Provides grants to UK based NGOs for poverty reduction projects in developing countries.

Last date : February 29, 2016

The objective of UK Aid Match is to give the public a say in how a portion of the international development budget is spent. The scheme match-funds public donations to charity appeals for projects to reduce poverty in developing countries.

Value and duration of the UK Aid Match scheme

UK Aid Match will seek to award up to £120 million in grants over 3 years from 2013 to 2016. There will be 2 funding rounds each year, with up to £20 million committed in each funding round, providing DFID receives applications of sufficient quality. Any uncommitted funding will be rolled forward to future funding rounds.

At least £1 million per funding round will be reserved to match fund appeals run by small organisations (defined as organisations with an annual income of less than £1 million, averaged over the last 3 years). UK Aid Match will support projects of up to 3 years’ duration.

Communicating UK Aid Match funding

Organisations must, through their own and their partner channels, ensure that the public are aware that their donations will be matched pound for pound by the UK government. Appeal publicity must carry UK Aid Match messaging and the UK Aid Match logo. Communications plans will be assessed as part of the application process, and activities, messaging and branding will be agreed withDFID.

Revisions to UK Aid Match

We have made the following changes to UK Aid Match:

• projects may operate in up to 3 countries (previously in up to 5 countries)
• full applications must include a risk register/matrix explaining the project risks and how you will mitigate them
• clearer guidance on eligibility of donations appeals which include income from the sale of donated items in charity shops will not be permitted
• there is no longer a separate guidance document for your communications plan – all instructions are included in the form C1 that you should now complete, using the G1 guidance for reference

In addition to these changes, we have made several other revisions to application templates and guidance. You are strongly recommended to read all the guidance and look carefully at the application templates before starting to prepare your application.

Restrictions to promoting UK Aid Match funded appeals during the pre-election period

This includes match funded NGO partners using the UK aid logo and match funding messaging in appeal communications material. This will prevent us from match funding any appeal which starts during this period. Appeals which start before this period but run during it will need to keep communications about match funding low key for this period. We will provide guidance on this as needed.

Funding for projects which tackle female genital mutilation (FGM) and child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) for round 3 only

Following the Girl Summit on 22 July 2014 we are pleased to announce that a minimum of £1 million of the funding available for Round 3 will be ring-fenced for projects working to end FGM and CEFM.

For applications focused on these specific outcomes we will consider projects working in developing countries that are not currently included in the list of countries eligible for UK Aid Match funding where there is clear evidence of need.

If you are uncertain about whether a country would be eligible please contact us at ukaidmatch@dfid.gov.uk.

At concept note application stage applications for FGM/CEFM projects do not need to include confirmation of a communication partnership, although this will be needed at full application stage. Other than that, applications should be prepared following the published guidance for applicants and will be assessed according to the same criteria as for other UK Aid Match applications.

How to apply

There is a 2 stage application process to apply for the scheme:

• applicants submit a concept note
• applicants successful at the concept note stage will be invited to submit a full application

The full application and assessment process is expected to take 18 weeks. The Timetable for UK Aid Match Funding Rounds in 2015/16 is set out in this table.

Eligibility requirements

Any UK based not-for-profit organisation that works to reduce poverty in developing countries and is planning to run a public appeal to raise at least £100,000 can apply. To be successful, applicants will need to demonstrate that

• they are able to deliver poverty reduction projects which achieve development results representing good value for money
• their appeal communications will provide at least 400,000 opportunities to view

Countries

UK Aid Match funds can be used in 26 developing countries which are listed in the General guidance for applicants.

Background information on the fund

UK Aid Match is a demand-led fund that matches public donations to appeals for development activities focused on poverty reduction in developing countries. Organisations applying to have their appeals match funded will be selected on the basis of:

• the public reach of their appeal and commitment and capacity to communicate the results of the funding to the public
• capacity and track record in managing development activities
• commitment and capacity to account transparently on the use of the funding
• clarity of the expected results of the proposed activities
• whether the activities are consistent with DFID’s objectives and values
• whether the activities represent value for money

Contacts

UK Aid Match Team, Department for International Development (DFID)

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