Small Grants & Ambassador's Fund Program

23 Pages·2017·0.53 MB·English

SMALL GRANTS AND AMBASSADOR’S FUND PROGRAM (SGAFP)
Implemented by: National Rural Support Programme (NRSP)

Small Grants Program

27th Quarterly Progress Report
April-June, 2017

Submitted to: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
By NRSP –SGAFP under Contract No. AID-391-C-00-10-01189-00

Small Grants and Ambassador's Fund Program
House 14, Street 87, G-6/3, Islamabad, Pakistan
Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
Website: www.sgafp.org.pk

SGAFP’s Quarterly Progress Report (Apr-Jun, 2017) for SGP Page 1
Table of Contents
Highlights for the 27th quarter (April-June, 2017) ............................................................................................... 3
Statistical Abstract ...................................................................................................................................................... 5
Performance against Approved Work-Plan.......................................................................................................... 6
1. Pre-award Application Processing ................................................................................................................. 8
1.1. Applications Processed ........................................................................................................................... 8
1.2. Full Applications/Grant Summaries Processed .................................................................................. 8
2. Applications Approved by USAID ................................................................................................................. 8
3. Grant Agreements ............................................................................................................................................. 9
4. Funds Approved and Disbursed ..................................................................................................................... 9
5. Physical Progress of approved projects ..................................................................................................... 10
6. Supervision and Oversight of Grant Implementation ............................................................................. 10
8. Media Communication and Outreach ........................................................................................................ 11
8.1. Activities of the Media and Communication Cell at SGAFP ........................................................ 11
8.2. SGAFP’s Outreach ................................................................................................................................. 11
9. Environmental Impacts ................................................................................................................................... 11
10. Safety and Security Works ............................................................................................................................ 12
11. Finance and Accounts ..................................................................................................................................... 13
12. Results and Impacts of SGAFP Grants ....................................................................................................... 13
12.1. Contribution to USAID/Pakistan Mission Strategic Framework (MSF)..................................... 13
12.2. Immediate Impacts ................................................................................................................................. 14
13. Notable Events ................................................................................................................................................. 15
14. Issues .................................................................................................................................................................. 16
14.1. SGAFP/NRSP in Litigation .................................................................................................................... 16
15. Planning for Next Quarter (July – September 2017) .............................................................................. 18
Annexes ...................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Annex I: Region & sector wise approved projects & funds (US$) ................................................................ 19
Annex II: Status of the approved Grants under Let Girls learn-As of June 30, 2017 .............................. 20
Annex-III: Detail of Events to be held by the Grantee Organizations during the Months of July/August
2017 ............................................................................................................................................................................. 23

SGAFP’s Quarterly Progress Report (Apr-Jun, 2017) for SGP Page 2
Highlights for the 27th quarter (April-June, 2017)

This is the 27th quarterly progress report of Small Grants Program (SGP) component of the USAID
Small Grants and Ambassador’s Fund Program (SGAFP) for the period April-June 2017. Key
accomplishments of the reporting quarter are presented below:
1. SGAFP organized a highly successful showcase event in
Gilgit city on May 17, 2017 highlighting the Program’s
accomplishments in Gilgit Baltistan (GB) since its
inception in 2010. More than 180 representatives of
grantee organizations and the provincial government
participated in the event. Saeed Ashraf Siddiqi, Chief of
Party, SGAFP provided an overview of the Program and
its accomplishments in GB.
Hafiz Hafeez-ur-Rehman, Chief Minster, in his
remarks, generously appreciated the contributions and
accomplishments of the Program and suggested few
areas for USAID’s support in the region.

The event featured a screening of a world acclaimed
documentary titled “the last sanctuary” produced
through an SGAFP grant for the conservation of the
endangered Himalayan brown bear.

