Shifts in donor approaches and priorities have led to a situation in which resources are declining for global and regional civil society networks. Also: while monies do flow to civil society, especially through PEPFAR and the Global Fund for HIV, TB & Malaria, it is still challenging for resources to reach the small, strategic and grassroots-based organizations that can often achieve the most.

Q & A

The networks support their members directly to provide better and more targeted services, and to engage most effectively in national dialogue relating to policy, resourcing of the response and access issues. Civil society networks have proven to be uniquely placed to reach and work with underserved populations and play an especially strong role in advocacy, including policy dialogue and influence by securing the voice and leadership of the grassroots and populations most affected. When heard at the right level the networks create important policy developments at global, regional and national levels that then cascade and can lead to more effective and efficient national and local programmes (delivered by governments as well as civil society).

The donors that support the RC-NF acknowledge these roles of civil society, and the regional and global networks supporting grassroots work. The RC-NF therefore seeks to provide a more sustainable funding stream that will enable networks to mobilise matched resources and address these barriers through providing funding for:

Applicants must clearly demonstrate how core support and program funding will contribute to achieving defined outcomes, and how progress will be monitored. Applicants are encouraged to seek the establishment of relevant collaboration, synergies or division of labor with other global and/or regional networks, as well as with those at national level, as appropriate. Applications from individual global and regional networks organizations are also welcome and will be reviewed with careful attention given to the distinction between these two types of organizations (global or regional).

Global networks, regional networks and alliances of networks (a combination of global and regional, or otherwise) that:

Please submit your questions regarding an application towards the Robert Carr civil society Networks Fund to rcnf@aidsfonds.nl. We will try to provide an answer as soon as possible. The questions and answers will be made anonymous and will be posted on this website. Please note that questions have to be submitted before 24 August to ensure an answer before the application deadline (1 September).

Downloads:

All proposals must be received by 1 September, 2012. No applications will be considered after this date. Only applications submitted through the provided Application and Budget Form 2012 will be considered. The Fund Management Agent will facilitate the review process by the Program Advisory Panel and present recommendations for funding to the International Steering Committee. The date before which the ISC will finalize its decision making process will be communicated in due course (and not later than 1 September 2012).

Applications and/or questions related to this process can be submitted electronically to:

rcnf@aidsfonds.nl but please check the Q & A first.