NGO support toolkit (English)  >  Partner and project selection  >  Selecting NGOs and CBOs 

Project and profile review

Once expressions of interest or proposals have been received from potential partners, the next stage of the selection process is to review the proposal and the profile of the NGO or CBO to ensure that there is both a programmatic and organisational fit. Where there are many applications, staff of a NGO/CBO support provider (NSP) may initially review and screen them to prepare a short-list for a selection panel to make a final decision. For any such process of screening, it is helpful to use already-established assessment criteria.

It is difficult to generalise assessment criteria as this depends on the objectives of the NSP. For example, some NSPs may exclude some criteria that appear important because they aim to provide capacity-building support in these areas through their NGO/CBO support provision work in the future. Some NSPs may place importance on whether the organisation is registered or not while others do not use this criteria as it may exclude many small NGOs or CBOs. There are many factors to take into account, thus it is useful to include stakeholders in developing the criteria for selection.

Assessment criteria may include whether or not:

• the NGO or CBO is well managed and has the potential capacity to implement a grant
• the organisation is working in close partnership with the community or the intended beneficiaries, or shows clear potential to do so
• the concept paper the organisation has submitted is an appropriate response to the identified need
• the organisation is open to change and requesting technical support in addition to financial support.
• the organisation has specific skills or experience from which the NSP and other partners wish to learn

  A checklist of criteria together with a clear scoring system will enable NSP staff to screen the applications systematically and objectively. It can be useful to have a shorter list of ‘essential critieria’ for initial screening and a longer list of desirable criteria against which applications can be scored. Where there are many applications, this cuts down the number that will need in-depth screening using secondary criteria. In some instances it may also be necessary to visit the organisation prior to selection but this is very time consuming and can add to costs.

Issues to consider

• More than one member of staff should be involved in the review of applications to avoid personal bias.
• NSPs may consider forming a selection committee with representation from the community, other organisations or the government. The selection committee should be independent and show transparency of process.
• In order to support small CBOs which may not meet all the specified ‘essential’ criteria, the NSP could decide to apply certain criteria only for grants greater than a stated amount.
• NSPs need to decide carefully how decisions will be announced and how to respond if decisions are challenged.

Related themes

Project selection

Situation assessment

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