What Does Eligibility Mean?

When we talk about the success rate of proposals and the reasons why they can fail, we normally focus on the content of the proposal. One of the most common reasons that a proposal is not accepted is though that the guidelines have not been followed or that the applicant was not eligible for the grant in the first place. In todays article we want to talk about what eligibility means and why it is so important.

Eligibility in the context of a project proposal basically means if you or your organization meet their necessary criteria to receive the grant. This refers to form of organization, legal status, country of registration and age of organization amongst others. Some calls for applications only apply for organizations that already have a couple of years of experience, others only to NGOs or charities, some are open for individuals.

Why does the donor determine eligibility?

Many times, the donor can only give grants to specific forms of organizations because of tax reasons. Charities in many countries can only give money to other charities, because they received the donations specifically for this purpose. Some can also give to social enterprises or even individuals, but most have very specific rules as for who can apply. When they work with organizations that are registered, there is also more security regarding misuse of funds etc., because organizations have to follow different rules than individuals.

Sometimes the donor also requests the applicants to have a specific number of years of working experience. Obviously, a long track record hints at a successful management and the skills to implement future project. This can make it quite difficult for brand-new NGOs. If you want to learn more about how to fundraise when you just start out, make sure you read this article.

The most basic and simple thing to determine if you are eligible for a grant is to check if your country is within the focus countries of the donor. While this seems to be common sense, many times donors receive applications from countries they are not working in. These proposals will receive a rejection immediately, no matter if they are of high quality.

Why should I pay so much attention to eligibility?

It is very simple – if you write a proposal for an opportunity that you are not eligible for, you are wasting time. Not only your own time, but the time of the donor as well. Many NGOs seem to think that they can sway a donor with a good project, but if you are not eligible, the evaluation committee will not even take a look at your proposal. Make sure you know from the beginning if you can apply or not, and when not, move on. If you are not sure, ask the donor before you put in any work.