is regarded favourably.
Details regarding grant agreements, monitoring and the evaluation of projects may vary depending on the grant programme concerned. With the award of each grant, we reach an agreement with recipients regarding the deliverables of the project. The Full Application itself forms an attachment to this agreement. The implementation of all projects will be monitored by Berghof Foundation staff. For a subset of all grants, results will be evaluated upon completion of the project.

Application

In order to manage the process effectively, the application process is divided into two phases.

Phase One: Initial Application

To submit an Initial Application, applicants for all our grant programmes must complete the Foundation’s online Grant Application Form. The online Grant Application Form requires applicants to provide data about themselves and the project. Applicants are also asked to upload two documents in PDFformat: a Letter of Inquiry and the relevant CVs. The Letter of Inquiry must be 2-3 pages long, typed in a font no smaller than 12 pt (preferably Arial or equivalent). All relevant CVs must be combined into one PDF document.
For the Grant for Innovation in Conflict Transformation and the Georg Zundel Scholarship the Letter of Inquiry must address the following points:

• Objectives – what are the objectives of the project and what are its expected outcomes? Please specify in particular its innovative elements, its distinct benefit and its added value with regard to existing knowledge and practice.
• Planning – which methodology do you seek to apply, which people will be involved and what will be the major milestones in the project timeline?
• Relevance – how does the project correspond to the objectives of the Berghof Foundation’s funding strategy in general, as well as the grant programme and the specific tender it concerns in particular?

Alternatively, for the Strategic Partnering Initiative the Letter of Inquiry must address the following points:

• Content – what does your contribution to the project focus on, how does it correspond with the overall objectives of the project and collaboration?
• Planning – which people will be involved from your side and which methodology would you seek to apply?
• Relevance – how does your proposed project share contribute to achieve the project objectives, how would you define its distinct benefit and added value?
• Partnering – what are your ideas about developing collaboration and partnering with the Berghof Foundation within the project time-line and beyond.
• Budget – specify the breakdown of your share of funds for the project’s entire duration, indicate – if applicable – the potential amount of available matching funds.

Phase Two: Full Application

Those eligible to submit a Full Application for a grant request will be contacted by a Foundation representative. Depending on the grant programme applied for, the vetting process may also include due diligence measures. Applicants that have not been successful will receive no further information.

Unless stated otherwise, the Full Application must be a maximum of 10 pages long, typed in font no smaller than 12 pt (preferably Arial or equivalent). It must elaborate the plans laid out in the Initial Application and should include: