Professional Documents
Culture Documents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.
PROGRAM BACKGROUND.............................................................................. 4
II.
SECTOR DEVELOPMENTS.............................................................................. 5
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
1.
2.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
3.
A.
B.
C.
COMMUNICATIONS PLAN............................................................................ 62
REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS OBJECTIVES: ............................................................... 62
AUDIENCES & MESSAGES: ............................................................................................ 62
MAIN COMMUNICATIONS PRODUCTS AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE ................................ 63
MONITORING AND EVALUATION:................................................................................... 65
4.
COMMUNICATIONS PLAN............................................................................ 67
FUNDRAISING TARGETS FOR 2009 .............................................................................. 67
1)
GEORGIA ............................................................................................................. 67
2)
CROSS-BORDER.................................................................................................. 68
3)
CRRC .................................................................................................................. 68
5.
I.
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
II.
SECTOR DEVELOPMENTS
III.
Eurasia Foundation (EF) supports programs in five areas: Creating Opportunities for
Civic and Economic Participation, Building Capacity for Evidence-Based Research to
Improve Policy-Making, Fostering a Culture of Corporate and Community
Philanthropy, Cross-Border Cooperation, and Open Door Grant Making in Georgia.
The majority of its activities are implemented by the Eurasia Partnership Foundation
(EPF), now a member of the Eurasia Foundation Network. EPF started full
operations in February 2008. Transforming the EF field office in Georgia into an
independent local foundation that is governed and managed according to the
highest international standards is an important element of EFs goals in building
civil society institutions in Georgia.
EPF is both a grant maker and a program implementer, focused on (1) fostering the
active and informed participation of Georgian community groups, NGOs and media
outlets in their communities political and economic decision-making through
monitoring, (2) promoting civic participation in the process of Georgias integration
into the European Union, (3) involving local youth as active citizens in the
development of their communities in Georgia, (4) promoting philanthropy and
sustainability of NGOs and (5) building confidence across the region of the South
Caucasus by leveraging regional economies of scale, exchanging regional and
international best practices, sharing innovative ideas, and fostering cooperative
networks among civil society, media, and businesses from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and
Georgia.
While each grant awardmade through both targeted grant competitions and the
open door mechanismmeets unique program objectives set jointly by the grantee
and EPF, all of EPFs grants also build the institutional capacity of partners in the
fields of financial accountability, program design and monitoring.
In FY08, EPF made grants to 68 local organizations (31 with Sida funds) in Georgia
to foster civic participation, including grants to a number of organizations through
the open door mechanism, which is designed to address emerging needs outside
of EPFs priority areas through innovative or pilot type projects. Below please find a
brief update about program outcomes and impacts and a summary of activities
planned for 2009. A comprehensive list of activities be found in the 2009 work plan
beginning on p. 34.
Civic Monitoring
With Sida funding, EPF awarded grants to support investigative journalism,
contribute to reform of the judiciary, monitor budget allocations, increase access to
information during the elections and promote transparent decision-making. As with
previous projects, EPF emphasized collaboration between civil society groups and
the media (especially regional) to facilitate information dissemination and promote
the role of the media as a civic watchdog.
EPFs civic monitoring program contributed to enhanced participation of betterinformed communities in the monitoring process. EPF facilitated a dialogue between
CSOs and the local and central government to jointly tackle problems identified by
local constituents. For example, the Georgian NGO Civic Education Youth Center
implemented a project on civic monitoring for agricultural development. The
monitoring of the privatization of state-owned agricultural lands revealed several
loopholes in the new legislation and the Presidential decree # 525 regulating the
privatization of agricultural lands. This evidence, in combination with information
collected through meetings with communities, showed that the loopholes in the
privatization legislation created problems for many renters of privatized land. The
communities of Kvareli and Sighnaghi were informed and educated about these
shortcomings, and the grantee prepared recommendations to correct the loopholes
to be submitted to the Parliament.
As another example of impact, the EPF grantee the Human Rights Protection Center
successfully lobbied the Batumi City Council to create a permanent joint working
group (including CSOs, the media and the public) to supervise the expenditure of
the funds allocated for municipal improvements. Members of the working group
attend city council sessions, sit in on commission meetings, receive information
from City Hall and prepare issue-based recommendations for the local government.
The creation of the working group is a major success of the project, demonstrating
that properly planned participatory civic monitoring coupled with a proactive media
campaign results in effective citizen participation in the local decision-making
process.
Summary of Plans for 2009: An assessment of the state of civic monitoring in
Georgia (conducted by an EPF grantee) prompted EPF to increase the number of
fields covered by civic monitoring activities (e.g., the judiciary) in 2009. Grantees
from 2008 will conduct their activities and issue final reports and recommendations.
In 2009, EPF will conduct two grant competitions on civic monitoring and hold
roundtables and workshops with stakeholders on civic monitoring issues. EPF will
also conduct training of trainers in civic monitoring and training of grassroots CSOs
in participatory civic monitoring, advocacy and policy dialogue.
Through these activities, EPF will increase the number of CSOs that have the
capacity to conduct civic monitoring activities, establish a network of civic
monitoring practitioners to facilitate improved work, increase the number of
participatory civic monitoring involving various community groups able to influence
decision-making and policy reforms and increase the awareness of all branches of
central and local powers of the importance of public oversight, transparency,
accountability and dialogue with civic sector.
Please see the attached list of grants for all grants funded through the civic
monitoring component. Project close-outs are currently being prepared for a
number of projects and impact will be reflected in EPFs biannual reporting to Sida.
European Integration
With the core funding provided by USAID and the funding from Sida, EPF was able
to leverage funds from the UK Department for International Development for its EU
integration and ENP civic dialogue activities.
European Integration/ENP Civic Dialogue: In 2008, EPF commissioned a regional
policy paper on food standards and safety and the European Neighbouhood Policy.
Based on the recommendations, EPF started a new project to strengthen the
capacity of the National Service for Food Safety, Veterinary and Plant Protection.
In 2008, EPF funded a survey to identify civil society interest in monitoring the
implementation of the European Neighborhood Policy Action Plan and evaluate the
expertise of the civil sector to conduct monitoring. The final report, which was
issued in July, found that only 11 organizations were highly active in monitoring the
ENP Action Plan implementation.
On November 17, 2008, EPF participated in an open committee session of the
European Union Integration Committee of the Parliament of Georgia as part of the
coalition of CSOs that monitor Georgias implementation of the European
Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Action Plan (AP). EPF presented recommendations on
the pending EU-Georgia free trade agreement for each group of stakeholdersthe
Georgian government, the EU, civil society organizations and business circles. The
recommendations had been elaborated during three policy forums organized by EPF
in fall 2008 that brought together 120 participants from state institutions, civil
society organizations, mass media and business circles.
In addition to the five civil society organizations (OSGF, GYLA, Green Alternative,
CIPDD and EPF), representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development, the
Office of the State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs participated in the session. Deputy ministers and heads
of departments from the two ministries requested that EPF review the
recommendations to develop a progress report for civil society on ENP
implementation over the last year.
