What you will learn
- Distinguish the main types of donors and their requirements.
- Write a concept note and a full proposal, including the budget.
- Manage a grant agreement: compliance, budget monitoring, amendments, reporting, audit and close-out.
Course information
- Level
- Beginner to intermediate
- Study time
- 18 hours over 3 days (lessons, case studies, exercises)
- Format
- Online, at your own pace, free and unlimited access
- Assessment
- Daily quizzes + final exam of 20 randomly drawn questions (30 min, pass mark 70%)
- Credential
- Named, numbered certificate of achievement, verifiable online (QR code)
- Reference frameworks
- DG ECHO · IASC · CHS Alliance, Groupe URD, Sphere
Programme
- Day1The grant cycle and donorsWho funds humanitarian action? · The grant cycle · Capacity assessment (due diligence) Scenario: A call for proposals in 10 days
- Day2Writing a proposal and a budgetThe concept note · The full proposal · The budget Scenario: The budget that does not add up
- Day3Managing the contract, reporting and close-outCompliance · Budget monitoring and amendments · Reporting, audit and close-out Scenario: Six months in, and 40% of the budget spent
- Final assessment and certificate20 questions · 70% to pass · 3 attempts per 24 hours
Who is it for?
Grants officers, project managers, finance managers and directors of national NGOs seeking funding.
The certificate
With at least 70% correct answers in the final assessment, you receive a certificate in your name, with a unique code that recruiters can verify on Humanitaires Jobs. A free Members area account is required.
Key concepts
The vocabulary you need to master for this course and the exam.
- Concept note
- A short presentation of a project idea, before the full proposal.
- Cost eligibility
- The conditions under which an expense is accepted by the donor.
- Indirect costs
- The share of headquarters support costs charged to the project.
- Co-funding
- The share of the budget covered by sources other than the main donor.
- Value for money
- Economy, efficiency, effectiveness and equity in the use of funds.
- Due diligence
- A donor's checks on an organisation's capacity and compliance.
- Amendment
- A formal modification of the contract (duration, budget, activities).
- Eligibility period
- The dates between which expenditure may be incurred.
References and recommended reading
The official texts and sector reference works on which the course is based.
- DG ECHO (2024). Donor rules and guidelines (example: European Commission, ECHO). civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu
- IASC (2016). The Grand Bargain: commitments. interagencystandingcommittee.org/grand-bargain
- CHS Alliance, Groupe URD, Sphere (2024). Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS). www.corehumanitarianstandard.org
- FAO / partner NGOs (2017). Guide to writing project proposals. www.fao.org