Related Items

OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES 1997 Word | pdf   ACBF PROJECT AND PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Word | pdf

Operational Modalities

Existing operational guidelines will form the basic framework for the Foundation' s operation under the expanded mandate. These place emphasis on the following, which will be maintained:

• Capacity needs assessment to guide project identification process
• Demand driven approach to project development
• Selectivity of intervention for maximum impact, but with respect to the emerging eligibility criteria
• A process approach to project management
• Development and use of performance indicators to track and assess performance and impact of intervention
• Relatively greater emphasis on national capacity building programs
• Expansion of country coverage and deepening of intervention

Disbursement Guidelines

1.1       The main legal documentation for a project is an agreement signed by the recipient and the Foundation, which sets out the terms and conditions of the grant. 

1.2        Arrangements for disbursement of the Grant are worked out in detail between the recipient and the Foundation. The arrangements establish the basic principles and practices for disbursement that will be followed throughout the project’s implementation period. At negotiations, the Foundation’s disbursement representative distributes copies of the Disbursement Manual and samples of the withdrawal form to be used. 

1.3       After approval of the Project Document by the Executive Board of the Foundation, the Grant Agreement is negotiated and signed. Before withdrawals may commence, the recipient must fulfill the conditions of effectiveness and the Foundation must declare the grant effective. 

1.4        After a grant has been signed and declared effective, the recipient may commerce with the submission of withdrawal applications for eligible expenditures in accordance with Schedule I to the Grant Agreement. 

1.5       Withdrawal application must be submitted in duplicate and must be accompanied by the required summary sheet and documentation. Upon receipt of withdrawal applications, the Foundation will record specific data so that the pertinent information for each application is recorded in the pipeline report. The pipeline report serves as a useful tool for maintaining control of applications received but not yet processed. 

1.6        After the information is recorded, as indicated in 1.5, the withdrawal applications are forwarded to the respective program officer for review. If the data presented is in order, the program officer will forward the application to the Finance and Administration Department for further review recommending payment. Approval of the application by the Finance and Administration Manager will constitute the order to effect payment.  

1.7        The order for payment will be given to the bank holding the funds of the Foundation. This will be done by a letter and confirmed by fax or telex, depending upon the location of the holding bank and the urgency of the payment. The Foundation should request a payment advice from the holing bank which will indicate the data and amount paid and the name of the party receiving the funds. 

1.8       Upon receipt of the payment advice from the holding bank, the pipeline report should be updated to show the completed transaction. As transactions are completed, the paid withdrawal should be removed from the pipeline report and incorporated into another report entitled “Withdrawal Paid”. The pipeline report should be distributed to the Finance and Administration Manager and to program officers on a weekly basis.

Full details on Disbursement procedures can be found in the Disbursement Manual for Grant Operations, obtainable from the Foundation