In December, an EPF representative went to Brussels as a member of the Georgian
Civil Society Coalition to present the main outputs of the project to EU officials. The
presentations were held at the European Commission with the Directorate-General
for External Relations and DG Trade, as well as with local CSOs.
EPFs EU integration-related activities also focus on increasing access to information
through media trainings. Prior to the forums on the free trade agreement, EPF
organized a training seminar on economic issues for nine journalists from different
media outlets. After the forums, ten newspaper articles were printed on the events
and the leading TV business program, Business Courier, covered the issue.
Summary of Plans for 2009: EPF will conduct up to 8 roundtable meetings (on the
free trade agreement, conflict resolution and media freedom) to support
constructive dialogue among stakeholders. EPF will produce policy briefs to evaluate
the fulfillment of commitments under the ENP Action Plan and monthly E-bulletins
will provide updates on EU-Georgian relations and implementation of ENP AP for
stakeholders. EPF has already identified the winner of a grant competition in the
field of food standards and safety in order to evaluate the impact of the current
legislation and promote awareness. The grant agreement will be signed in February
2009.
Through these activities, recommendations provided by the NGO coalition working
on ENP AP implementation monitoring to the government are taken into
consideration and the recommendations on possible EU-Georgia FTA will be
reflected in the document. Also, the number of food processing companies applying
to the HACCP and ISO systems will increase by a minimum of 10%.
Youth Integration
EPF established five Youth Bank committees in Marneuli, Akhaltsikhe, Batumi,
Zugdidi and Telavi. Each Youth Bank of 7 members (35 participants total) went
through two intensive trainings in leadership and how to manage a small grants
program.
Each Youth Bank of seven members (35 participants total) went through two
intensive trainings in how to manage a small grants program. Each Youth Bank
announced their small grants program in their communities and received
applications for small projects (up to $500) from other youth in their communities.
The Akhaltsikhe Youth Bank alone received a total of 35 applications.
In November 2008, three Youth Banks operating in Georgia (Batumi, Akhaltsikhe
and Marneuli) awarded 12 youth let micro grant initiatives.
The leaders of the Youth Bank in Marneuli applied the skills obtained through EPFs
Youth Bank program in organizing to help IDPs in Gori. In October 2008, they
launched a donation drive at five local schools and gathered over 2,000 school
supplies, more than 400 articles of warm clothing and boxes of hygiene supplies,
helping 116 children displaced by the conflict with Russia. The group intends to
continue supporting IDPs as they are relocated to permanent housing in areas
throughout the country, including Kvemo Kartli.
In Batumi, the municipal government has made a financial contribution to some of
the youth led micro grant initiatives. In Marneuli, the local council (Sakrebulo) has
independently agreed to contribute to some of the youth led initiatives as well.
In fall 2008, EPF began consultations with the Association MitOst, represented by
Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg, about establishing a strategic partnership in the area of
youth engagement. The partnership will build off of EPFs existing Youth Banks
throughout the South Caucasus, working with twenty youth to develop project
10
Tourism Development
In 2008, EPF worked to promote the tourism industry in Georgia by supporting
human resource development in the tourism and hospitality sectors. These
activities resulted in:
11
Cross-Border
Through the South Caucasus Citizen Empowerment Program, a cross border
initiative, EPF trained partner organizations in Georgia to independently implement
town hall meetings to facilitate group discussions on policy issues and develop
policy recommendations.
From mid-April to mid-October 2008, EPF funded the film festivalNATIONALITY:
H U M A N in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as in the breakaway
regions of Abkhazia, Nagorny Karabakh and South Ossetia. The festival traveled to
mid-size and small centers of the South Caucasus and organized up to 27
documentary film presentations of 9 international top level documentaries dealing
with human rights and conflict resolution issues. Each presentation lasted for three
days and was prepared and conducted in close partnership with local organizations,
accompanied by public discussions with the participation of external experts and
other cultural or social events linked to the promotion of Human Rights and Conflict
resolution.
The festival broadened the debate on human rights and the peaceful settlement of
conflicts beyond the immediate intellectual circles within the South Caucasian
capitals.
Summary of Plans for 2009: EPF will focus on four main directions: South Caucasus
Citizen Empowerment to promote inclusive and transparent decision-making on
public policy issues in the South Caucasus; South Caucasus Creative Commons
(CC) to adapt the CC licensing system to intellectual property rights frameworks in
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia; and South Caucasus Public Policy Capacity
Building to improve the quality of policy analysis in the countries of the South
Caucasus.
Social Enterprise
In 2008, EPF added a new programmatic focus: social enterprise (businesses that
operate primarily with social objectives as the bottom line and reinvest profits
back into the social objectives of the business). EPFs activities focus on thoroughly
studying international models of social enterprises, examining local experiences and
identifying beneficiaries and target organizations.
Activities in this area began in late 2008 (due to staff turnover, the conflict with
Russia and the global economic crisis) and will continue into 2009. There has been
no impact to date.
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Evaluation
In 2009, EPF will evaluate its programmatic activities according to baseline
information and activities implemented to date. The results of these evaluations will
be used to refine program methodology and adjust activities within specific
programmatic areas as needed, and will be introduced to the Board during the
strategic planning meeting in late spring 2009. The results from these evaluations
and refining of programmatic activities will be reflected in EPFs biannual reporting
to Sida.
Post-conflict Activities
Aid Monitoring
EPF is a founding member of the Transparent Aid to Georgia Coalition, which will
monitor international aid to Georgia in order to promote the transparency of the
foreign financial aid pledged by donor countries and international organizations to
assist Georgia in overcoming the crisis following the August 2008 armed conflict,
increase government accountability, and promote the participation of civil society in
the management of this aid.
Post-War Rehabilitation
No significant impact has yet been recorded from the EPF supported projects that
assist the post-war rehabilitation work in Georgia. However there are outputs that
are worth mentioning:
Shelter: EPFs grantee, the Association for Protection of Landowners Rights
(APLR), assisted 300 IDP families in acquiring residential and agricultural
land parcels (formerly state-owned land in Kvemo Kartli region). The
organization assessed the land in terms of accessibility, infrastructure
development and arability and assisted the families in registering the
property.
Psycho-social rehabilitation: EPF grantee NGO Sapari has been actively
involved in psychological and medical rehabilitation of IDPs from the
Tskhinvali Region and Kodori Gorge. Sapari focuses on helping IDPs to avoid
or cope with family violence caused by post-conflict psychological trauma.
Currently EPF is reviewing five grant proposals focused on integrating new
IDPs into society.
EPF is exploring program opportunities in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region.
Senior management and program staff have had meetings and discussions with the
leadership of the Ministry of Reintegration and former grantees working on/in the
break-away regions. Currently EPF is considering four inquiries (from the
Association of Georgian-Abkhaz Mixed Families, the Center for Georgian-Ossetian
Relations, the radio station Voice of Abkhazia (www.abkhazmedia.com) and the
Association of Printed Media) focusing on confidence building and reestablishing
communication among Georgian, Abkhaz and Ossetian communities.
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IV.
EFP was launched on November 14, 2007 when the Board of Trustees
approved the Charter and Bylaws of the Foundation. On February 1, 2008,
EPF began full operations as a local organization.
