Eligibility

NGOs interested in applying for funding under the Venezuela Humanitarian Fund (VHF) have to participate in an eligibility process. The main objective is to ensure that the OCHA Humanitarian Financing Unit (HFU) is equipped with the necessary information about the capacities of NGO partners that could have access to funding as prescribed by the VHF accountability framework.

The Assessment Process

The eligibility process consists of three inter-linked steps, each with its own review and feedback system to ensure transparency. Organisations interested in participating in the Venezuela Humanitarian Fund (VHF) eligibility process should meet the minimum global requirements.

Step 1 - Statement of Interest by Prospective NGOs

Prospective national and international NGOs working in Venezuela who are interested in receiving funding from the Venezuela Humanitarian Fund (VHF) must first make a ‘statement of interest’ by contacting OCHA Humanitarian Financing Unit (HFU) via email at: ocha-vhf@un.org submitting the following information:

  1. Registration Form – duly completed.
  2. Copy of the valid Registration Certificate of the NGO (in Venezuela and/or home country for international NGOs).
  3. Copy of a bank letter or bank statement of the NGO.

NOTE: During the Eligibility Process the Humanitarian Financing Unit may visit on-going projects and main country offices to further examine the existing performance and validity of the provided documentation. Prioritization of Organizations’ evaluation lies with OCHA, based on the VHF programmatic and geographic needs.

Step 2 - Grant Management System - Due Diligence (DD)

Upon completion of Step One, the prospective NGO partner will be invited to register in the Grants Management System (GMS), which is an online database system specific for the Venezuela HF and managed by OCHA. Once the NGO profile has been activated in the GMS, the partner will be in a position to access the Due Diligence module and complete a number of sections.

Step 3 - Grant Management System – Internal Capacity Assessment (ICA)

The documents required are outlined in the Internal Capacity Assessment Checklist and include manuals and policies, annual reports, financial statements and audit reports, governance documents. Once a partner has completed all information, the HFU will complete a capacity assessment. The assessment methodology includes a desk review of the documentation uploaded by the partner to review the institutional, technical, management and financial capacities of partners. Using a scoring and weighting system an overall ‘score’ will be given to organizations. Eligible partners will be categorized as low, medium or high risk, which in turn determines the operational modalities and control mechanisms that will be applied, including for disbursement, reporting, monitoring and maximum budget amount as outlined in the VHF Operational Manual. Partners who fail to qualify and are considered ineligible for VHF funding will be given another opportunity to submit an application for a follow-up Capacity Assessment to the HFU after 6 months. The risk level assigned to any eligible organization will evolve during the project implementation cycle via the GMS Partner Performance Index.