CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION FUND

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES FOR CY 2021

I. The Program

The Civil Society Participation Fund (CSPF) is a small grant facility of the Department of Interior
and Local Government (DILG) developed by the Bureau of Local Government Supervision
(BLGS) and supported by a budget allocation under the Civil Society Organization / Peoples
Participation Partnership Program (CSO/PPPP) Fund. The CSPF provides an avenue for CSOs
to conceptualize and implement innovative projects that have the potential to develop into
sustainable long-term solutions for identified local public service delivery gaps utilizing data from
the CSO/PPPP’s banner project called the Citizen Satisfaction Index System (CSIS).

The CSPF seeks to enhance the contributions and roles of CSOs in participative, accountable,
and transparent local governance and build on collaborative partnerships with local governments
by providing technical and financial assistance to CSOs in support of projects that promote
effective and responsive local governance.

II. Objectives

The CSPF shall pursue the following objectives:

• To enhance local government and civil society collaboration by providing an avenue for
CSOs to effectively participate in local governance through the utilization of the CSIS
results;

• To provide an enabling instrument for CSO participation in the local public decision-
making process, program planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation; and

• To provide technical and financial assistance to CSOs in support of projects that promote
effective and responsive local governance in partnership with LGUs and other CSOs.

III. Project Proponents

Project proponents may apply to access the grant provided they are accredited CSOs (as per
criteria specified in DILG Memorandum Circular 2018-89) that fall under any of the following:

• CSOs that have participated in the CSIS Utilization Conferences (UC) from 2017-2019;
• CSOs that have participated in the Local Resource Institute (LRI)-conducted CSIS Focus
Group Discussions (FGDs); and
• CSOs that have not participated in the aforementioned CSIS activities but will utilize the
results of CSIS-covered LGU targets from CYs 2017-2019 in project planning and
implementation

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Previous CSPF grantees with pending projects, unliquidated funds, and those that were not able
to submit their project outputs within the agreed project timeline are not eligible to submit project
proposals.

IV. Projects Eligible for Funding

• Technical assistance to LGUs/other CSOs to effectively address the critical priority action
areas identified in the Citizen-driven Priority Action Plan (CPAP). Technical assistance
may involve the development of projects or programs and their implementation strategy.
In cases wherein there are already existing LGU interventions, CSOs can still provide
assistance by introducing ways to re-assess these interventions, using their expert
knowledge, for improvement and better responsiveness;

• Capacity-building for CSOs to enhance and introduce skills and knowledge that is needed
to better engage in the inner workings of local governments, using results as avenues for
their intervention and involvement. These may involve skills and knowledge on local
development planning, budgeting, and project prioritization, and ways to maximize their
involvement in the different local special bodies and assemblies of local government units;

• Innovative projects and initiatives that have the potential to develop into sustainable long-
term solutions for identified local public service delivery gaps; and

• Collaboration and partnerships in the COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery

programs of the government within the areas for engagement specified in DILG
Memorandum Circular 2020-135, specifically: increase contact tracing capacity of LGUs;
change in people’s behavior by following health protocols; and resilient and healthy
community.

V. Non-eligible Projects

Non-eligible activities that are considered unauthorized expenditures and thus cannot be funded
under this grant include the following:

• Scholarships, fellowships, formal academic training programs, or research activities with

no applied component;
• Livelihood programs, microfinance, lending programs, provision of basic services;
• Construction of physical infrastructure; and
• Support to CSO regular organizational operations.

VI. Grant Size

The maximum grant award per proponent is TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS ONLY
(PhP 200,000.00) per project (grant releases) to be released in the following tranches:

90% - upon signing of the DILG-CSO Partnership Agreement; and

10% - upon project completion and submission of the required project outputs.

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VII. Implementation Schedule

The CSPF for CY 2021 is to be implemented in the following schedule:

April - Development of Implementing Guidelines

May - June - Call and Submission of Proposals
July - Evaluation and Selection of Proposals
Awarding of Grants
August - September - Project Implementation of CSOs
Field Visits (Monitoring & Evaluation)
November - Submission of Final Project Outputs
Presentation of Outputs

Upon finalization of the implementing guidelines, the CSO/PPPP PMO shall issue a Memoradum
directing DILG Regional Offices to enjoin qualified CSOs in their localities to submit project
proposals in their applications for the CSPF grant.