In calendar year 2008, the following Board meetings were held:
Audit and Finance Committee 7 meetings
Development Committee 1 meeting
Executive Committee 3 meetings
Nomination Committee 3 meetings
Full Board 2 meetings
EPF has made impressive strides forward in its organizational development. The
Institutional Development Plan contains six objectives. The majority of the
outcomes for each objective have already been met:
Objective 1: To engage EPF trustees in the strategic development of EPF
Orientation for EPFs Board was provided through a workshop on November 13,
2007. About seven board members participated in a three-country launch of the
local foundation. The Board adopted the organizations Bylaws and created an Ad
Hoc Governance Task Force that met in January 2008 to review the Policies and
Procedures and Bylaws, and develop Committee Charters for the Executive
Committee (ExCom), Audit and Finance Committee and the Nominating and
Governance Committee.
Daniel Tarshys joined the Board at the May Board meeting. George Zarubin and
Horton Beebe-Center provided him with an orientation using the materials from the
November Board meeting (charters, bylaws, etc) and reviewed with him his
responsibilities as a new Board member.
EPFs Presidents office staff developed a checklist and formal orientation manual for
new Board members, which was used in December 2008 when Tehri Hakala joined
the Board of Trustees.
The Nominating and Governance Committee prepared a self-performance
evaluation form for Board members, which was presented to the Board at the
November 17, 2008 Board meeting.
EPFs president sends monthly budget-to-actual reports to the Finance Committee
(FinCom) and to any other Board members who wish to receive them, and
cumulative reports for the FinCom, ExCom and Board meeting.
Several board members provided assistance in meeting potential donors. Sabine
Freizer scheduled and attended meetings for Keti Vashakidze in Brussels. Margo
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Squire helped organize contacts and meetings in Ankara for George Zarubin. Tim
Straight worked with Gevorg Ter Gabrielyan to make introductions and submit a
proposal to the Norwegian government. Andrew Coxshall, managing partner for
KPMG, assisted in obtaining a corporate contribution for a seminar in Yerevan on
Corporate Social Responsibility. Five trustees (Margaret Richardson, Roy
Southworth, Horton Beebe-Center, Ken Yalowitz and George Zarubin) made
unrestricted contributions to EPF.
EPFs chair visited the Yerevan office to learn more about programs and trustee
Sabine Freizer visited both the Tbilisi and Baku offices to learn more about the
details of our programs. The CFO has revised and improved the monthly financial
reports provided to the trustees on the Financial and Audit Committee of the Board.
In September 2008, the ExCom visited Baku for site visits and stakeholder
meetings and held their meetings there. This visit helped the trustees learn about
the program details. Likewise, site visits were organized for trustees around the
November 2008 Board meeting in Georgia
Objective 2: To set medium-term and specific program targets for EPFs financial
sustainability and to create the systems required to achieve those targets
EPFs Board approved our fundraising strategy at the November 2007 Board
meeting. The Eurasia Foundations donor management system, the Donor Data
Base (DDB), is used in all offices to maintain information about correspondence
with donors, including submitted project proposals and contracts.
In 2008, staff received training in program design, budget development and
general fundraising, with on-going skills development by drafting new proposals.
EPF has received new awards from numerous new donors including the European
Union, National Democratic Institute, Garadagh Cement and Western Union
Foundation. Between the November 2007 and the May 2008 Board meetings, EPF
received pledges of approximately $6 million from non-core USAID donors,
including $3 million from Sida over 3 years for Georgia. Carnegie renewed their
support for CRRC with an award of $2 million.
EPF continues to enjoy VAT exemptions on US bilateral funding and continues to
explore all options to retain its charity and VAT-exempt status where it can.
Progress made on fundraising goals ($10,000,000 over 3 years) was reported to
the Board. Between November 2007 and April 2008, EPF raised pledges of
approximately $7.4 million. A large number of new proposals were prepared and
submitted, collectively worth $1,371,649.
At the November 2008 Board meeting, the trustees decided to create a
Development Committee to focus on EPFs fundraising strategy.
15
16
Objective 5: To create sounder and stronger financial management systems for EPF
that provide better reporting and integration with program implementation, donor
reporting and monthly reporting to the Board, management and staff
Financial systems were tested in November-December 2007 and January 2008. A
Deputy CFO was hired. Training on systems, policies, procedures, internal controls,
procurement and fraud awareness was provided by the CFO and the Deputy CFO to
the finance staff in all three countries. Training on the first reports (February 2008)
was held in Tbilisi in March.
A decision was made at the February Finance and Audit Committee meeting to
continue to use SUN accounting system through 2010. The decision to remain with
SUN was based on the evaluation of other accounting systems, price and
functionality.
Monthly budget to actual reports are provided to management, the Audit and
Finance Committee of the Board and other Board members on a monthly basis.
Reports are user-friendly and broken down by program.
The Audit and Finance Committee has been extremely helpful to EFP they offered
suggestions on depositing the Sida funds, hiring an internal auditor, identifying an
external auditor and assessment of purchasing versus renting office space in Tbilisi.
In fall 2008, an Internal Auditor (Joshua Weil) was identified and recommended by
the Finance and Audit Committee and approved by the EXCOM in September.
Preparations are being made for the EF external audit and the EPF internal audit
this autumn.
In fall 2008, Eurasia Foundation audited EPF. No major findings were reported. The
2008 international audit is scheduled for January/February 2009.
Objective 6: To improve external and internal communications about EPFs goals
and accomplishments to all levels of it stakeholders (Media, Donors, Trustees, Staff,
etc)
Weekly senior management team meetings with the participation of senior
management from all three countries are conducted on a regular basis and minutes
are distributed to staff. Weekly country office team meetings are also held and
minutes are distributed to staff and to the Presidents office. Each week, a list of
staff weekly plans is also shared between senior management and staff. There are
need-based communications team phone calls involving communication staff and
Associate Country Directors. In addition, staff are effectively using Skype to
exchange information among offices.
A new regional communications officer, Tamuna Koberidze, was hired in March. A
regional folder containing country and program information on EPFs regional
17
priorities, a letter from the President and other information was printed and
distributed for internal use. One-page summaries were printed and more detailed
one-pagers were written and printed for programs that were ongoing from the prior
year for some offices.
Communications staff continue to write press releases and the decision was taken
to begin publishing new grant awards through the websites again.
A new web-site was launched in February and fully populated with information. EPF
communications staff continue to place news and announcements on the web-site
several times a week. Program staff have taken greater ownership over the web
pages describing their programs, and the regional communications officer continues
to work with the web designer on a retainer contract to improve functionality.
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V.
ALPE Foundation
Summer School on Constitutional & Human Rights
21,288 USD
June 30 December 29, 2008
To support a Summer School and a legal training program for law students to
enhance their knowledge about the international practice and traditions of
Constitutional and Human Rights. Outstanding local and international experts
and officials will provide 25 law students a complete training cycle for
improvement of their theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The follow-up
internships in the relevant local public and non-governmental agencies will help
them to apply the acquired skills and knowledge in practice. The new training
curriculum will be disseminated and popularized among the Georgian universities
and will help new generation of lawyers to enrich their knowledge and practice in
these fields. The Summer School will be supported subsequently by the
Constitutional Court and Ilia Chavchavadze University and will contribute to the
enhancement of the quality of legal education in the country. (Swedens
ambassador to Georgia visited the training site at the Constitutional Court in
Batumi in July 2008.)
