Thursday, March 31, 2022

Trustbuilding program - Expression of Interest Call

Invitation to join the International Trustbuilding Program

Dear IofC Teams,

The International Trustbuilding Program (TBP) was launched in July 2019 and is now active with national programs in Australia, Burundi, Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, and Ukraine

The purpose of this letter is to invite interested teams and organizations to consider submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) to be part of the TBP, beginning in January 2023.

The TBP is a strategic part of IofC’s work. It is an expression of what IofC has to offer the world, based on 80 years of experience in building trust across divides. It is based on a partnership model between IofCI and local IofC teams. It is designed to build capability and financial sustainability of local teams through training, expert guidance and experience sharing with other teams. Effective execution of the program has been seen to increase the visibility and credibility of the work local teams do whilst making an impact to communities where it is delivered. 

Expression of Interest (EOI)

As the first of two phases, we are seeking an Expressions of Interest (EOI) to join the TBP. Interested teams are invited to complete and submit the questions below. We plan to select one to three new partners for the 2023 roll out.  

The International Council, with the advice and support of the Program Steering Group (PSG) which was established by the 2018 Global Assembly to oversee the TBP, will make the final selection of Round four projects. Selection will be based on recommendations from a Selection Panel.

Please send your EOI to the TBP Program Manager, Talia Smith. The deadline to receive EOIs is 19 May 2022. It should consist of answers to the following questions:

  1. Describe the need for trustbuilding that you are proposing to address, including the acute social divide and the location(s) of the proposed project (max 250 words).
  2. Please share your current IofC trustbuilding work in your country, the limitations you have faced and your contact with other stakeholders (max 300 words).
  3. What do you expect could be achieved by collaborating with the Trustbuilding Program, including benefits to the target population, to your local team and the IofC work in your country? Please specify the proposed outcomes of the project (max 350 words).
  4. Outline the size of your local team working in this area and their capacity, skills, and experience (maximum 250 words).
  5. How confident are you that you can fundraise and/ or contribute to your project budget? What is your basis for that confidence (250 words)?
  6. Please submit a letter of endorsement of the Expression of Interest by the relevant board (or team where there is no incorporated body) with your EOI.
  7. Name the key contact person/people for the project.

In framing your responses to the above, please refer to the Application Guidelines (Appendix 1) and the Criteria (Appendix 2) in the Additional Information document.

This call for EOIs is open to all IofC teams and partners. For those IofC teams who do not have the infrastructure to take on a full project, we encourage you to find a local compatible partner to make a joint application with. In this partnership scenario, IofC teams can consider a like-minded partner with whom you work well with to submit the application together. A joint application and partnership could strengthen the potential for fundraising and sustainability, bring in extra resources, expand outreach and strengthen local IofC teams. 

What happens if your EOI is approved - the second phase

Should you be successful according to the criteria for assessing your EOI, you will be invited to submit a full proposal. We will send you a Readiness Checklist to complete. Based on your responses to this and an implementation plan and budget, the Selection Panel will assess your submission through a scoring system. They will provide feedback to assist you towards readiness to participate in the Program. It is likely that more suitable EOIs will be received than we will be able to support. 

If you have any questions or would like to submit your EOI, please contact Talia Smith, the Trustbuilding Program Manager.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours,

The Trustbuilding Program Steering Group: Ron Lawler (Chair, Program Steering Group), Alex Wise, Barry Hart, Shakiyla Smith (the Fetzer Institute), Imad Karam (Executive Director), Roweida Saleh (IC representative), Firyal Mohamed and Mediatrix Masava.