VIII. Application Requirements

To qualify, interested and qualified CSO applicants are required to submit their project proposals
together with the following documents:

• Letter of Intent signifying their intention to avail of the CSPF. The letter of intent must be
signed by the CSO President or Executive Director and addressed to:

VIVIAN P. SUANSING
Officer-In-Charge, Bureau of Local Government Supervision
Department of the Interior and Local Government
25th floor, DILG-NAPOLCOM Center, EDSA corner
Quezon Avenue, Quezon City, 1104

• Fully-accomplished Application Form (Form 1), which requires information on the

project and the proponent, duly approved by the organization’s Executive Board and duly
signed by the CSO President or Executive Director.

• Certificate of Registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC),

Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board
(HLURB), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), or Certificate of Accreditation
with any other national government agency or local government that is empowered by law
or policy to accredit such organizations, as the case may be, with the date of incorporation
and list of officers.

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 • For previous CSO participants of the UCs and LRI-conducted FGDs, Certificate of
Participation from the Municipal Local Government Operations Office (MLGOO) (for
CSOs that participated in the CSIS Utilization Conferences from 2017-2019) or from the
partner LRI (for CSOs that participated in the LRI-conducted FGDs).

• Certified true copies of Audited Financial Reports/Statements and Annual Income Tax
Returns as filed with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for the past three (3) years.

• Financial Reports of the years in operation, for CSOs that have been in operation for less
than three (3) years.

• Original Certification of No Derogatory Record issued not more than three (3) months
before the date of application by the SEC, CDA, HLURB, or DOLE, as the case may be.

• Certified true copy of Certificate of Affiliation issued by the responsible officer of any
umbrella organization, federation, coalition, to which the CSO may belong, if applicable.

• Annual Report with a summary of projects handled, if available.

• Brochure and profile of CSO with logo, if available.

The BLGS/CSO/PPPP will accept project proposals up to 5:00 o’clock in the afternoon of June
30, 2021 sent through email at ta-cspf@csopppp.page or through courier service, sent to this
address:

Civil Society Organization / Peoples Participation Partnership Program PMO

Bureau of Local Government Supervision
Department of the Interior and Local Government
25th Floor, DILG-NAPOLCOM Center
EDSA corner Quezon Avenue, West Triangle
Quezon City, 1104

IX. Evaluation Procedure

1. Assignment of Application Control Number. Upon receipt of the project proposals, the
CSO/PPPP PMO, serving as Secretariat, will assign an Application Control Number for each.
The Application number will be based on the date the proposal was received and the
submitted proposal’s focus.

2. Appraisal of Proposals. Project proposals will undergo a two-stage evaluation process:

First stage: Using the Compliance Appraisal Form (Form 2), the CSO/PPPP
PMO will screen and evaluate the submitted project proposals to
check if all the required documents are complete and ensure that
the proposals are responsive to the overall objectives of the CSPF

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 and address issues based on the CSIS results or the critical priority
action areas identified in the CPAP.

The CSO/PPPP PMO will prepare a Selection List of all received

proposals that have passed the first stage of evaluation. The
Selection List together with all submitted Form 1 will be submitted
to the National Project Committee (NPC) for final evaluation and
approval within five (5) working days from the deadline of
submission of proposals.

Second Stage: Using the Substantive Appraisal Form (Form 3), the NPC shall
conduct the final evaluation of the project proposals contained in
the Selection List based on the following financial and technical
criteria:

CRITERIA SCORE
Financial Criteria:
a. Consistency of project budget with project objectives, theme, output,
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activities
b. Efficiency of item costs, given prevailing cost standards for such
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items (with consideration to regional cost variations)
c. Provision of local counterpart (monetary and in-kind contributions)
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and other relevant stakeholders
d. Administrative cost is not more than 10% of the total grant 5
Technical Criteria:
a. Cohesiveness and relevance of project objectives to the overall
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objectives of the CSPF
b. Relevance to identified issues based on the CSIS results, the critical
priority action areas in the CPAP, and/or the areas for COVID-19 15
response engagement specified in DILG MC 2020-135
c. Benefit of the project to stakeholders 15
d. Clarity and consistency of project objectives, expected outputs, and
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project activities
e. Innovativeness, replicability, strategicness, and sustainability of the
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project
100

The NPC shall accomplish their final evaluation and select approved project proposals within ten
(10) working days after submission of screened proposals from the BLGS-CSO/PPPP.