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
Local
Self-
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The establishment of One Stop Shops in Batumi and Kobuleti city administrations
will unify and ease procedures of service delivery to the population from local selfgovernance bodies. Citizens will become better informed about types of services
provided by local self-governance and how to obtain these services, which will
contribute to the rationale use of time by the municipality workers, reduce
probability of unfair decisions by city officials and reduce citizens complaints. The
project will increase citizens trust in the local authorities, contribute to the
improvement of overall management of Batumi and Kobuleti cities and might serve
as a model for replication in other cities.
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
To support the integration of handicapped youth into Georgia's social and economic
life and increase tolerance toward people with disabilities. The grantee organized a
summer training camp in Chakvi, bringing together 60 young people, both sighted
and blind, from all over Georgia. In addition to a training program covering the
rights of the disabled and international conventions and human rights, among other
things, participants took part in sports competitions and literary and song contests
during their stay in the summer camp. At the end of the project several young
people from the group will be selected for an internship at a potato chip factory in
Tbilisi, giving them a chance to put some of their newly learned skills into practice.
The project team also published a handbook (in both Georgian print and Braille) on
disability rights and international conventions to increase public awareness among
civil society and government representatives working on these issues.
20
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
21
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
Georgian
Book
Publishers
and
Association
Black Sea International Book Fair
19,761 USD
April 14 October 14, 2008
Booksellers
of
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Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
23
To promote civic activism and the acquisition of practical job skills among youth in
Khashuri district (Kartli). The Education-Information Center - Kartli XXI organized
an internship program for young people at business and government offices in
Khashuri to provide necessary leadership and practical skills for young people
participating in the project to become more active in decision-making within their
local municipality. This project was cofinanced by the World Bank Youth Voices
Small Grant Competition.
Participatory Civic Monitoring
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
24
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
To promote citizen oversight of the court system in Georgia through monitoring and
improved journalistic coverage. The combination of court monitoring by a watchdog
CSO and journalistic investigation of 50 politically sensitive criminal and
administrative court cases will contribute to the strengthening of the weakened
public oversight on judiciary, more transparency of sensitive court cases and
increased accountability of the law-enforcement authorities before the public. The
project will be jointly implemented by an experienced human rights NGO and an
experienced media outlet involved in investigative journalism. The project
addresses one of the most sensitive areas of Georgias domestic reform agenda and
will further reforms of Georgian judiciary system and development of court
journalism.
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
To promote citizen oversight on the spending of the central budget transfers and
subsidies allocated to the Kakheti Region for implementation of the Vintage-2008
program. After receiving training in covering budgetary issues, the grantee will
undertake journalistic investigations of the local budget spending for the designated
program and cover the issue in a designated section of the newspaper. The project
will increase the role of the local media in participatory civic monitoring in the
region, enhance the capacity of the newspapers journalists to cover fiscal issues,
including the budget, and create an environment for increased citizen participation
in the local decision-making process.
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
25
development of
sustainable investigative journalism in Georgia as an effective
means of fighting corruption and abuse of power.
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
26
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
27
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
Club
of
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Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
Association Sachino
Support of Foundation and Development
Associations of Apartment Owners
24,764 USD
October 1, 2008 September 30, 2009
of
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bank and then posted on the grantees website (www.grma.ge), allowing a broad
audience to get information about the course of the elections. The project
significantly contributed to the education of voters by publishing and disseminating
two types of brochures (a guide on possible methods of faking elections and a guide
for citizens on election procedures) and running a hotline allowing the consultative
group to provide consultations to accredited journalists. The projects informational
materials and monitoring activities helped the targeted communities to vote
independently and make an informed choice because they were fully informed
about electoral procedures and the positions of the main political players. The
project experts helped the participant newspapers to enhance knowledge and
practice in coverage of election-related issues that resulted in unbiased coverage of
the elections by the newspapers involved in the project.
European Integration
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
Association Studio Re
Georgian-European Crossroads
44,374 USD
December 15, 2008 May 15, 2009
Akhaltsikhe Youth Bank initiative group has announced micro grants competition for
the youth (aged 16-25) of Samtskhe-Javakheti Region to open up the opportunities
for participation of young people in decision making and mobilization of resources
around the important challenges faced by youth of Samtskhe-Javakheti. As a result
of community needs assessment Akhaltsikhe Youth Bank has identified the
following priorities:
30
Marneuli Youth Bank initiative group has announced micro grants competition for
the youth (aged 16-25) in Marneuli District to open up the opportunities for
participation of young people in decision making and mobilization of resources
around the important challenges faced by youth of Marneuli. As a result of
community needs assessment Marneuli Youth Bank has identified the following
priorities:
1) Ecology problems;
2) Lack of opportunities for involvement in sports;
As a result of the competition Marneuli Youth Bank has solicited 26 applications, out
of which 14 were shortlisted for the interview and 5 have been selected for funding
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
Implementation Dates:
Zugdidi Youth Bank initiative group has announced micro grants competition for the
youth (aged 16-25) of Samegrelo Region to open up the opportunities for
participation of young people in decision making and mobilization of resources
around the important challenges faced by youth of Samegrelo. As a result of
community needs assessment Zugdidi Youth Bank has identified the following
priorities:
1) Poor environmental conditions;
2) Negative Psychological consequences of Russian-Georgian war of Augusts,
2008;
As a result of the competition Zugdidi Youth Bank has solicited 6 applications, out
of which 5 were shortlisted for the interview and 3 have been selected for funding.
Grantee Institution:
Proposal Title:
Grant Amount:
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Implementation Dates:
Batumi Youth Bank initiative group has announced micro grants competition for the
youth (aged 16-25) of Ajara Region to open up the opportunities for participation of
young people in decision making and mobilization of resources around the
important challenges faced by youth of Ajara. As a result of community needs
assessment Batumi Youth Bank ahs identified the following priorities:
1) Lack of opportunities for involvement in sports;
2) Inadequate conditions for receiving quality education;
As a result of the competition Batumi Youth Bank has solicited 24 applications, out
of which 6 were shortlisted for the interview and 4 have been selected for funding.
32
VI.
