2004 Announcement

The Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) is pleased to announce its Seed Grant and Small Innovative Projects Fund (SGSIP Fund) for the year 2004. Supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), GKP invites Letters of Inquiry for pilot projects or from new or ongoing small-scale initiatives, between US$10,000 to US$15,000, with a focus on developing countries. Priority will be given to small or locally-based organizations.

For ongoing small-scale initiatives, proposed projects can be limited to the identification and development of specific project components deemed urgent to complement or strengthen efforts to achieve the overall project's original objectives.

Projects proposed are expected to contribute to the achievement of one or both of the following objectives:

1. Facilitate innovation using ICTs from the ground-up to further strengthen and promote the growth and maturity of civil society participation in the Information Society.
2. Promote and facilitate the fertilization of multi-stakeholder partnerships for the upscaling and/or replication of small-scale and community-based initiatives.

DEADLINE: Letters of Inquiry are invited from now until 29th February 2004. Proposals will only be invited for submission based on Letters of Inquiry received and the suitability of the project proposed. Letters of Inquiry will be evaluated on a case-to-case basis and decisions are expected to be made within a maximum time-frame of one month after the deadline. To submit your Letter of Inquiry, please complete the online form. Proposal guidelines will only be provided to those invited to submit their full proposals (Request for Proposal). Some basic principles about writing a Letter of Inquiry can be found in Annex 1.

IMPORTANT: Please do NOT send us your proposals. All Letters of Inquiry submissions will have to be made in English.

Project/Project Component Term: To be successfully completed by 30th November 2004 or earlier.

Final reporting for grant provided: 15th December 2004

Intellectual Property Rights: In supporting any projects or project components, GKP would like to be able to publish and or disseminate the experience or results of the project concerned through any method and means, freely and without reservation, towards the realization of its vision and mission.

PRIORITY AREAS OF FOCUS

Projects may either aim at an intended group of beneficiaries or at addressing an issue. Special preference will be given to projects designed and implemented by minority or disadvantaged groups, such as women, youth, indigenous communities and the poor. The four priority areas of focus for grant-making are:

1. ICTs for Women's Empowerment
2. ICTs for Youth Participation
3. Indigenous & Displaced Communities & ICTs
4. ICTs for Poverty Reduction

Issues addressed could include, but not necessarily be limited to:

• Accessibility and affordability of ICTs
• Social, political and/or economic empowerment and participation
• Human rights advocacy, knowledge and awareness-raising
• Gender equity and equality
• Non-discrimination
• Violence Against Women (VAW)
• E-health
• E-learning/life-long learning

Criteria for Selection and Implementation

• Strategic use of ICTs
• Capacity-building, information-sharing and knowledge creation
• Mobilisation and participation
• Ground-up relevance and grassroots links
• Use and mix of new media with traditional media and the arts (theatre, music/dance, writing, art).
• Diversity of stakeholder involvement
• Inclusive, participatory and transparent management practices and implementation
• Clearly identified monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and tools

[NOTE: Criteria are not ordered in terms of priority and each need not necessarily be given the same weightage in final selection for funding]

For more information, please contact:  SGSIP Fund (seedgrant@gkpsecretariat.org.my) An online form to submit your Letter of Inquiry is available on the GKP portal (http://www.globalknowledge.org/)

>>> Click here to submit your Letter of Inquiry - Online Form

Date of this Document: 27th January 2004

Letter of Inquiry: Some Basic Principles

A Letter of Inquiry is not a vague exploration of an idea. It is assumed that you have already thought through your proposed project and are just presenting an abbreviated description. This abbreviated description would still have to include a budget.

Your Letter of Inquiry should be concise as far as possible. Please avoid jargon, flattery, and/or flowery subjective statements that cannot be supported by facts or others' statements.

A Letter of Inquiry, in essence, contains a condensed version of the basic components of a proposal. You should give the highlights of the same information in much the same order. For example, where you might use a page to write up an executive summary, in a Letter of Inquiry, you would cover the same content within a paragraph.

Your Letter of Inquiry to the Global Knowledge Partnership Secretariat should not be more than three pages long (1,500 words maximum).

In your Letter of Inquiry, please ensure that you have the following elements:

1. Opening Paragraph
   1. This serves as your summary statement.
   2. It should be able to stand-alone. We should be able to know what you want to do from reading this paragraph, and what exactly you want from us.
   3. Answer the following: Who wants to do what? How much is being requested? Is this a portion of a larger project cost? Over what period of time is money being requested?
      
      
2. Statement of Need (1-2 paragraphs)
   1. This section answers the "why" of the project.
   2. Explain what issue you are addressing.
   3. Explain why you have chosen to respond to this set of issues in the way that you have.
   4. State briefly why this matters in the area in which you will be working.
   5. Note who benefits. Make sure you can indicate the public good achieved.
      
      
3. Project Activity (this will be the bulk of your letter)
   1. This section answers the "what" and "how" of the project.
   2. Give a general overview of the activities involved. Give more detailed information to the degree that space allows.
   3. Highlight why your approach is novel and deserving of the special attention that funding connotes.
   4. Indicate if there will be collaboration with other organizations and what their roles will be. Be specific about who does what.
      
      
4. Outcomes (1-2 paragraphs; you can put this before or after the discussion of activities)
   1. State the specific outcomes you hope to achieve.
   2. Indicate how evaluation is part of the project - how will you know you've achieved these outcomes?
      
      
5. Credentials (1-2 paragraphs)
   1. Demonstrate why your institution or your staff is best equipped to carry out this activity.
   2. Put any historic background about the institution here.
   3. Be always substantive. Indicate awards, rankings, and tangible measures that set you apart from your peers.
      
      
6. Budget (1-2 paragraphs)
   1. State what the total project cost will be and how much of that you would be requesting. Indicate broad categories of activities to be funded.
   2. Include other sources of funding, both cash and in-kind. Especially indicate what your institution will contribute. Do not overlook the value of all in-kind contributions, including those of your collaborators. In valuing your in-kind contributions, be realistic. Do not unnecessarily inflate any figures.
      
7. Closing (1 paragraph)
   1. Offer to give any additional information the foundation might need.
   2. Give a contact name and contact information for foundation follow-up.
   3. Express appreciation for the reader's attention or the opportunity to submit if it is in response to a Request for Proposals (RFP).
   4. Specifically indicate you are interested in discussing the project and will "contact their office" by a certain date (allowing time for them to receive and read the letter).
      
8. Generally it is best to have the highest ranking person available 'sign' the letter even if they are not identified as the "contact" person. This indicates institutional support.

The Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) is a worldwide network committed to harnessing the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for sustainable and equitable development. GKP’s vision is a world of equal opportunities where all people can access and use knowledge and information to improve their lives. The network enables the sharing of information, experiences and resources to help reduce poverty and empower people.

Within the GKP framework, governments, civil society groups, donor agencies, private sector companies and inter-governmental organisations come together as equals to apply ICTs for development (ICT4D). Such alliances are known as ‘multi-stakeholder partnerships’, a relatively new approach to forging collaborations among different sectors sharing a common vision and goal.

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