The Concept Note is part of a 2-step application process. If the Concept Note is approved the applicant will be requested to submit a full proposal. In some instances, if the Concept is well developed and provides sufficient information, and/or the grant requested is less than 5,000 USD, the Concept Note will be considered to be sufficient. The applicants must submit Concept Notes and other required attachments to the GSDTF’s Secretariat via email, to [email protected].

The following documents are required to be submitted with the Concept Note:

1. 1. A signed declaration by the applicant organization (on the appropriate letterhead), stating: “I, the undersigned being the person responsible in the Applicant’s organization for the proposed Project, do hereby certify that the information given is true and correct at the time of submission.”, with signature, name, position, place, date.
   2. Certificate of registration of the applicant’s organization.
   3. Log Frame or the proposed project. Please refer to Annex 1 for a template.

Complete the table below. The Log frame essentially provides a summary of the project down to the activity level. For each level of expected result, define a reasonable and balanced number of effect and performance indicators. Indicators should be “SMART,” that is, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. The Log frame will be used by the GSDTF to monitor the project’s progress and to evaluate its success and achievement at the end.

Goal: State the long-term social and/or economic (impact) benefits to which  the project will contribute and describe why the project is important for the beneficiaries and for the society: The broad development impact to which the project contributes – at a national or sector level.

Purpose(s): State the expected outcomes, or direct effects, of the project. These are the benefits to be derived from the project. You should normally have only one Purpose in a project. Experience has shown that it is easier to focus project Outputs on a single Purpose. If there are several Purposes the project efforts become diffused and the design is weakened.

Outputs: They describe what the project will deliver.

Activities: Indicative activities that will achieve the outputs; Good, people and services necessary to undertake the activities.

Objectively Verifiable Indicators (OVI): The OVI is a performance measure based on the principle that if you can measure it you can manage it. The OVIs specify the performance standard to be reached in order to achieve the goal, the purpose and the outputs. They are specified in terms of quantity, quality, time, target group and place.

It is better to use few well targeted OVIs.

Goal level indicators often describe the program or sector objectives to which this project and several others are directed. For this reason, the Goal level indicators may include targets beyond the scope of the project. Purpose level indicators Describe the returns on the investment and the benefits that the project will deliver. These indicators should be directly related to project outputs. Since outcome indicators define the criteria for assessing whether the project is successful, they should be realistic and achievable given your
capacity and resources. Outcome indicators should only state what will be measured, rather than providing baseline data or target figures.
Output level indicators describe the delivery of the products of the project.
Activity level indicators are essential in order to understand the extent to which a project was delivered as planned, and to highlight obstacles to implementation. It is important that activity indicators capture those elements of the project that are essential for its success.

Sources of Verification: Describe the sources of information that will demonstrate what has been accomplished.

Assumptions: Important events, conditions, or decisions which are beyond the control of the project management team, but which are necessary to accomplish the project; and which are necessary for the production of the outputs. Assumption are things you assume are in place which will contribute to the success of the project. Assumptions and risks are external conditions that are outside the control of the program. The success of the project depends on whether or not assumptions hold true and the risks do not materialize.

Risks: events that can have an adverse impact on the project if they occur.