The event also featured an inspiring tableau by the
children of an orphanage supported through SGAFP
and an enthralling performance by artists from the
Bulbulik Music Heritage Center supported by USAID
to preserve the Wakhi culture of Gilgit Baltistan. The
participants termed the event as one of the most
successful events ever organized by any USAID
funded program in GB in terms of showcasing the
program’s accomplishments and high profile
participation. The event attracted significant media publicity.
2. As per USAID’s instruction, SGAFP ceased the receiving of new applications under Small Grants
Program. The programmatic needs have been met and the announcement of no longer accepting
applications was placed on the SGAFP’s website.
3. SGAFP had cumulatively received 1,684 applications, of which 618 were received since
resumption of the Small Grants Program on November 18, 2014 while SGAFP had received and
processed 1,066 concept papers before suspension of Small Grants Program in June 2013. All
these received applications have completed desk review processes and are now out of SGAFP’s
systems.
4. SGAFP has cumulatively submitted 185 fully processed grant summaries to USAID. During the
reporting period USAID reviewed 7 cases, cumulatively USAID has reviewed all 185 submitted
grant summaries and there is no grant summary pending at USAID.
5. The total number of approved grants/projects stands at 108 against the target of approximately
100 Small Grants. Of these 108 grants, 70 grants have been closed upon completion of their
stipulated outputs and milestones, 36 grant projects are at various stages of implementation, and
two grant agreements are in process at SGAFP.
SGAFP’s Quarterly Progress Report (Apr-Jun, 2017) for SGP Page 3
6. USAID approved US $ 359,684 for the new grants. Cumulatively the total amount of approved
funds as of June 30, 2017 is US$ 21.67 million. SGAFP disbursed US$ 1,053,530 during Apr-
Jun, 2017; cumulatively US$ 17.41 million have been disbursed among 102 grantees.
7. SGAFP staff made 60 monitoring visits to 36 ongoing grants to monitor quality of work and to
ensure transparency especially in terms of fund utilization, and technical support to the grantees
in executing the grants as planned.
8. Event calendar already shared with USAID as part of the monthly progress report for the month
of June 2017 indicates opening ceremony of two grants and closing ceremony of seven grants
during July/August 2017 and is being attached with this report as Annexure-III.

SGAFP’s Quarterly Progress Report (Apr-Jun, 2017) for SGP Page 4
Statistical Abstract
While reflecting the sequential order of SGAFP’s grant cycle management, below table presents
achievements during the reporting quarter as well as cumulative status as of June30, 2017.
S. # Indicators During the Cumulative as
Qtr (Apr-Jun, of June 30,
2017). 2017
A Pre-award process since resumption in Nov 2014
1 Applications received after resumption from Nov-2014 - 1,684
2 Applications assigned for checklist preparation - 1,684
3 Applications completed desk review process - 1,684
4 Applications cleared for further processing - 92
5 Institutional Assessment of the applicants undertaken - 95
6 Applications assigned for Grant Summary Preparation - 219
7 Grant summaries reviewed by SGAFP’s TEC - 185
8 Fully Processed Grant Summaries Submitted to USAID - 185
8.1 Recommended for award - 131
8.2 Recommended for non-award - 54
9 Grant Summaries reviewed & decision taken by USAID/GRC 7 185
9.1 Awarded 3 108
9.2 Non-awarded 4 77
10 Applications in process at USAID - -
10.1 For award - -
10.2 Not for award - -
B Post-award Grant Implementation Program Inception
1 Number of approved grants 3 108
2 Grant agreements signed between SGAFP & Grantees - 106
3 Grants closed as per USAID instructions - 3
4 Grant agreements in process 2 2
5 Funds approved by USAID in US $ - 19,711,131*
6 Funds obligated/committed in US $ - 19,496,284*
7 Funds disbursed to grantee organizations in US$ 1,053,530 17,416,028
8 Grants/Projects completed/closed 11 70
9 Grants/Projects at various stages of implementation 43 43
*Funds approved and funds obligated are reported after deducting unspent funds of completed grants
projects
Apart from the above cumulative statistical description of SGAFP’s progress, the below statistics give
a brisk view of the progress on a recent initiative “Let Girls Learn”. A brief description of 16 LGL
grants is presented at Annexure II.
S. # Indicators During the Cumulative as of
Qtr (Apr-Jun, June 30, 2017
2017).
Let Girls learn
1 Applications received - 222
2 Fully Processed Grant Summaries submitted to USAID - 21
2.1 Recommended for award - 21
2.2 Recommended for non-award - -
3 Grant Summaries reviewed & decision taken by USAID/GRC 5 20
3.1 Awarded 1 16
3.2 Non-awarded 4 4
4 Applications in process at USAID - -
4.1 For award - -
4.2 Not for award - -
5 Grant Agreements Signed 3 15
6 Funds Approved by USAID 108,683 2,718,922
7 Funds obligated/committed in US$ 399,924 2,560,047
8 Funds disbursed to grantee organizations in US$ 466,616 1,394,862
9 Grants/Projects completed/closed - -
10 Grants / Projects at various stages of implementation 15 15
SGAFP’s Quarterly Progress Report (Apr-Jun, 2017) for SGP Page 5
Performance against Approved Work-Plan
Below table presents SGAFP’s performance against the USAID approved work-plan indicating the
status of targets and achievements under both Program.
Total Target Achievements
S # Activities Program For Cum- For Cum-
Targets Qtr ulative Qtr ulative
1 Preparation and updating of resource documents
1.01 Preparation and approval of annual work plans X X X
1.02 Updating of Grant Procedures Manual X X X

