National Call for Proposal for Grant Submission by NGOs/CSOs in support of vulnerable and at risk community in Thailand in the context of COVID-19

September 30, 2020

National Call for Proposal for Grant Submission by NGOs/CSOs in support of vulnerable and at risk community in Thailand in the context of COVID-19 within the framework of the project: “Strengthening socio-economic recovery, human security and resilience in Thailand in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak ensuring the Leave No One Behind and Safeguard progress made towards the SDGs”

Background

UNDP is the United Nations' lead development agency, working to support countries’ work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs.  In Thailand, UNDP is working with the Royal Thai government, civil society, national partners, and the Thai public to find solutions to persistent development challenges.

Thailand is facing severe socio-economic effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic.  The Bank of Thailand decreased the country’s’ 2020 GDP growth forecast from 2.8% expansion to 5.3 contraction – the worst performance since the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997.  While the impact of COVID-19 is already affecting the whole society, those who are economically and socially vulnerable are hit the hardest.  Individuals who are the most affected by the pandemic are those at risk of being left behind in development – including women, the elderly and youth, those who work in small and medium enterprises and marginalized, vulnerable groups, such as persons with disabilities (PWDs), LGBTI people, persons living with HIV, homeless persons, stateless individuals, or persons belonging to ethnic minorities. The country’s poverty and inequality could rise drastically as the number of ‘new poor’ affected by COVID-19 are also expected to increase significantly. The conflict-affected southern border provinces of Thailand have been particular impacted by the pandemic, including challenges linked to food security.

As the crisis impacts individuals differently, the most vulnerable and at-risk groups are slipping further behind, and inequalities are pushed to new heights. It, in turn, represents significant challenges for Thailand to safeguard progress achieved towards the SDGs. Therefore, it is critical to adopt an inclusive, gender, and human rights-based approach to crisis response.

As part of the UN system, UNDP offers immediate assistance to the national COVID-19 response, to prepare for, respond to, and recover from this pandemic, ensuring no one is left behind while safeguarding the progress achieved towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Consistent with WHO’s “COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan”, the United Nations Partnership Framework (2017-2021) and the UNDP Country Programme Document for Thailand (2017-2021),  a project “Strengthening socio-economic recovery, human security and resilience in Thailand in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak ensuring the Leave No One Behind and Safeguard progress made towards the SDGs” has been developed.  The overall objective is to promote social and economic recovery and strengthen the community resilience of the Thai people – with a particular focus on the vulnerable and at-risk group – ensure empowerment at both sub-national and national level, and in view of promoting SDG localization efforts.

Purpose of the Grant Contest

The grant activities will support gender-sensitive economic empowerment interventions, improved access to basic services, promote food security targeting the most vulnerable and impacted groups including youth, people with disability, ethnic minorities, the LGBTI community, victims of gender-based violence, and those in both the formal and informal sector with low income through partnerships with local Civil society organizations (CSOs), Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the country.

Funds will be allocated to those civil society organizations whose projects contribute to resolving one or more priorities explained below and meet quality criteria and other conditions.

In this regard, there are two areas of work that will be considered for awarding the grant.

Type-A

To support gender-sensitive economic empowerment interventions

improved access to basic services, promote food security targeting the most vulnerable and impacted groups including youth, people with disability, ethnic minorities, the LGBTI community, victims of gender-based violence, and those in both the formal and informal sector with low income through partnerships with local Civil society organizations (CSOs), Non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Type -B

To promote inter-community resilience, social cohesion, and food security in the conflict-affected southern border provinces of Thailand through livelihood support and improvement, civil society and people engagement, and technical support to local governments applying a conflict-prevention approach focused on strengthening social cohesion.


An interested organization can apply either one or two types of grants.

Applying organizations are expected to devise proposals on the most topical and challenging areas wherever most needed, which would offer practical solutions to achieve desired results, as explained below in the intervention areasApplying organizations might consider the development of a CSO coalition/platform.

Areas of Intervention

The proposals may focus on the following three key areas

  1. Gender-responsive ways of supporting targeted vulnerable group to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on their food security
  2. Access to basic services, social protection, livelihoods, etc. through community resilience as well as innovative and nature-based solution (NbS).

Possible topics for grant projects include but are not limited to:

Type -A

  • Assisting most vulnerable and at-risk communities through, for instance;
  • Providing relief goods, basic necessities, and PPEs;  and
  • Strengthening their livelihoods and resilience by supporting the establishment of social enterprises and community entrepreneurs through awareness-raising, training, and other related support.

Type -B

  • Piloting social innovation for livelihood improvement at local communities;
  • Establishing network of food industry value chain to share information of food production and consumption at local communities; and
  • Enhancing capacities of local community for inclusive local planning and implementation.


The proposals should include a clearly articulated theory of change and demonstrate how the lasting impact in each area is expected to be achieved. Particular attention will be paid to the sustainability of proposed actions.

Who Can Apply

  • Non-profit organizations that have at least four years of proven experience in project management, policy research, policy analysis, human resource development, service delivery and similar. Experience of managing of projects with comparable budget size within the last two years will be considered as an asset. Organizations should be registered in accordance with the legal requirements of the Government of Thailand and must be able to provide organization’s statute along with the debt certificate upon request.
  • Although, not mandatory, CSOs are welcome to submit proposals as coalitions. In this case, main applicants must provide support letters from relevant co-applicants specifying the role of the co-applicant. In case of coalition, the main applicant shall have at least four years of proven experience in project management, policy research, policy analysis, human resource development, service delivery and similar (see above), whereas co-applicants shall have at least two years of proven experience in the similar areas.

Procedures of Grant Proposal Submission

Those wishing to apply for grant under this call for proposal should submit the followings:

  1. Copy of the Registration of the Organization
  2. Proposed Work Plan (See Annex A);
  3. Budget Form (See Annex A).

IMPORTANT: Please send Grant Submission Form electronically in one file (pdf format) signed and scanned to the following email:   LowValueGrants.th@undp.org  The Results and Resources Framework (See Annex B) together with Budget Form (See Annex C) shall be submitted as separate documents electronically in Excel format. If additional clarifications required, questions can be sent to the same email address indicated above. Answers to questions will be provided within two working days.

Deadline for applications is 29 October 2020, 23:59 hrs Bangkok, Thailand. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

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