Performance Indicator
Target/date
Data Source
# of Board members
attending site visits
# of Board members
meeting with EPF directors
to learn about program
developments
Engage Board
members is
medium term
strategic planning
# number of trustees
engaging in or attending a
strategic planning retreat
before the end of 2009
Engage trustees in
fundraising efforts
100% of trustees
participate in at
least one site
visit by the end
of 2009
Caucasus-based
trustees meet
with EPF
directors about
that countrys
programs by the
end of 2009
Caucasus-based
trustees attend
at least one
event of interest
by the end of
2009
Conduct a multiyear strategic
planning retreat
for the trustees
with EPF
management
Once per year
Minimum 4/yr
Minimum 4/yr
Itinerary of Board or
EXCOM Meetings
Minimum of one
contact from
each Board
member annually
50% of trustees
annual
Documented
conversation
between Board
members and staff
33
donation
# of contributions by
trustees
Fundraising Report
Objective 2: To set medium-term and specific program targets for EPFs financial
sustainability and to create the systems required to achieve those targets
Fundraising
strategy developed,
reflecting
fundraising targets
by program
Improve EPF staff
skills in identifying
fundraising
opportunities
New donor/partner
relationships
created
Develop a fundraising
strategy and obtain
approval by the EPF Board
May Board
Strategy Retreat
Increase in the #
of proposals
submitted
# of new proposals
submitted
Training for program staff
in fundraising
# of new partnerships, #
joint projects
Diversified funding
base
Legal status as a
charity to attract
corporate funding
Monitoring of
financial
performance of
individual programs
and EPF as a whole
November 2009
# staff trained by
the end of 2009
Copy of fundraising
strategy; minutes of
Board meeting
approving the
strategy
Minutes of EPF
Senior management
meetings; DDB
Agenda of training
At least 3 new
partnerships/joint
projects
Copies of funding
agreements, or
MOUs
Match 35% of
core funds with
non-core sources
Feb 2009 for
charity (in
Georgia)
Semi-annual
Copies of funding
agreements; DDB
Semi-annual
Certificates of legal
status
Minutes of Board and
Financial Committee
Ongoing and
annual review by
Sept. 2008
Program Acceptance
Memoranda (AM)
prepared by program
staff
Ongoing
Needs Assessments
& portions of the
34
acceptance memos
Improve reporting
on impact in
programs/projects
Knowledge, usage
and maintenance of
program
management
systems (PMIS
and/or new EF
network system)
Regular reviews of
program progress
by EPF senior
management
Knowledge of EPF
policies and
procedures
Ongoing
Meeting notes;
Needs assessments
and acceptance
memos
Quarterly
Reports in DDB,
Acceptance memos,
Quarterly Reports
Semi-annual
training;
ongoing usage
Quarterly
Program Reports
generated
On-going
Work plans
1 per quarter,
including annual
performance
review
Quarterly PMIS
reports
On-going
Copies of Annual
Employee
Performance
Appraisal
Copy of Policies and
Procedures
Copy of training
materials
Semi-annual staff
performance reviews
Confirm staff
Employees participate in
Semi-annually
Employee and
Employer
Performance Review
forms
Boards notes
Copies of annual
35
understanding
policies and
procedures and
advocate even
better practices
Improve and
streamline
recruitment
practices
HR managers confirm
knowledge of policies and
procedure of every new
hire
Standardize (to the extent
possible) announcement of
new positions and process
for filling those positions
Semi-annually
through the
performance
review process
March 2009
employee
performance
appraisal
reports
Org chart
Job announcements
Performance review
forms
Objective 5: To create sounder and stronger financial management systems for EPF that
provide better reporting and integration with program implementation, donor reporting and
monthly reporting to the Board, management and staff
(Contingent on EFN
& EF-DC Decisions)
In collaboration
with EF-DC &
Eurasia Foundation
Network, EPF has
new fully functional
financial
management
system in place to
provide timely and
accurate
management
reports and is fully
integrated with
donor management
and program
management
databases
Ensure internal
controls and
compliance with
local/international
audit standards
with the internal
auditor
Appointment of Internal
Auditor and review of
Internal Audit Reports
Reporting to the Finance &
Audit Committee about all
issues of non-compliance
by the internal auditor
Assessment
January March
2009
Report on tender
process (handled by
EF-DC)
Installation and
Training
September
October 2009
Dual entry
November &
December 2009
Fully functional
starting from Jan
2010
On-going training
for existing and
especially new
finance and
program staff
Copy of training
agendas
Reports of the
Finance & Audit
Committee
36
Continued
involvement of the
Board and its
Finance Committee
to provide
necessary guidance
and control
monthly
monthly
Developed
methodology for
distribution of
indirect cost pool,
regularly reviewed
and revised
Completion of an A133 audit
equivalent with no
major findings &
constructive
response to any
recommendations
Ongoing training
as required
List of attendees;
Agenda of training
By Jan. 2009
Copy of approved
document
Ongoing training
in 2009
CFO training
checklist
Audit Report
Audit due by
March 31, 2009
Audit Report
# of EPF employees
attended training session
& cross-training of finance
staff in each office to
support each other
Methodology is approved
by President
Management Response to
Audit Report
Work on
responses and
recommendations
to any audit
finding
Management
Response to Audit
Report
Objective 6: To improve external and internal communications about EPFs goals and
accomplishments to all levels of it stakeholders (Media, Donors, Trustees, Staff, etc)
Through use of
communications
strategies,
popularize EPF
activities and
achievement and
program outcomes
Awareness raised,
On-going
Minimum 4
events in 2009
List of Participants at
events; RSVPs
Quarterly
37
creating an even
more positive
image of EPF and
its programs
Through building
relationships with
key partners &
donors, market EPF
so that it has better
access to donor
funding
EPF site
stats
By December
2009
On-going
Records maintained
by the EPFs
communications
officers
Annual Report
April 2009
Revised Communications
Materials
On-going 2009
Several in 2009
2 seminars held
in conjunction
with other
partners or
donors outside of
the Caucasus
Annual Report
Communications
Materials
EPF success stories
in donors reports,
publications and on
websites
Agendas of the
events
38
EPF plans to implement programs in six main strategic areas: Monitoring and
Dialogue,
Corporate
Social
Investment,
Economic
Development,
Social
Entrepreneurship (new in 2009) and Youth Development. EPF will also continue to
solicit Open Door Grant proposals. All of these programs will be funded through
core support from USAID and Sida. , Strategies for each of those programs follow.
NB: The full implications of the recent Russian-Georgian war are not clear. While
EPF took the strategic decision not to become involved in the short-term
humanitarian assistance efforts, EPF held a number of stakeholder meetings with
local NGO partners and former grantees to better understand how the Foundations
programs and grant making can be best used to address the medium- and longterm challenges highlighted by this war. In addition, EPF re-advertised its opendoor grant mechanism immediately after the conflict and received a number of
proposals for open-door funding in response to the crisis situation.
39
40
EPF aims to build the capacity of local people to analyze information and catalyze
commitment at the local level.
In 2006-2007, with funding from EFP, on of our grantees conducted a mapping
survey of the state of civic monitoring in Georgia and published the first Georgianlanguage guidebook containing tools in civic monitoring for CSOs. In 2007 EPF
awarded five grants through a targeted competition to support civic monitoring, and
several more grants in this field were later awarded through the Open Door
mechanism. The lessons learned from these projects are that further steps are to
be taken to build on the achieved results. These lessons include the need to expand
monitoring activities to other fields, especially to the judiciary; to further build the
capacity of CSOs in civic monitoring; and to identify projects where civic monitoring
can be an effective instrument for a mutually advantageous dialogue between
government and CSOs for improving the quality of citizens lives.
EPF has already supported a number of successful civic monitoring projects:
EPF grantee Civic Education Youth Center implementing the project Civic
Monitoring for Agricultural Development monitored privatization of stateowned agricultural lands and revealed a number of loopholes in the new
legislation and the Presidential decree # 525 regulating the privatization of
agricultural lands. The grantee is preparing recommendations to correct the
loopholes and they will be submitted to the Parliament.