1.03 Development of Environmental Management plan X X X
1.04 Preparation and submission of a M&E plan X X X
2 Grants Processing and Award - Small Grants Program
2.01 Publicizing grant opportunities under Small Grants X X X
2.02 Application Receiving, logging, and desk review X X X
2.03 Conduct of Institutional Assessments of applicants 100 100 210
2.04 Submission of For-award Grant Summaries to USAID 100 100 131
2.05 Grants approval requested from USAID 100 - 110 3 108
3 Post Award Grant Implementation - Small Grants Program
3.01 Preparation and signing of grant agreements with grantees 100 - 110 1 103
3.02 Grant Funds awarded/committed (Million US $) 19.553 - 19.465 - 19.711
3.03 Number of On-going grants for implementation support X 26 26 36 36
3.04 Release of grant funds to grantees in tranches (Million US $) 19.553 0.975 17.065 1.053 17.416
3.05 Number of field monitoring visits to grantees X 45 45 60 60
3.06 Number of MPRs/MERs received and reviewed 100 88 88 114 114
3.07 Grantee procurement exercises reviewed and approved X X X X X
3.08 Number of Grantees' External Audits finalized and accepted 100 10 85 11 70
3.09 Number of Grant Completion Reports reviewed/accepted 100 10 85 11 70
3.1 Grants completed and Issued Completion Certificates 100 10 85 11 70
4 Grants Processing and Award - Ambassador's Fund
4.01 Publicizing grant opportunities under Small Grants X X X X X
4.02 Application Receiving, logging, and desk review X X X X X
4.03 Conduct of Institutional Assessments of applicants 250 X X X X
4.04 Submission of For-award Grant Summaries to USAID 250 8 344 21 347
4.05 Grants approval requested from USAID 250 18 250 10 212
5 Post Award Grant Implementation - Ambassador's Fund
5.01 Preparation and signing of grant agreements with grantees 250 18 232 6 202
5.02 Grant Funds awarded/committed (Million US $) 18.106 1.075 18.106 - 15.189
5.03 Number of on-going grants for implementation support X 53 X 36 X
5.04 Release of grant funds to grantees in tranches (Million US $) 18.106 1.043 15.823 .676 13.618
5.05 Number of field monitoring visits to grantees X 81 81 56 56
5.06 Number of MPRs/MERs received and reviewed 100 159 159 117 117
5.07 Grantee procurement exercises reviewed and approved X X X X X
5.08 Number of Grantees' External Audits finalized and accepted 250 18 197 9 172
5.09 Number of Grant Completion Reports reviewed/accepted 250 18 197 9 172
5.1 Grants completed and Issued Completion Certificates 250 18 197 9 172
6 Media and Communication
6.01 Regular updating of SGAFP Website X X X X X
6.02 Compliance of USAID's Branding & Marking requirements X X X X X
6.03 Event Calendar developed and shared with USAID X 3 3 3 3
6.04 Case Studies 350 12 209 5 184
6.05 Success Stories X 1 26 45 71
6.06 # of grant write ups published in newspapers X X X X X
6.07 Social Media updates (USAID) X X X X X
6.08 Good quality pictures selected for media and websites X X X X X
7 Program Monitoring, reporting, documentation, evaluation and Close out plan
7.01 Updating of Grant-MIS and submission to USAID X X X X X
7.02 Fortnightly Weekly Reports X 6 X 6 X
7.03 Monthly Progress Reports 93 3 80 3 80
7.04 Quarterly Progress Reports 31 1 26 1 26
7.05 Documentation and Data Quality Audit X X X X X
SGAFP’s Quarterly Progress Report (Apr-Jun, 2017) for SGP Page 6
Total Target Achievements
S # Activities Program For Cum- For Cum-
Targets Qtr ulative Qtr ulative
7.06 Case studies on best practices prepared and disseminated X 6 6 0 0
7.07 Holding experience sharing and lessons learnt workshops X 1 3 0 0
7.08 Number of baseline survey reports reviewed and finalized X 19 19 5 170
7.09 Number of End-line survey reports reviewed and finalized X 28 28 20 170
7.1 End of Project Evaluations 350 30 177 72 172
7.11 Preparation and submission of close out plan X 0 0 0 0
7.12 Preparation and submission of Program Completion Report X 0 0 0 0
8 Finance and Accounts
8.01 Preparation and submission of monthly advance fund requests 93 3 80 3 80
8.02 Quarterly financial reports (liquidation, accrual and financial) 31 1 26 1 26
8.03 Submission of annual property& equipment inventory report 8 0 7 0 7
8.04 Submission of annual host government taxes report 8 0 7 0 7
8.05 Facilitation for conduct of annual RCA-FAS audit 8 0 7 0 7

