Funding Criteria
LAST UPDATED
12.13.2010
Knowledge activity proposals are an outcome of discussions with global partners and donors and with World Bank central and regional technical staff who liaise closely with counterparts and local stakeholder groups in developing countries. PROFOR's Advisory Board, the World Bank's External Advisory Group, and technical staff in the World Bank, in close consultation with the PROFOR Secretariat, help to identify priority topics. Outside of the groups identified above, unsolicited proposals from project proponents are not currently being accepted. However, the Secretariat actively welcomes and solicits feedback and suggestions for possible PROFOR activities, in line with its wider dialogue with governments, and local and regional stakeholder groups and organizations.
Themes And Criteria
Proposals should be innovative, support knowledge dissemination, and be consistent with PROFOR's strategic framework which emphasizes four themes - livelihoods, finance, governance and cross-sectoral cooperation . PROFOR's Advisory Board provides guidance about the overall direction of the program, and in some cases is consulted about the viability of specific proposals and initiatives. Proposals are finalized in the form of an Activity Concept Note, which provides the overall framework for implementation of individual activities.
Activity Concept Notes are finalized by PROFOR Secretariat staff or by other World Bank Group staff. For each proposed activity, PROFOR considers likely overall forest conservation and development outcomes, the sustainability of the work, the likelihood the activity will contribute to improved knowledge which can contribute to policy change, and the possibility of leveraging additional funding. The potential for working closely with locally based academic, policy research and academic institutions is also a factor.
Project Cycle
PROFOR typically finances activities that can be completed in less than two years. For approved activities, a contractual agreement is established between the World Bank as PROFOR’s host institution and the implementing entity. Recipients of PROFOR funds are required to submit periodic reports on the status of implementation of activities.
PROFOR-financed activities are managed either directly by the PROFOR Secretariat, or by central or regional technical staff working for the World Bank Group.
Procurement
Services related to activities described in Activity Concept Notes will be procured using standard World Bank procurement practices, and may be announced on the Opportunities page of the PROFOR website, or through UN Development Business and WBG e-consultant2.
Bank policy requires that consultants provide professional, objective, and impartial advice without any consideration for future work, and that in providing this advice they avoid conflicts with other assignments and their own corporate interests. Because of this, project proponents are not eligible to tender for contracts related to projects they themselves may be managing or supporting, as this could constitute a conflict of interest. The World Bank's Procurement Guidelines provide further information about its conflict of interest provisions.
Outputs
In addition to regular reporting against milestones, project proponents are also responsible for submission of annual progress reports and activity completion reports to the PROFOR Secretariat, including detailed financial statements.
All final documents/reports are expected to meet PROFOR/World Bank standards for publications. The final published version of the paper, brief or reports will carry the PROFOR logo and acknowledge PROFOR’s contribution; the electronic versions that are posted on websites will acknowledge PROFOR’s contribution and have a link to the PROFOR website.