Direct Aid Program (DAP)

DAP- Direct Aid Program

The Direct Aid Program (DAP) is part of the Australian Government's social development assistance program. The DAP was created to provide funding assistance directly to communities for sustainable development activities.

DAP is a flexible small grants program that supports projects with a strong development focus. DAP projects should primarily promote practical and tangible results with direct and immediate impact and should make their achievements visible.

 

What is the process for obtaining funding?

Applicants will have to fill out an Expression of Interest on the Smarty Grants platform which will ask for general details about their project including objectives, location, themes, and costs. Shortlisted organisations will be notified through the platform and official media and will move on to a second phase in which they will have to fill in a more extensive and detailed application through the same platform. At this stage it will not be possible to give feedback to individual projects.

For both forms, the information, budget and proposed activities must be clearly defined and the results or objectives to be achieved must be detailed.

For the second phase it is important that the organisation submits documentation, such as:

• Quotes for the components to be financed with DAP funds expressed in your budget.
• Two letters of recommendation
• The organisation's Articles of Incorporation (relevant pages including Name, Corporate Purpose, Address, Equity Clause, Powers of Attorney, and other relevant pages), minutes of assembly and powers of attorney or legal document proving legal representation, as well as a document supporting the organisation's tax registration in the relevant country.
• It is important that the organisation's bank details match the above documents; projects will not be accepted from applicants whose bank details do not match the legal documentation.
• Child protection policies in case the project involves work with children and adolescents.
• Plans and feasibility studies in case there is construction work.

 

Quotes and letters of recommendation must be up to date and contain names of suppliers, as well as telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.

 

2024-2025 Call

The 2024-2025 call for Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama will be open from 17 September 2024 at 15:00 hrs. until 8 October 2024 at 23:59 hrs. (Mexico City time).

Please make sure to register your project in the country where you will implement it. Projects registered on the wrong link will not be considered.

• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• El Salvador
• Honduras
• Nicaragua
• Panamá
• República Dominicana

 

The 2024-2025 call for proposals for Mexico and Guatemala will open from 21 October 2024 at 10:00 hrs. until 11 November 2024 at 23:59 hrs. (Mexico City time).

The links will be published soon.

 

The numbers of projects selected to move on to the Full Proposal stage will be published here. Applicants will receive an email notification from the Smarty Grants platform with which they have registered and will be able to check the status of their application on the same platform. It is the applicant's responsibility to be aware of the above-mentioned means of communication once the call for applications closes.

For further information, including new calls in the coming years, you can keep updated through our official communication channels, including this website, Facebook or Twitter (@AuEmbMex).

 

Program guidelines

Who can apply?

Projects must be submitted to the Australian Embassy in Mexico by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), cooperatives, civil associations, academic and research institutions committed to the development of Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic, and which are duly constituted as such in accordance with the laws of the country concerned. It is important to mention that under the DAP guidelines it is not possible to grant funding to individuals or governments.

 

Sectors of interest for the 2024-2025 Call for Proposals

The Embassy will accept projects on all themes; however, special consideration will be given to projects focusing on First Nations or gender equality.

Projects may address a broad interpretation of these themes. For example, they may focus on humanitarian assistance, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, menstrual health, health, education or training, economic empowerment, LGBTIQ rights, disappearances, freedom of expression or migration, among others.

All projects must be aligned with Australia's priorities and interests.

All DAP projects must have a development focus and directly support poor or disadvantaged people.

Projects must promote self-sufficiency and economic development of the benefiting communities. Proposals will be evaluated on their particular merits and their adherence to the overall objectives of the DAP. The DAP committee will consider projects that meet the specified areas of interest. Projects should normally be carried out and completed within a period of not more than one year after the release of the approved funds.   

 

What are the funding amounts?

Funding amounts per project will be up to a maximum of AUD $20,000.00 (twenty thousand Australian dollars), except for Cuba, which has a limit of up to AUD $30,000.00.

However, in exceptional circumstances, each project is assessed on an individual basis and it is possible that projects may be approved for slightly larger amounts. The absolute limit for funding a project is AUD $60,000. It is important to emphasise that the DAP Committee will consider proposals that fall within this range.

 

What is NOT eligible for funding through the program?

As a general rule the following activities are not eligible for funding:

• Salaries
• Conferences in Australia
• Grant programmes run by other governments or organisations.
• Micro-credit schemes or any other project that consists of repayment of funds.
• Study tours at home or abroad, or international travel as part of the project.
• Purchase of vehicles. However, medical and/or emergency vehicles, or agricultural vehicles could be considered if they are essential for the implementation of the project.
• Recurrent administrative expenses such as office rent, utilities, salaries, water, electricity, telephone, gas, office supplies, internet, maintenance, purchase of computers, televisions, vehicles, printers, digital machines, refrigerators, insurance of equipment or other goods which are not essential for the development of the project in question or which are subject to theft, embezzlement and damage.
• Projects assessed as being contrary to Australia's interests.
• Catering services and promotional activities in connection with DAP.
• Sports tournaments or cultural displays that do not have a clear objective associated with development.
• Aesthetic works in public squares and other public buildings.
• Commercial operations
• Projects providing direct assistance to governments.

 

The committee will assess the security context at project implementation sites and consider the necessary measures in case the project is visited by embassy staff.

 

Limited costs

• Administrative costs directly related to the project will be limited to 10% of the total budget, this may on no account include salaries.
• For the hiring of external staff, only if their work is directly related to direct support for beneficiaries, a maximum of up to 50% of the total budget may be used in essential cases. This includes stipends.
• Costs for travel and per diems in regions close to the project site will be capped at 10% of the total budget.
• At the end of the project, all expenses must be supported by legitimate invoices or receipts in the name of the organisation.

 

Special cases: Cuba and Nicaragua

Due to financial sanctions, the Embassy cannot make transfers to bank accounts in Cuba and Nicaragua. Therefore, only projects from organisations that are able to receive and administer funds outside these countries, either through intermediary organisations and/or international organisations, will be eligible for selection. Projects that benefit people of these nationalities and are carried out in any other country, preferably in Central America, the Dominican Republic, or Mexico, will also be considered.

 

For more frequently asked questions, please consult this link:

FAQs DAP 2023-2024

 

If you have any questions that are not addressed in these documents, please write to us: [email protected]