SGAFP’s Quarterly Progress Report (Apr-Jun, 2017) for SGP Page 7
1. Pre-award Application Processing
This section provides details of pre-award application processing since resumption of small grants
program on November 18, 2014. It is highlighted that SGAFP had received and processed 1,066
concept papers / applications prior to suspension of small grants applications in June 2013 and these
all concept papers are now out of system.

1.1. Applications Processed
As per USAID instructions, SGAFP discontinued receiving new applications under Small Grants
Program on December 02, 2017 upon fulfillment of the programmatic needs. This announcement has
also been placed on SGAFP website. Following this announcement, SGAFP did not receive any new
application during the reporting period. Cumulatively, SGAFP has received 618 applications since
resumption of the Small Grants Program on November 18, 2014. Region wise analysis of
cumulative applications indicates that maximum applications were received from Punjab (212),
followed by KPK/FATA and Sindh (178 and 121 respectively). Sector wise analysis of cumulative
applications received indicates that maximum applications were received for education (239),
followed by LGL (222) and civic participation (156). Below graphs are indicative of the region and
sector wise breakup of the applications received since resumption of Small Grants Program in
November 2014. Moreover, SGAFP had received and processed 1,066 concept papers before
suspension of Small Grants Program in June 2013. All received applications have completed desk
review processes and are out of SGAFP’s systems.

1.2. Full Applications/Grant Summaries Processed
Cumulatively SGAFP has submitted 185 fully processed grant summaries to USAID. During the
reporting period USAID reviewed 7 cases, cumulatively USAID has reviewed 185 cases. USAID has
reviewed all the submitted grant summaries and there is no grant summary pending at USAID end.

