In Malawi, there are a number of organizations managing various grant programs directed towards community development and/or natural resources management activities. The COMPASS small grant activity is unique in terms of the way its success is measured.  Instead of gauging performance solely in terms of the grantees' achievements, COMPASS' strives to draw lessons from the grantees' performance and capture this information for wider dissemination.  COMPASS' effectiveness at achieving this is a critical indicator of our own success.

Manuals of Grant Application and Management Procedures

A detailed step-by-step grant application and management procedures has been included in the manuals to assist potential grant applicants and grantees in preparing  grant applications and also in managing the grants.  A Technical Committee that participated in the finalization of the Grants Manual in August 1999 indicated that the English version of the manual is to some extent inaccessible to certain organizations such as a majority of the Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and many individual farmers. Translations into Chichewa (Document 12 and Tumbuka (Document 24) that can be read and understood by the majority of Malawians have, therefore, been done.

Establishment of Clear Selection Criteria for Awards
 
In order for an applicant organization to be eligible for funding under COMPASS small grant program, a review of the grant proposals must be undertaken and recommendations made to COMPASS for funding. The review is undertaken by a panel that has a fair representation of various stakeholder groups to ensure that opportunities for funding are well balanced. Reviews are undertaken when a substantial number of applications (10 - 15 applications) is received. 

Potential grantees will indicate their intention to participate in the Small Grants Program by submitting to COMPASS a Project Concept that will have to be no more than two typed pages. COMPASS will review the Project Concept within one week of its reception. Once a decision has been made, COMPASS will notify the applicant. If the Project Concept is approved by COMPASS, the applicant will be requested to develop a full project proposal. If needed, COMPASS personnel will be available to assist the applicant with proposal development.

Once the proposal is submitted to COMPASS, it will be directly distributed to at least five subject matter specialist members of a Review Panel who will have three weeks to make their comments on its eligibility for funding. In addition, following discussions on the small-grants program at the regional forums for Districts Commissioners and Environmental District Officers in October 1999, it has been agreed that one copy of each Grant Agreement will be sent to the EDO in the relevant District.  This action is intended both to inform the responsible officers as well as solicit their opinions on the merits of the proposal.  Once the Review Team members and COMPASS have taken a final decision, the applicant will be notified. The maximum amount of time, from the moment that a proposal is received by COMPASS to the moment that outcome notification is sent to the applicant, will be thirty days.

Award of Grants

Small grants not exceeding$50,000 are awarded to organizations or individuals to support selected groups of promising cost-effective CBNRM initiatives that will bring about replication of models for promoting sustainable CBNRM initiatives.

Once an appraisal is satisfactorily completed, A Grant Agreement is signed by both parties at a mutually agreed upon time. Disbursement of funds is contingent on the existence or establishment of an acceptable accounting system and the opening of a special grant bank current account. Funds are disbursed on an advance basis based on an approved three months work plan and budget.

Provision of Technical Assistance to Grant Applicants and Recipients

To increase the impact of small grant program by developing skills that will be applicable for promoting future CBNRM initiatives. Successful grant applicants are targeted for different forms of technical assistance to strengthen their abilities to carry out their grant-related activities and sustain their program activities.

Among other things that the successful grant applicants  require in grant management is assistance to develop an appropriate monitoring and evaluation program and to comply with the requirements for financial management.

Local workshops are organized to cover the topics of participatory monitoring and evaluation and the grant financial management requirements. Key representatives from each recipient group are expected to attend one of these sessions

Evaluation of Grantee Performance

Given that the small grants program is intended to finance and test innovative CBNRM models, it is particularly important that grantees adopt an appropriate monitoring and evaluation plan to assess performance and impact.

The approach is to ensure active participation of grantees in identifying targets and appropriate indicators. However, the monitoring and evaluation framework was initially designed by a short-term technical assistant (STTA). The COMPASS Team  provides training on the application of the community based monitoring and evaluation system.

Short-term technical assistance is contracted to undertake a more an independent evaluation of the small-grants program annually in November/December.  This evaluation will focuses on fundamental issues such as an assessment of how effectively opportunities have been realized and how well community mobilization has been sustained.

Follow the link to the grant sites currently operating in Malawi