Client: DFID
Country: Global
Year: 2002 – 2013
This Fund provides funding to UK-based civil society organisations (CSOs) who are working in partnership with CSOs in developing and transition economies. The aim of the Fund is to support initiatives which build the capacity of poor people to understand and demand their rights and improve their economic and social well-being through service delivery in difficult conditions.
Services provided
Triple Line is working in a joint venture with Crown Agents. The role includes all aspects of grant programme management including:
- Appraisal of applications, providing recommendations on which projects should be funded;
- Negotiation of grant agreements and processing of grant payments;
- Performance management of on-going projects;
- Performance measurement ( desk based and field visits);
- Capacity building to the organisations on technical issues including one-to-one log frame sessions,and
- Portfolio analysis of the CSCF.
Triple Line has been involved in the management of the CSCF since 2002. During this time we have appraised over 2,000 concept notes, 1,000 proposals, approximately 700 annual reports, project completion reports and evaluations; undertaken approximately 37 project visits and 23 organisational capacity assessments.
Achievements
Three key themes have emerged from our management of the CSCF in addition to the risk management processes described under the DAF project.
Improving Efficiency
One of the main benefits of outsourcing the technical aspects of the Fund was to ensure that appraisals were conducted by skilled, independent assessors who through their own experience could bring together a wide range of first hand, up-to-date knowledge of rights-based work and the contexts in which applicants to the fund and their partners were operating.
The Triple Line database has proved invaluable in improving the administrative tasks and maintaining the history of the funding process throughout the CSCF including generating letters and management prompts via the database and in generating relevant correspondence on the grant arrangement and reporting cycle.
In the management of the selection and approval processes Triple Line has sought to continually improve its practice and refine its database so that quick statistical analysis can be conducted and support the production of prompt answers to Parliamentary questions.
Improvements in Transparency and Objectivity
There is an element of judgment and subjectivity in recommending projects to DFID. Triple Line’s assessment processes have been developed by training assessors and using peer review/quality assurance systems to ensure objectivity and transparency. Systems for providing constructive feedback and workshops with grantees have also contributed to an improvement in the understanding of the criteria, resulting in an improved quality of projects over time.
Improved Accountability
Triple Line has worked at improving the accountability of the CSCF by working with grantees to improve their monitoring and performance measurement systems. Triple Line has also promoted a better understanding of the value of lesson learning and sharing to encourage better practice amongst organisations supporting civil society efforts and the dissemination of innovative approaches in the delivery of activities or measurement of impact.