Eligibility Process

Eligible Organizations

UN agencies, international and national NGOs, and organizations of the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement, can apply for and receive funding from oPt HF. Partnerships are sought with national NGOs, as they are usually better suited to provide emergency assistance due to their access and experience in the high-priority geographical areas. Ultimately, the determination of whether national or international NGO or UN agency are supported through the oPt HF is determined by the comparative advantage of each organization to deliver the articulated response.

Interested NGOs participate in a two-step eligibility process to become oPt HF partners and apply for funding under the oPt HF allocations. The oPt HF Eligibility Process ensures transparency and inclusiveness in humanitarian financing, and is fully accountable to affected communities, implementing partners, as well as those contributing to it.

Prospective partners initiate the process to become a partner and request access to Grant Management System (GMS) by contacting the HFU and submitting a copy of registration certificate (preferably in English) that indicates the full name of the partner. The registration certificate is required, and is submitted prior to granting access to the GMS to avoid a possible naming discrepancy in GMS that will create delays in generating and preparing the grant agreement and the disbursement process.

Why Assess Partners?

As risk management is one of the main pillars of the oPt HF Accountability Framework, the main objective of the oPt HF Eligibility Process is to ensure that the Humanitarian Financing Unit (HFU) is equipped with the necessary information about the operational capacities of national and international non-governmental partners which will gain access to oPt HF funding.

NGOs must undergo comprehensive risk management procedures in the two-step eligibility process outlined with the Accountability Framework, for two main reasons:

• Capacity Development: to review the strengths and weaknesses of an organization’s internal management systems, this information should then be fed into the overall risk management plan.
• Risk Management: to consider all information in weighing the final risks against potential benefits in order to apply the most appropriate assurance methods and operational modalities to the partnership.

Due Diligence and Partner Capacity Assessment Processes

The oPt HF Eligibility Process is comprised of two inter-linked steps: Due Diligence Review and Partner Capacity Assessment, each with its own evaluation and feedback system to ensure transparency.

The Due Diligence Review is meant to ensure that only organizations which meet the minimum requirements are recommended for step two; the Partner Capacity Assessment; as it is a time-consuming for both the partner and the HFU. The oPt HF is accessible to national and international NGOs who have successfully passed the Due Diligence Review, and are categorized as Low, medium or High Risk.

Upon the completion of the Partner Capacity Assessment, the partner receives a ‘score’ which determines the partner’s risk category in three levels (high, medium, low).   The risk rating determines the appropriate operational modalities and assurance mechanisms that will be applied to approve oPt HF projects. Partner risk ratings are dynamic and can be adjusted over time as the performance of the organization will be reviewed after the implementation of projects with oPt HF funding.