General Questions

Funding

Selection Process

Specific Research Requirements and Components

General Questions

Q: What is public expenditure tracking or budget tracking?

A: Budget tracking involves monitoring the flow of public funds and resources from those allocating the funds to frontline service providers. The goal of budget tracking is to increase the transparency of public expenditures and identify inefficiencies such as leakages and delays in the flow of funds between those allocating finances (government) and those receiving the funds (service providers such as teachers, doctors, and nurses). By examining and disseminating quantitative information about what funds are reaching each stage of the public expenditure chain, budget tracking studies serve several specific purposes, including: (1) quantifying the differences between allocated and received public resources at the institutional level, (2) evaluating how resources are distributed, and (3) increasing both supply and demand for information on public resource usage.

Q: Where can I find resources on Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys and absenteeism studies?

A: TAP has compiled a list of suggested readings on PETS and absenteeism that can be very useful to those wishing to conduct a study or learn more about them.

Q: We are interested in learning more about projects that have been funded by TAP in the past. How can we find out more about them?

A: TAP is currently completing its fourth round of support to CSOs engaged in budget analysis projects. Although the projects completed in the previous groups of CSOs reflect a different Request for Proposals than the one being advertised now, summaries of these projects may help to give applicants a sense of the type of work and organizations that TAP is interested in funding. Summaries of the projects and advocacy plans from our previous grant rounds can be found here on our website.

Q: What do I do if I am having trouble downloading files and submitting the proposals via the TAP website?

A: If you experience difficulties with downloading files or submitting forms on the TAP website, please contact TAP at grants@resultsfordevelopment.org. We will work with you to ensure that you are able to send and receive any documents needed to apply under the Request for Proposals.
 

Funding

Q: My organization is not going to be able to conduct the research project with the number of institutions requested (30 institutions) for the maximum award level ($43,000). Should we still apply?

A: Yes. TAP is willing to consider exceptions to the minimum institutions and maximum award on a case-by-case basis. If you fall into this category, please submit your proposal with the budget that your organization would need to complete research with 30 institutions or the maximum number of institutions that you could include in the sample given an award of $43,000. In addition, please submit a statement explaining why you do not think that you will be able to meet the project requirements with the maximum award.
 

Q: If we are chosen for funding, may we hire contractors to complete some activities in the project?

A: Yes. TAP encourages supported organizations to use local contractors to work on the project when this is appropriate.
 

Q: Are all travel costs covered by TAP separately from the $43,000 grant?

A: No. TAP agrees to pay for airfare, hotel, per diem allotments, travel between airports and accommodations, and visa fees for two representatives from each organization to attend any conferences sponsored by TAP. These expenses will be covered directly by TAP and are not considered to be part of the $43,000 grant award. However, any additional travel expenses within the organization’s country that are required to complete the sponsored research must be paid for using the grant award and should be noted in the budget to be submitted with the proposal.

Q: Should I include translation expenses in the budget?

A: Yes. Although the original policy report should be written in the language of the country or region where the study is taking place, TAP does ask that organizations have deliverables translated into English before submitting them to the TAP team. We request that organizations have documents translated from the native language to English (rather than English to native language) and that this service is performed in the sponsored organization’s country (rather than in the United States). Any anticipated translation expenses should be included in the budget to be submitted with the proposal.

Selection Process

Q: What is the criterion used to select projects to fund?

A: A panel of experts convened by TAP will evaluate the policy analysis proposals. Proposals will first be screened for eligibility (e.g., whether the organization itself is eligible and whether the proposal conforms, in general, to the guidelines set forth above). Following that first screening, proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria set forth in the following table. Note that because TAP seeks to achieve broad geographical coverage in its work, the number of proposals from a single country or region may be limited even though all are of high quality. The specific process for evaluation of proposals is as follows:

Stage 1: TAP will rate all proposals against the following criteria:

Stage 2: Each proposal will receive a score that is the average of the scores of all selection committee members. Based on these scores, we will categorize proposals into three categories (High, Medium, and Low). Each category will have a corresponding range of scores. For example, if the range for High is 75 to 100, a proposal with a score of 80 will be placed in the High group.

Stage 3: If the High Group has fewer than 20 proposals, we will offer grants to all High proposals, and go to Medium for additional grantees (and so on). If the High group has greater than 20, we will randomly select the 20 to receive grants. We do this to ensure that all high quality proposals have an equal chance of receiving funding, while still keeping an element of randomization. If you do not receive funding, it will not be because a proposal of lower quality was randomly chosen.

Q: What types of organizations are eligible for funding in this Request for Proposals?

A: This current RFP is open to any non-governmental IMO based in low- and middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and East Asia and the Pacific . TAP is more concerned with the functions, skills, and interests of IMOs than with the formal type or classification of an organization, and, accordingly, a variety of organizations may participate including:

• Research and policy organizations
• Community Groups
• NGOs
• Faith-based organizations
• Business assocations
• Labor groups

The key requirement is that the organization is independent from government (or any political party) and has the capacity to function as an effective producer and disseminator of high quality, timely, accurate, and credible data and analysis.
 

Q: What if my organization receives funding from the government or a political party?  Am I still eligible?

A: Yes, you are still eligible.  However, the applying organization must affirm that it is not controlled by the government or political party and must clearly describe the amount of funding received and the nature of the relationship when applying.

Q: Which countries are eligible in sub-Saharan Africa? 

Q: Which countries are eligible in South Asia? 

Q: Which countries are eligible in East Asia and the Pacific?

Q: If our proposal is not selected in this RFP, can we resubmit in the future?

A: Yes. We encourage organizations to resubmit modified proposals in the future.

Q: If we have already received funding from a previous TAP grant round, or we are selected for this grant round, can we apply for a future grant round?

A: Yes, we welcome previous grantees to apply. However a point reduction is imposed on them to require a stronger proposal from these organizations, based on their previous experience in the program. A grantee participating once before would face a deduction of 5 points; twice previously would create a handicap of -10 points, and so on.

Specific Research Requirements and Components.
 

Q: Who is the intended audience for the policy analysis?

A: The policy analysis report should be targeted to key stakeholders in the sponsored organization’s country; this may include policymakers, the media, the public, and other civil society organizations. Although TAP will be providing comments and feedback on the research study and deliverables, we ask that you do not consider TAP or the Results for Development Institute the target audience for the policy