The CSO/PPPP PMO shall prepare the Resolution indicating the list of approved proposals with
corresponding ratings and duly signed and approved by the members of the NPC within three (3)
working days after the final evaluation.

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X. Notification on the Status of Project Proposals

• To communicate the status of applications, an Official Letter will be sent to all the CSOs
that have applied and submitted proposals within three (3) days after the issuance of the
Resolution.

• To CSOs whose project proposals have been approved and selected, the Partnership
Agreement and Detailed Project Workplan will be sent together with the Approval
Letter within three (3) working days after the issuance of the Resolution. The Partnership
Agreement will stipulate the terms and conditions of the CSPF. The Detailed Project
Workplan will indicate the timeline and schedule of the project implementation, activities
and corresponding budget, and expected outputs.

• Within ten (10) working days upon receipt of the Approval Letter and Partnership
Agreement, the CSO must do the following:

• Write a Formal Acceptance Letter duly signed by the CSO President or Executive
Director informing the CSO/PPPP PMO of their acceptance and commitment to
fully implement the project.

• Have the Partnership Agreement signed by the CSO President or Executive

Director.

The CSO shall send the Formal Acceptance Letter and three (3) original copies of the signed
Partnership Agreement, via mail or courier to the above-stated address, together with the
corresponding notarial fee in the amount of (PhP300.00). Soft copies should also be submitted to
ta-cspf@csopppp.page.

XI. Project Implementation

• Selected projects shall be implemented within two (2) months, from August – September
2021.

• CSOs must submit the Progress Monitoring Report (Form 4) to the CSO/PPPP PMO
within ten (10) working days after the first month of project implementation.

• The CSO/PPPP PMO will only respond to the queries of project proponents and to
complaints by parties affected by the proponents’ projects (if any) which may be sent
through a written letter or via electronic mail. To ensure timely implementation of the
projects, the CSOs must update the CSO/PPPP PMO through electronic mail and SMS.
Conversely, the CSO/PPPP PMO shall monitor the progress of the projects through
electronic mail and SMS to the CSOs.

• CSOs are only allowed a maximum of one (1) month extension from the stipulated
implementation duration in the Partnership Agreement. Should a CSO need an extension,
a formal letter of request must be sent to the CSO/PPPP PMO stating their reason and

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 the expected date of project completion. The expected date of completion must be within
the maximum allowed extension.

XII. Submission of Reports

Within thirty (30) days after project completion, and on the date stipulated in the Partnership
Agreement, the proponent CSO shall submit the following documents:

• Project Output and Documentation Report (2 original signed copies). The Project
Output and Project Documentation Report (Annex B) must be accomplished by the project
leader using the template provided by the CSO/PPPP PMO. It must be duly signed by the
Project Leader and approved by the CSO President or Executive Director.

• Fund Utilization Report signed by the CSO President or Executive Director and certified
by the proponent’s Accountant. Receipts and supporting documents must be attached to
the Fund Utilization Report.

The CSO shall submit all reports and documents by mail or courier to the address stipulated
above. Scanned copies of the documents must also be emailed to ta-cspf@csopppp.page.

Failure to submit the Project Completion Report and Fund Utilization Report on the date stipulated
in the Partnership Agreement may cause the forfeiture of the remaining 10% of the grant.
Likewise, CSOs that have failed to complete the implementation of their approved projects shall
submit a written explanation and return the unspent grant amount to the DILG.

This DILG Civil Society Participation Fund (CSPF) Implementation Guidelines for CY 2021 is
hereby approved.

Date Approved: ___________________

MS. KATLEA ZAIRRA B. ITONG MS. MARIEFE L. DEL MUNDO

Project Manager, CCCE PAG-PR 2 Deputy Executive Director, CODE-NGO, and
(PhilDHRRA), and Member, NPC Member, NPC

VIVIAN P. SUANSING
Officer-In-Charge, BLGS and Member, NPC

MS. CARIDAD JANET R. CARANDANG

Secretariat Coordinator, Social Watch Philippines, and Chairperson, NPC