41
Monitoring and Evaluation: EPF will conduct a final cluster evaluation of the
current group of 11 civic monitoring grantees, and the first five grants
awarded in 2007.
Public Discussions, Debates and Network Building: At the beginning and end
of 2009, EPF will conduct two roundtable meetings with participation of the
grantee CSOs and state officials, businesses and other stakeholders.
NB: Given the recent conflict in Georgia, there will be a need for local NGOs to be
involved in monitoring the distribution of post-conflict assistance to make sure that
it reaches the targeted beneficiaries, and monitoring government efforts to re-settle
and provide services for people internally displaced by the conflict.
Outcomes
Representatives of
targeted community
groups, NGOs,
media outlets and
local governments
better understand
civic monitoring and
advocacy
techniques.
Performance
Indicator
% of four
stakeholder groups
that demonstrate
they are able to
apply civic
monitoring and
advocacy
techniques in a
project appropriate
for their
communities.
Baseline
Target/Date
Data source
Baseline data
does not yet
exist. It will be
gathered
through:
50% increase
over baseline
Initial
assessment
reports
- Evaluation of
the five grants
awarded in
2007
Final grant
cluster
evaluation
- Report on
state of civic
monitoring in
42
The influence of
community groups,
NGOs and media
outlets on local
political and
economic decisionmaking increased.
# of community
groups, NGOs and
media outlets that
report significant
policy victories in
their communities
A synergy among
civic monitoring
practitioners, media
outlets and
policymakers
bolstered
# of joint
monitoring actions
by CSOs and the
media
# of instances in
which practitioners
report that they
solved major
problems by their
joint civic
monitoring efforts
by drawing on the
experience of each
other.
Georgia 2007
Baseline data
does not yet
exist. It will be
gathered
through an
evaluation of
the five grants
awarded in
2007
Baseline data
does not yet
exist. It will be
gathered
through:
- Evaluation of
the five grants
awarded in
2007
40% increase
over baseline
Initial
assessment
reports
Final summative
evaluation
3 issue-based
synergic
activities
30% increase
from baseline
Survey of debate
participants
Final summative
evaluation
- Report on
state of civic
monitoring in
Georgia 2007
43
44
Program Activities:
Grant making: EPF will make grants in the field of food standards and safety
in order to evaluate the impact of the current legislation and launch public
awareness building and advocacy campaign. Survey of Attitudes towards
European values and institutions and the progress of Georgias European
Integration. The survey will assess citizens attitude towards Georgians EU
integration process as well as produce a baseline data for policy and program
planning for the Government of Georgia, donors and NGOs.
Outcomes
Increased public
awareness of EU
institutions and ENP
commitments
Consensus built on
specific issues of
ENP AP
implementation
among various
stakeholders
Improved policy
and actions aimed
at the fulfillment of
ENP commitments
Performance
Indicator
# of people with
the understanding
of EU institutions
and ENP
commitments
particularly
referring to visa
facilitation, EU
Georgia free trade
area
# of joint
recommendations
between various
the CSO
representatives
developed
# of ENP AP
commitments
fulfilled
# of changes in
the laws and
actions undertaken
by the government
Baseline
Target/Date
Data source
n/a
Increase of 10 %
Baseline survey
Summative
evaluation
Up to 2 policy
areas (trade
relations and
food security)
Program
documentation
EC annual
evaluation
reports on ENP
AP
implementation
45
in response to the
advocacy
campaigns
46
47
Performance
Indicator
Number of local
companies with
written social
investment
missions and
strategies/plans
Baseline
Target/Date
Data source
5, by January
2010
Summative
Evaluation;
copies of
strategies
Number of local
companies with
accountable and
transparent
mechanisms for
social investment;
Five, by January
2010
Summative
Evaluation
Ten, by
December 2010
Social reports
developed by
private
companies
Number of social
investment
projects
implemented by
local private
companies
Project 2.2: Assisting Local Business Schools in the Development of CSI Studies
Project Goal:
To improve business education institutions capacity to deliver education in the area
of corporate social investment and to train a generation of business school
graduates with skills and knowledge of CSI
Project Summary:
EPF will facilitate international consultancy to assist local business schools in the
introduction of corporate social investment in their standard curricula. The project
48
will include preliminary meetings with the heads of academic programs of the
business schools, an intensive 2-3 day workshop for the faculty interested in the
preparation of courses, and follow-up consultancy to provide feedback on the
courses developed by business schools.
Outcomes
Introduction of
corporate social
investment courses
in the curricula of
local business
schools
Performance
Indicator
Number of schools,
which will
introduce CSR
studies in their
standard curricula
Baseline
Target/Date
Data source
20 (first year)
09/2009
Number of
students signing
up for CSR courses
Survey of
participating
lecturers and
academic
program heads
Performance
Indicator
Number of
partnerships
established among
for-profit and nonprofit
organizations.
(Partnerships can
encompass direct
cash donations,
employees
Baseline
Target/Date
Data source
10
Summative
Evaluation
49
volunteering at an
NGO, cause-based
marketing, serving
on boards, etc.)
Performance Indicator
Draft law on
endowments and
respective
amendments to the
Tax Code adopted by
Parliament
Baseline
0
Target/Date
1
Data source
Parliament website
50
C. Tourism Development
Program Goal:
To promote the tourism industry in Georgia by supporting human resource
development in the tourism and hospitality sectors
EPF has made the strategic decision to phase out the tourism development program
due to the implications of the conflict with Russia and better allocation of resources.
51
Local experiences Although not much has been done in this area, there are
a few non-profit social service organizations that have developed smaller
business branches to involve their stakeholders. EPF will study their
experiences to inform program design;
52
All of the above information will provide the basis for the creative use of EPFs
traditional instrument of intervention: grant support coupled with awareness
building and consultancy.
Outcomes
Civil Society
Organizations
(CSO) and
businesses are
aware of social
entrepreneurship as
a concept and
various models of
its application
Model of social
enterprises
launched
and sustained
Representatives of
socially vulnerable
groups employed
Performance
Indicator
Number of social
service CSOs and
companies having
understanding of
models of social
enterprises
Baseline
Target/Date
Data source
30 entities (10
companies, 20
civil society
organizations)
December 2009
Mid-term
Evaluation
Report
Number of social
enterprises
launched with the
assistance from
EPF
Baseline
Survey to be
conducted in
SeptemberNovember,
2008
6
(by May 2009)
Project
Documentation
(project progress
reports, grant
narrative reports
etc)
Number of social
enterprises
sustained after
completion of EPF
assistance
Number of
individuals
employed by EPFinitiated social
enterprises
30
December 2010
0
Social Enterprises
replicated at a
wider scale
Number of social
enterprises, which
have used EPFfunded projects as
a model
Summative
Evaluation
Report
Project
Documentation
(RFP, project
progress reports,
grant reports)
Summative
Evaluation
Report
Summative
Evaluation
Report
53
54
Carry out 3 cycles of youth micro projects funding: Cycle 1 for the current 3
Youth Banks and Cycle 2 for 9 (3 + additional 6) Youth Banks; Cycle 3 for 10
Youth Banks; Monitoring the projects.
