Assessment of applications
The Creating Safer Space network is committed to assessing grant applications fairly, to ensure the best projects are funded. When you have submitted your application, the Creating Safer Space administrative team will check the application to ensure it meets the stated criteria (e.g., in respect to eligibility, allowable costs, supporting documents and word limits).
The application will then be reviewed by an Assessment Panel. Before the panel meeting, 2 panel members (for the Small Grant) or 3 panel members (for the Large Grant) will assess the application against the criteria summarized on page 7-8. The panel members will assess the application independently of each other, so as not to influence each other’s scores. Each panel member will give the application a score between 1 and 6, where 1 is ‘unfundable’ and 6 is ‘exceptional’. The Assessment Panel will then meet online to discuss the suggested scores, to agree on the final grade, and to rank applications in order of funding priority.
A final decision is made by the Executive Committee of the Creating Safer Space network. The Executive Committee will not re-rank proposals, but it will decide how many projects to fund. It will also decide whether to fund the most highly ranked proposals overall, or the most highly ranked proposals for each core country (Colombia, South Sudan, Myanmar and the Philippines) to ensure a balanced portfolio of projects.
Setting up projects
We will inform you of the outcome approximately 6 weeks after the application deadline. Unsuccessful projects will be welcome to request feedback. Successful projects will be informed of the next steps, which are also described on our website. It normally takes approximately 4-5 months to conclude the required contracts and to undertake other start-up requirements. The start dates for each grant are listed on page 5.
During projects
Grant holders will be expected to provide regular progress reports, to participate in workshops to share project findings, to contribute to network-wide dissemination and knowledge exchange activities, and to contribute to the Creating Safer Space network in other ways. We are particularly keen to encourage grant holders to use participatory and creative research methods in their Creating Safer Space projects and their wider work, and grant holders are expected to participate in training, collaboration and exchange workshops and to engage with mentoring initiatives.