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Tropical Leaves

SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM

Environmental + Social + Economic + Climate Change + Youth

Application Due August 30th

SELECTION PROCESS

Evaluation of Eligible Proposals

The project selection process contains two stages:

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  1. Presentation and review of the Letter of Intent, and

  2.  Invitation of full proposals.

 

Final projects will be selected via a competitive process organized by MCF staff and an Evaluation Committee.

 

The Evaluation Committee will be made up of five (5) people—2 representatives of the MCF, 1 local leader, 1 representative of the academic sector and 1 expert in subjects related to community development—and will be responsible for:

  1.  determining the general eligibility of proposals;

  2.  evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the project, the budget and the proposing entity; and

  3.  presenting the results of their evaluation to the MCF Board of Directors.

RELEVANT DOCUMENTS

PROPOSAL FORM

Grants: Files

GENERAL GUIDELINES

TYPE OF FINANCING

The MCF offers grants to local projects that meet the required profile.

AMOUNTS AND FREQUENCY

The maximum grant for each project will be defined each year according to the available budget.  The amounts assigned to projects will be in US dollars.  If the donee prefers to execute the project in colones, the exchange rate on the date of disbursal of funds will be used.  No project may receive more than three (3) grants in a five-year period or may receive more than one grant at a time.

PERMITTED USES

MCF resources may be destined for the acquisition of equipment, machinery, training sessions, consulting, materials, supplies, activities and remuneration of human resources as long as they do not represent the principal goal of the project.

COUNTERPARTS

The applicants must supply an equivalent amount or more to the contribution of the MCF, whether in cash or in goods or services valued at market prices.  The maximum amount to be supplied by MCF will be defined each year.  (Example: ‘Organization A’ has a project that costs $5,000 and the maximum available from MCF is $2,000. Therefore, MCF would only contribute $2,000 and the applying organization would contribute $3,000 resources (in cash or in kind) or from other sources).

GEOGRAPHIC AREA

Projects financed by MCF through this fund must be located in the communities of Cañitas, Cebadilla, Cerro Plano, Guacimal, La Cruz, La Lindora, La Guaria, Las Nubes, Los Llanos, Los Olivos, Los Tornos, Cabeceras, Monteverde, San Luis, Santa Elena and San Gerardo. Priority will be given to projects located communities within the Municipal District of Monteverde.

DISBURSEMENTS

DURATION OF PROJECTS

The MCF will finance projects for a maximum period of 18 months which may be extended for justified reasons.

DIRECT BENEFICIARIES

Funds will be disbursed in installments according to what has been negotiated previously between MCF and the donee.  The donee must have presented a progress report and a financial report in order to receive disbursements of remaining funds.  Once the progress reports have been presented, the Follow-Up Committee will analyze the achievement and scope of the objectives.

To participate in the Small Grants Program, community groups must be formed by a group of people committed to a common interest. These, along with the people in the region who receive direct support from the project, are considered direct beneficiaries. To date, over 10,000 people have benefited directly and indirectly from our annual calls.

THEMES AND GOALS

ENVIRONMENTAL

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL

COMMUNITY 
ECONOMY

CLIMATE CHANGE

YOUTH

GRANT RESTRICTIONS

MCF will NOT award SGP grants to:

  • proposals presented or directed by governmental entities;

  • proposals presented by individuals or by for-profit companies;

  • proposals presented by groups that do not contribute financial or in-kind resources to the proposed activities;

  • the proposals related to political parties or partisan movements;

  • purely religious or sectarian activities;

  • pure research;

  • social assistance projects of any kind;

  • projects that are the direct responsibility of the local or national government;

  • requests for donations in excess of the maximum amount defined for this fund; or

  • projects whose objectives do not work toward a shared self-help capacity.

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