2 workshops: Monitoring and Evaluation and Intergenerational Workshops for
current 3 and additional 6 Youth Banks;
Lessons Learned Conferences following each funding cycle and Concluding
Conference;
Study trips to Azerbaijan, Armenia and Ireland;
Outcomes
The capacities of
Youth Bank
committees built to
be active agents of
change
Opportunities for
youth from rural
areas of Georgia to
involve in various
community projects
locally increased;
Performance
Indicator
Youth Bank
committee
members report
that they applied
their new skills
(non YB funded)
projects in their
community;
Baseline
Target/Date
Data source
Baseline data
does not yet
exist; it will be
gathered in
March, 2009
Baseline
Survey
20 at least
Program reports
Evaluation
results;
# micro project
initiated and
implemented by
youth;
0 projects
implemented
yet
70
# youth
disaggregated by
gender and ethnic
group:
Opportunities for
community
involvement and
volunteerism for
themselves and
other youth and
adults increased
# of youth and
adult program
participants who
volunteer to
implement a joint
project;
Baseline data
does not yet
exist; it will be
gathered in
March, 2009
Baseline
Survey
Baseline data
does not yet
exist; it will be
gathered in
March, 2009
Baseline
Survey
YB reports
Site visit/
Monitoring
reports
50 % of girls; 5
Armenians, 5
Azeri and 2 other
ethnic
minorities;
30 at least
Program reports
Evaluation
results;
Questionnaire
results
YB reports
Site visit/
Monitoring
reports
Program reports
Evaluation
results;
YB reports
Site visit/
Monitoring
reports
55
56
CROSS-BORDER PROGRAMS
EPF Cross-Border Programs plan to implement operational programs in four main
directions: South Caucasus Citizen Empowerment to promote inclusive and
transparent decision-making on public policy issues in the South Caucasus; South
Caucasus Creative Commons (CC) to adapt CC licensing system to intellectual
property rights frameworks in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia; Unbiased Media
Coverage of Armenia-Azerbaijan Relations to increase the amount of accurate and
unbiased reporting of the bilateral relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan;
and South Caucasus Public Policy Capacity Building to improve quality of policy
analysis in the countries of the South Caucasus. The Unbiased Media Coverage
program is largely supported by British FCO funds with a small EF/USAID cost
share. Technical assistance is provided by Creative Commons International under
the Creative Commons program. There are plans to fundraise with OSCEs ENVSEC
and other donors to support the Phase II and III of the Citizen Empowerment
program. Strategies for each of the above programs follow.
57
58
59
institutional scale, since the funding of individual fellowships has been found not to
be cost effective.
The CRRC Training and Fellowship Program provides local professors, researchers
and scholars with the skills they need to succeed internationally. CRRC continues in
2009 to develop a set of online modules, though work has moved slower than
hoped because of the current political circumstances in both Armenia and Georgia.
CRRC has already completed a set of video courses on the statistical software SPSS
and has integrated all its regional trainings with an online platform. With its new
modules, CRRC is using innovative technology-based methods combined with faceto-face training.
Activities include: creation of a cycle of training; design of online interfaces for
training; in-person trainings; follow-up after trainings; creation of certification
mechanism; online application process where fellows learn to improve their
research skills before applying; research grants to conduct research in the South
Caucasus countries; and presentation of the CRRC fellows findings.
B. The Data Initiative
Program Goal:
To promote the use of data for policy related research and analysis by providing a
unique set of comparable, rigorous and open source data about the South Caucasus
Justification:
The Data Initiative (DI) seeks to increase understanding about knowledge, attitudes
and practices in the South Caucasus and promote evidence-based decision making.
Through its outreach activities, CRRC disseminates findings to both the
international development and business community as well as to local researchers.
The central component of the Data Initiative (DI) is a yearly household survey that
is conducted simultaneously in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. First coordinated
in 2004, the survey aims to provide publicly accessible, consistent raw data on a
wide range of issues related to demography, education, migration, economic
behavior, health, political activities, social institutions and crime. Such publicly
available, yearly data was sorely lacking in the South Caucasus before the creation
of the DI. Each year, CRRC seeks to refine the questions asked and the techniques
used and will continue to do so in 2009.
Activities include: design of sampling and questionnaire for the DI survey fieldwork
including block listing; data entry; report writing and public presentations.
C. Libraries and Information
Program Goal:
Improve access and ability to navigate high-quality resources for social science
researchers and practitioners
60
Justification:
CRRC provides much needed access to resources including key social science texts,
online journal access and computer software. A recent review of JSTOR subscribers
revealed that CRRC maintains the only JSTOR subscription in Azerbaijan and the
center is one of only four locations in Georgia with JSTOR. JSTOR subscriptions
demonstrate that the question of access is still a fundamental one, and sustainable
resource provisions will prove instrumental in further developing research
communities in the South Caucasus.
Ongoing activities include the provision of library with books and computer lab; and
equipping of computers with online access to electronic journals and databases. In
FY09, CRRC will also continue to provide access to both high quality books and
journals through its libraries. CRRCs move to co-late with the International School
of Economics at Tbilisi State University (ISET), as provided a wonderful new home
for the Georgia library, and greatly increased use of the facility.
61
3. COMMUNICATIONS PLAN
REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS OBJECTIVES:
To raise awareness among the general public about EPF and its programs
through increased news articles and TV reports
To integrate communications and outreach efforts into all programs, in order
to 1) raise awareness about the role of civil society and EPF, and 2)
contribute to EPFs own external communications products/efforts
Focus more on telling stories that demonstrate program/grant impact and
outcomes.
Build/maintain relationships with current donors: communicate more clearly
and more often about our activities; attract new sources of funding,
especially from European donors
To maintain a consistent message about EPF that is delivered by staff at all
levels to external audiences
Government
Message
Mission Statement
Local foundations are an effective vehicle for managing funds and
programs because they build off of EFs strong systems, but they
have a renewed focus on working outside capital cities too
Programs are responsive, not directive we work between the
nexus of locally-defined priorities and international interests
EPF has a unique and effective mechanism for regional
programming ( cross-border programs)
EPF has deep experience in civic sector programming
EPF has a very strong abilities and experience both as a program
implementer and grant maker
Mission Statement
EPF is looking for innovative ideas new solutions to old or
emerging issues
Role of civil society and EPF
EPF programs are tough, but they build grantee capacity and
experience
EPF is looking for more strong or emerging partners in the regions
outside capital cities
Encourage grant seekers to make deeper connections with local and
regional constituencies/beneficiaries/grassroots initiatives
EPF programs are demand-driven and based on actual needs
EPF programs have impact!
