Small grants fund

The F&BKP Office manages a small grants fund, called the Knowledge Management Facility (KMF). Through the KMF, we finance knowledge activities of our partners, such as workshops, policy dialogues and other knowledge exchange events, lessons learned analyses, short-term studies, or the exploration of new themes.

The KMF has an average annual budget of €500,000. A maximum of €50,000 can be requested per project; for activities with a higher budget a tender is issued. Between 2014 and early 2017, fifty projects received KMF funding. The F&BKP Office often co-organizes the dissemination and follow-up of project results, which are always published on this website.

Who can apply?

• Networks, Communities of Practice (CoP) and individual organizations within temporary coalitions can apply for funding for activities on topics that reflect the F&BKP thematic focus.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands can request funding for short-term knowledge activities related to standing policy, in particular the policy letter on global food security (2014) and the embassies’ Multi-Annual Strategic Plans.
• The Steering Committee, in collaboration with the Office, can initiate specific activities, such as addressing new emerging issues or initiating new CoPs relevant to the F&BKP knowledge agenda.

Application procedure

The KMF is open to applications all year, or for as long as there is annual budget available. Draft proposals are discussed with the F&BKP Office and adapted together with the applicant if needed. The final proposal is assessed by the F&BKP Office against the quality criteria, while the Office director takes the final decision on awarding the grant. For these decisions, the director is accountable to the F&BKP Steering Committee.

Quality criteria for funding

KMF projects must reflect the following criteria, though it is not an obligation to meet them all:

• Focus on themes that reflect the current F&BKP agenda, or explore new topics with potential importance for future FNS agendas.
• Address knowledge questions that support policy development or implementation of the Dutch Ministries of Economic and Foreign Affairs and/or develop activities that strengthen the knowledge system from an organizational or institutional perspective (including the F&BKP itself).
• Look for opportunities to connect with other organizations and (inter)national networks to achieve synergy; this also implies a willingness to develop a longer-term relationship with the F&BKP.
• Focus on knowledge management (or, not meant for programming or administrative support).
• Show embeddedness in a knowledge trajectory or strategy (or, no one-off or ad hoc events).
• Include the perspectives of stakeholders from private sector, knowledge institutes, civil society and government and involve innovators and unusual suspects.
• Show that proposal is rooted in local demands and sustainably contributes to local capacity development.
• Show opportunities to define concrete knowledge products with which the F&BKP can create added value.
• Propose effective communication and dissemination strategies, supporting the F&BKP’s goal to “make knowledge work for policy and practice”, including using the tools offered by the F&BKP.