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Ecological Awards Program (Eco-Awards Program)

Request for Proposals

Organizational Background

Eurasia Partnership Foundation’s (EPF) mission is to empower people to
effect change for social justice and economic prosperity through hands-on
programs, helping them to improve their communities and their own lives.
With locally registered offices in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, EPF is
the legacy institution of Eurasia Foundation (EF), a privately managed
non-profit organization established in 1992 to deliver seed capital to
emerging civil society organizations in the former Soviet countries.
Supported by the United States Agency for International Development and
other public and private donors, EF has invested nearly $70 million in the
South Caucasus through more than 1,700 grants and programs since 1992.

EPF is both a grant maker and a program implementer and is guided by six
program mandates and approaches: Civic Participation and Monitoring,
Corporate and Community Philanthropy, Research and Policy Capacity Building,
Business Environment Improvement, Cross Border Cooperation and Open Door
Grant Making. More information on EPF’s programs and priorities can be found
at <; .

The program is initiated and funded by BP on behalf of its co-venturers in
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC Co.) and the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP Co.)
companies. It is designed to reward those individuals and organizations
involved in promoting awareness and protection of the environment.

BP is one of the world’s largest energy companies, operating in around 100
countries. BP first came to Georgia in 1996 and, on behalf of its partners,
now operates three major pipelines: the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline
(BTC), the Western Route Export oil pipeline (WREP) and the South Caucasus
Gas pipeline (SCP). BP also operates an aviation fuel business – Air BP – at
Tbilisi’s International Airport. Safe and reliable operations are BP’s
number one priority. You can find out more at
<; .

Invitation to Grants Competition

EPF invites non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to submit grant proposals
focused on the sustainable use of natural resources by educating and
mobilizing communities and engaging in economic development that promotes
environmental preservation.

The deadline for the submission of proposals is January 19, 2009.

Problem Statement

Human activities put significant negative pressure on Georgia’s environment.
These activities can be attributed to economic hardship during the
post-communist transition and a lack of public awareness and state
regulation. These pressures have manifested themselves in various aspects of
environmental degradation, such as an increase in pollution, overgrazing,
deforestation, a decrease in biodiversity and the increased incurrence of
natural disasters, among others.

Program Goal and Objectives

The program aims at promoting the responsible use of natural resources
through projects that conserve the environment while sustaining the
well-being of local people. It will do this by:

* Promoting the use of clean, cost-effective technologies and
practices that have a reduced impact on the environment (the use of energy,
the use of environmentally friendly agricultural technologies, etc)

* Educating communities about the negative impact of certain
traditional activities;

* Mobilizing local communities to solve important environmental
problems;

* Providing economic development opportunities that promote
environmental preservation;

* Building awareness of specific environmental hazards and raising
capacity in managing these hazards (e.g. forest fires, land slides, etc)

The proposal may address any of the priority environmental areas, such as
water and soil pollution, preservation of biodiversity, responsible use of
forests, natural disaster prevention, etc. Projects can be geographically
focused and address the needs of specific ecosystems and communities.

Limitations and restrictions

The competition will not support pure research or the development of policy
documents.

Eligible Organizations

The competition will be open to both Tbilisi-based and regional NGOs. The
program’s focus on local communities naturally calls for partnerships
between Tbilisi-based and local NGOs or community based organizations (CBOs)
if a proposal is submitted by a Tbilisi-based NGO.

Project Duration and Eligible Funding

The project duration can range from 6 to 18 months. The lower limit of grant
funding is USD 20,000. The upper limit is USD 100,000. Fund leveraging from
other interested organizations is encouraged.

Selection Process

To ensure an objective and non-discriminatory selection process, proposals
will be reviewed by a board of independent experts. The final decision on
grant awards will be made by EPF.

During the review process, additional information may be requested. The
applicant will be asked to present any requested information within five
working days of the request.

Selection Criteria

EPF will employ its standard selection criteria for grant proposals,
including:

* Degree of compliance with the objectives and conditions of the
competition;

* Effectiveness of project design;

* Cost-effectiveness of the project;

* Organization’s capacity to implement the project, as demonstrated
by (1) successful implementation of previous projects and (2) professional
qualifications of the organization’s leaders and project participants.

* Organization’s capacity to manage donor-funded projects:
financial stability, effective system of internal controls, professionalism
and competence of accounting and financial staff of organization and
experience in managing grants received from other donors;

In addition, the following criteria will be applied:

* Potential for generating concrete, tangible short-term and
long-term results;

* Programmatic and financial feasibility;

* Use of internationally proven models and technologies;

* Existence of limited risks;

* Alliances among NGOs and CBOs and NGOs, businesses and
governmental agencies are encouraged;

* Programmatic and financial sustainability.

Use of funds

Project expenses may include the following types of expenses, based on the
specific needs of the particular project:

– Wages and fees;

– Publication, purchase, copying, and delivery of training
materials;

– Travel and related expenses;

– Communication and administrative expenses;

– Other direct costs associated with project implementation.

Evaluation of Project Results

During the review of competition proposals, special attention will be paid
to the proposed criteria and mechanisms for evaluation of project results.
The projects shall include both project evaluation criteria and
corresponding indicators. Applicants are requested to collect or provide
baseline data on the indicators included in the project.

Following the completion of projects implemented through the competition,
EPF will carry out an evaluation to determine the degree to which the
project accomplished its aims.

Application Submission Procedure

Applicant organizations shall present the following documents:

* Five copies of the proposal in Georgian, Russian or English;

* Other documents specified in the "Application Packet" and the
"Grants Management Questionnaire" to be found on the EPF web-site
( <; );

* A detailed itemized budget, based on the "Grant Budget Worksheet"
found on the EPF web-site.

All materials and documents submitted for the competition shall be retained
by EPF for record and will not be returned to the applicant. Applicants may
request copies of their proposals. The Foundation guarantees the
confidentiality of applications. The Foundation does not use information
presented by the applicants for purposes other than review and does not
provide this information to any outside persons or institutions, except in
cases where it is required by Georgian law or by EPF’s funders.

The program’s open door session will be held at 3 p.m. on December 10, 2008
at the Auditorium of the Georgian National Museum at 3 Purtseladze Street.
In addition, EPF will provide consultations on how to prepare an application
to interested organizations (the time provided below).

Contact Information

Eurasia Partnership Foundation Georgia Office is located at 3 Kavsadze St.,
Tbilisi, Georgia 0108, Tel/Fax: (99532) 25 39 42/43, 22 32 64.

The contact persons for this competition are Viktor Baramia, Program Manager
and Nino Sutidze, Program Assistant. All proposals should be submitted in
hard copies to Nino Sutidze.

Competition Timeline

Competition announcement: December 4, 2008

Application Help Session at EPF Office: December 26, 2008, 4:00 p.m.

Deadline for submission of applications: January 19, 2009, 6:00 p.m.

Award announcement: January 28, 2009