Mission Statement
We are ready for cooperation with the government in
implementation of our programs
62
General population
(through national
media)
Local Businesses
Description
3 new coordinated
websites: Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Georgia,
Regional
Annual Report
Distribution Method
Promotion of the
web-address on
every
meeting/event/ecommunications
Delivered by hand to
all meetings;
displayed in
entryway to all
offices; available at
Delivery Schedule
Updated regularly,
at least once a
month
FY08 report printed
by March 2009
63
Country
Summaries
(one-pagers)
descriptions highlighting
impact of programs in the
previous year) +
bookmark w/ EPF Mission
Statement
Folder that describes EPF
mandates and approaches
with pocket with country
specific one-pagers
Program Area
Summaries by
Country
1 or 2 page summaries of
all ongoing programs in a
country
Program
Descriptions
detail
e-Bulletins
e-Bulletins; to highlight
successes, impacts and
upcoming events. Every
issue will cover one
particular theme, based
on Managements decision
Focus on demonstrating
impact. Quotes and
photos are essential.
Maintaining regular
contacts with media,
publicizing our
events/activities
Notebooks, pens, labels,
envelopes, hats, t-shirts,
pins, mugs, etc.
Produce
PSA/Documentaries
On our programs,
participate in TV/Radio
talk shows
Banners, posters, signs,
displays, exhibits and
flags
letterhead, business
cards, fax cover sheets,
and memos
e-mail distribution
lists
Success Stories
Press releases
Merchandize
TV/Radio
Event materials
Stationery/Supplies
Updated upon
need
Ongoing - updated
after business
plans are finalized,
and updated each
time they need to
be reprinted
Ongoing - updated
after business
plans are finalized,
and updated each
time they need to
be reprinted or
when there is a
new program
Quarterly. First
issue June 30,
2008. Four yearly
for the Caucasus
region.
Web-site, e-mail
delivery; published
in the Annual Report
Web-site, media
meetings, visitors,
events
Regular bases
Making media a
part of everything
that we do
As often as
possible
events
64
Indicator
# of news
articles and TV
reports about
EPF and its
programs in
national/local
media
Target
Data source
To integrate
communications and
outreach efforts into
all programs
# of 1-pagers
printed/used per
program
Program records
Build/maintain
relationships with
current donors:
communicate more
clearly and more
often about our
activities; attract new
sources of funding,
especially from
European donors
To maintain a
consistent message
about EPF that is
delivered by staff at
all levels to external
audiences
# outreach
events held per
program
# success
stories
developed
# stories in ebulletins
demonstrating
impact and
outcomes
# donors
receiving ebulletins
Success story
4/e-bulletin/quarter
e-bulletin
Distribution list
records
Mini quiz;
conducted once
in February and
again in
November to
measure progress
65
approach and
main activity
areas in their
country,
including crossborder programs
and CRRC
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4. COMMUNICATIONS PLAN
In 2008, EPF set a fundraising target of $10 million in non-core USAID funding for
its first three years of operations as a local organization. This target was set with
the primary purpose of diversifying EPFs donor base away from core-USAID
sources, which are not expected to be sustainable beyond 2010. Since the launch of
EPF in November 2007, the foundation has already raised more than $6 million in
non-core USAID funding. While the figures are impressive, the fundraising
challenges facing each office differ widely. Half of the funds raised to date have
come from a single donor to one country ($3 million from Sida to EPFs Georgia
operations); and almost one quarter of funds raised to date (1.2 million) come from
EPFs longtime donor, Carnegie Corporation, for the CRRC program. Thus, the issue
of diversification of funding sources is not yet resolved.
In 2009 EPF set fundraising targets based on estimates of the previous years
fundraising. Since the general fundraising strategy is to seek funding for existing
program areas by leveraging core USAID resources (rather than investing efforts
into launching new program areas), each target is specified as a percent of total
program funding.
The rationale for each target is explained below.
FUNDRAISING TARGETS FOR 2009
Percent of 2008 programs funded 2009
target
(non-core
by non-core donors*
funding)
Georgia
52 % (including Sida)
70 %
CRRC
23 %
40 % (non-Carnegie)
(73 % Carnegie core)
CrossArmenia:
62 % (FCO)
Azerbaijan: 100 %
border**
Azerbaijan: 61 % (FCO)
Georgia:
23 % (Sida)
Presidents
n/a
Target:
$
100,000
in
Office
unrestricted funding
* Core donors are the EF/USAID grant (excluding performance funds) and Carnegie
Corporation in the case of CRRC. Sidas contribution in Georgia is not considered
core funding.
**The figures for each country office include the portion of USAIDs core funding
that is allocated to cross-border programs.
1) Georgia
The Georgia offices costs are split almost evenly between core USAID funding and
Sida funding. While the Sida funding gives the Georgia office a level of security over
the next 2 years, Georgia must begin to establish substantial new sources of
funding in 2009-10, well before the Sida monies run out. In 2009, a lot of money is
expected to pour into Georgia after the Russia-Georgia war in August. However,
most of the new funding will be for infrastructure and humanitarian aid. It will be a
new challenge to the fundraising team to respond to opportunities while adhering to
the Foundations core mission.
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2) Cross-border
Since cross-border budgets come from each country offices budget, and because
cross-border can be bilateral or trilateral, within the region or including other
countries (e.g. Russia, Turkey), it is very difficult to set targets for cross-border
fundraising. EPF will strive to fund 100% of Azerbaijans share of cross-border
projects from non-core donor. One way to do this could be to seek more ArmeniaAzerbaijan opportunities similar to the current FCO-funded media bias program,
which will be increasingly relevant and attractive to donors. EPF will continue
fundraising efforts for the Armenia and Georgia portions of these projects as well,
whenever possible.
3) CRRC
While CRRC has demonstrated the largest successes in raising new sources of
funding in 2008, the majority of these funds have been raised for operations in
Georgia and Armenia; and very little new (non-Carnegie) money has been raised
for CRRCs core activities: training, data collection and fellowships. Further, many of
the CRRC awards have been relatively small over the last year, between 10,000
and 50,000. While they have opened up new doors and allowed CRRC to
demonstrate its ability to serve as a leader in high-quality research and survey
work, the demand on staff resources has been very high. In 2009, CRRC will need
to continue its strong trend in attracting outside funding sources, but with a view to
pursuing larger, multi-year awards and projects for both its core activities and
newer competencies.
IDENTIFYING NEW OPPORTUNITIES
In the last 12 months, EPF has submitted a total of 49 proposals for funding in the
South Caucasus. Of these, 18 proposals were awarded, 17 were rejected or
withdrawn and 15 are still outstanding. At an estimated 50 percent success rate,
EPFs program development team has responded to nearly every opportunity that
arose during the last year. Compare these facts to the previous 12 month period,
from September 2006-September 2007, when EF submitted 28 proposals, winning
only 10 and losing 18. Clearly, EPF has significantly increased both its overall
number of submitted proposals (21 more), and the success rate (from one third to
one half) over the last year.
Currently, EPFs development team and program staff have taken an opportunitybased approach to identifying new opportunities, passing along information when
we hear of it and waiting for the news to come to us. EPF is developing a more a
systematic process for identifying new requests for proposals, which means that the
foundation will be able to be more proactive. This is especially important in cases
where multiple deadlines require strategic decisions about the allocation of staff
time and institutional capacity to respond. This is expected to increase the overall
quality of proposals, the appropriateness of each concept to the opportunity, and
thus to increase the win rate.
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