| MATRA - Small Embassy Projects | |
| (Please note that the Budget for MATRA KNIP projects for the year 2006 has been depleted) | |
| MATRA/KNIP | |
| Background and general aim | |
| Since 1989, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have been transforming – politically, economically and socially – into democratic, market-oriented nations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Social Transformation Programme (Matra) aims to support the social and political aspects of this process. It supports activities that promote reform of the state, its institutions, civil-society organisations and the connections between them. |
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| Instruments and scope | |
| The Matra Programme uses various instruments to achieve its objectives. Two of these instruments (Matra/KAP and Matra/KNIP) are delegated to the foreign mission. Matra/KNIP is part of PIN - the International Nature Management Programme. PIN falls under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries. The Matra/KNIP programme (Small Nature Management Projects) aims to raise and consolidate public awareness of and commitment to nature management in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe from the perspective of social transformation. This program was created to enable foreign missions to independently support local initiatives that did not qualify for any other kind of funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Matra/KNIP has been delegated to the missions in Ankara, Belgrade, Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Kiev, Ljubljana, Moscow, Prague, Riga, Sofia, Tallinn, Vilnius, Warsaw and Zagreb. Matra/KAP has also been delegated to the missions in Istanbul and St Petersburg. |
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| MATRA/KNIP criteria | |
| Matra/KNIP applications must satisfy the following criteria: | |
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it must be relevant to the Matra objectives; |
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initiatives must be local (applied for by community/organisation in question); |
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it may last no more than 12 months; |
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initiatives must relate to the themes set out in the Central and Eastern Europe Nature Management Action Plan (2001-2004), biodiversity and concrete area protection policy development and implementation; |
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applications may not exceed €15,000. |
| The following factors will also be taken into account: | |
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the quality of description of the problem, the objective and the target group; |
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the activities, the results envisaged, the timetable and the budget; |
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the active involvement of the target group at all stages of the project; |
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the extent of the target group’s own contribution (financial or in kind); |
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the support for, feasibility and sustainability of the activity; |
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the management capacity of the implementing organisation; |
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eligibility for funding is, as a rule, limited to local costs; |
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preference is given to making contributions that serve as seed money, i.e. that stimulate local processes. |
| The following are NOT eligible for funding under Matra/KNIP: | |
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fixed salary costs and other fixed expenses (rent, electricity, water, gas, etc.); |
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charitable activities; |
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international travel expenses and/or commercial activities; |
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activities that can come under a mission’s normal operational budget; |
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projects that are a repeat of previous projects or that were already under way before the application was submitted; |
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activities whose target group includes central government (Matra/KNIP allows certain limited exceptions for bodies such as botanical gardens and research institutes). |
| Consultants may only be hired if a reasonable local rate is charged. Their activities should be limited and should be in proportion to the total activity costs. Cofinancing is only possible if (a) the Matra/KNIP activities are clearly defined, (b) the other sources of funding are also specified in the proposal, (c) the budget is balanced and (d) the visibility of Matra is guaranteed. | |
| Appraisal | |
| Matra/KNIP applications are appraised using the criteria listed above. Applications should fit in with other Matra programmes. In the case of Matra/KNIP, a Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries (LNV) attaché at the mission ensures consistency between Matra/KNIP and Matra/PIN. | |
| Download | |
MATRA/KNIP brochure  |
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| Guidelines |
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| Please note that there is no deadline for MATRA/KAP applications. Project proposals will be accepted depending on the availability of the budget. | |
