Open Society New Response Projects Application Guidelines
Open Society New Response Projects
Over the last five years, the Think Tank Fund has underwritten some 40 initiatives from 30 organizations addressing a range of issues confronting populist policies and addressing threats to open society within the Open Society New Response Projects support.
Our support continues to be focused on supporting established policy research centers in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia in development and promotion of innovative, evidence-based policy-relevant research seamlessly combined with comprehensive communication and advocacy of preferred policy alternatives.
Application Process
Prior to sending a full proposal applicants shall submit a brief concept paper of no more than 3 pages plus any applicable appendices in a single editable document (*.odt or *.doc) via e-mail to ttf_applications@osi.hu. The Think Tank Fund will use this concept paper to determine whether the project meets our current funding priorities. The concept paper should include brief paragraphs on the following sections (you can use these as section headings):
- What is the issue/problem?
A brief identification and description of the policies, attitudes, or practices (issues) the project aims to address, as well as their importance and social relevance. - What has been done about it already?
A brief representative (not exhaustive) account of previous actions and interventions (by prospective grantee and others) to tackle the issue(s) mentioned above, including specific examples of the success or failure of respective actions, and how your project builds on past lessons learned. - What do you propose to do about the issue(s)/problem(s) and how do you intend to do it?
A brief overview of the proposed activities and outputs envisaged within the project, including a timeline, methodology, and advocacy plan that outlines the full pathway to change. - Why should your organization do it?
Please briefly explain why your organization is suited to conduct the proposed project. - Proposed budget and timeframe
An estimated overall project budget and timeframe. If you have already secured co-funding please mention it here. - Appendix
A short description of your organization, website address, your mission, and links to any policy outcomes or projects of which you are particularly proud. Additional information can be provided in the form of a website link.
After review of the concept paper, grant applicants may be invited to submit a full application.
Detailed guidelines on drafting the full proposal will be provided to applicants whose concept notes fit within the Think Tank’s funding priorities. In general the full proposal will follow the structure of the concept paper mentioned above. The full proposal consists of a narrative description of the project and budget. While the concept paper provides a brief overview of the project idea and the context, the full proposal elaborates on each of the sections in greater detail, specifying objectives, a detailed activity plan including specific expected project outcomes and benchmarks for assessing the project’s impact.
The narrative part of the proposal shall not exceed 10 pages. Other relevant information, such as an organizational history, a full institutional budget and examples of previous policy products, may be appended. Applicant organizations shall also provide a detailed project budget and implementation plan. The budget will be based on a standard template and budget development guidelines, which will be provided with the template.
The proposal should discuss how the project fits within the organization’s broader project portfolio and its overall agenda. The requested project grant should constitute no more than 20 percent of the group’s total annual budget. Priority will be given to projects that can demonstrate co-funding. Grants will not exceed $75,000 per year and can be up to two years in length. Successful applicants are encouraged to secure co-funding from other sources.
Selection Procedure
Concept papers are assessed on a rolling basis, however it may take a few weeks to receive a response. The Think Tank Fund strives to be a competent hands-on donor, therefore, if small changes or improvements to the proposal could provide a better fit with Think Tank funding priorities or a higher impact of support on the work of the applicant, suggestions may be communicated by the Think Tank Fund staff to the applicant prior to the submission of a full proposal. The applicant may or may not decide to accept these comments. The full proposal is evaluated by the Think Tank Fund Sub-board who makes the final decisions on awarding support.
Once a complete application (full proposal) has been received, the application review process and delivery of a decision typically takes about three months to complete. The applicant should also expect a period of up to six to eight additional weeks before receiving funding after a decision has been made. While there are no deadlines for the submission of concept papers or full proposals, we encourage applicants to submit the concept note well ahead of any planned activities in order to allow for sufficient time before beginning any proposed action.
Should you need more information or clarification even prior to submitting a concept paper, please feel free to contact the Think Tank Fund staff.
Deadline
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Contact Information
Open Society Foundations
Think Tank Fund
Oktober 6. u. 12.
Budapest 1051, Hungary
Tel: +36-1-882-3210
Fax: +36-1-882-3101
ttf_applications@osi.hu
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