2. Applications Approved by USAID
During the reporting quarter, SGAFP received approval of 3 new grants, taking the total number of
approved grants to 108. Graph below depicts quarter wise breakup of grants approved by USAID.

SGAFP’s Quarterly Progress Report (Apr-Jun, 2017) for SGP Page 8
Region-wise analysis for approval reveals that maximum grants were approved for KPK (33),
followed by Punjab (26), and Sindh (24). Sector-wise analysis for approval reveals that maximum
grants were approved for education (39), followed by civic participation (21), and LGL (16). Below
graphs depict region and sector wise approved projects as of June, 2017

3. Grant Agreements
During the reporting quarter, SGAFP signed three new grant agreements. Cumulatively, SGAFP has
signed grant agreements with 102 grantees and 3 grantees namely CFCT, TFP and CSC declined to
execute the grant and their cases were accordingly closed.
4. Funds Approved and Disbursed
USAID approved US $ 359,684 for the new grants. Cumulatively the total amount of approved
funds as of June 30, 2017 is US$ 21.67 million. The net grant fund approved for 108 grants after
adjustment of unspent approved fund of completed grants is US$ 19.71 million. SGAFP disbursed
US$ 1,053,530 during Apr-Jun, 2017; cumulatively US$ 17.41 million have been disbursed among
102 grantees as of June 30, 2017. Graph below highlights quarter-wise progress against funds
disbursed.

Annex II further describe region and sector wise details of funds approved and disbursement as of
June 30, 2017.

SGAFP’s Quarterly Progress Report (Apr-Jun, 2017) for SGP Page 9
5. Physical Progress of approved projects
Of the 108 approved grants; 70 grants (64% of the total) stands completed/closed; 36 grants are
ongoing. The region-wise trend of project status indicates that maximum projects are completed in
KPK/FATA (22), followed by Sindh (14) & Baluchistan (14). However, total number of ongoing grants
stands at 36 with maximum grants ongoing in Punjab (15). Table below further explains region-wise
implementation status.
Region-wise progress status of approved projects
Region No of No of closed/ No of Grants at No of grant
Approved Completed various stages of agreement in
Grants Grants implementation process
AJK 2 2 - -
Balochistan 18 14 3 1
Gilgit-Baltistan 4 4 - -
ICT 3 3 - -
KPK 33 22 10 1
Punjab 26 11 15 -
Sindh 22 14 8 -
Total 108 70 36 2

6. Supervision and Oversight of Grant Implementation
A dedicated team at SGAFP under the implementation section not only tracks and updates the
implementation status of the ongoing grants, but also supports and assists the grantees for effective
and efficient utilization of funds in line with the set objectives and stipulated milestones for release of
tranches. Overall, the major tasks undertaken by the implementation section include: exercise for
budget realignment (10) and facilitation to (8) organizations for resolving grant specific issues.
Summary of SGAFP’s efforts for resolving important implementation constraints faced by the
grantees during the reporting period is reflected in below table:

List of grantees who received significant support from SGAFP during reporting quarter
Appropriate/Relevant Cell is highlighted
Grantee Organization Work-plan Budget Compliance Organizations Project
Realignment Realignment Review facilitated for Period Other
Meetings resolving Extended
with issues
Grantees
Mountain & Glacier Protection
Organization (MGPO)
Ali Institute of Education (AIE)
Alpha Foundation (AF)
Sustainable Development
Policy Institute (SDPI)
Taraqee Foundation (TF)
Women in Struggle for
Empowerment (WISE)
The Media Foundation (TMF)
Youth Commission For Human
Rights (YCHR)
Sanjh Preet Organization (SPO)
Local Councils Association of
the Punjab (LCAP)
Nur Center for Research and
Policy (NCRP)

SGAFP’s Quarterly Progress Report (Apr-Jun, 2017) for SGP Page 10