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+248 432 5806 info@seyccat.org

The Blue Grants Fund is closed for 2023. 

Before you begin

 

Think about your project and ask yourself the following questions: 

Q1: Is my project blue? Does it support ocean resources and ocean stakeholders?

Q2: Does my project support any of the SeyCCAT’s strategic objectives and at least one of the cross-cutting themes? Can I clearly explain the link?

NB: this does not apply to the Blue Business Grant that supports business-oriented projects 

Q3: Is my project innovative? Has it been done before in Seychelles? If it has, can I partner with someone and join our forces?

Q4: Does my project add value? Is anyone benefitting from my project?

Q5: When you design your project, think about the risks associated with it.  Will you be working in nature? Will it involve removing fragments of nature? Will you take others with you? Do they also, know how not to hurt themselves or the biodiversity they are working with? You might need a plan for environmental and social safeguards (we will let you know if you do)

Not sure about one of those questions?  This is the right time to get in touch with us at info@seyccat.org and request a 1-on-1 consultation with our team.

Also, see Useful Resources

 

BGF Application Process in 4 steps

 

Step 1: Meet the eligibility and screening criteria 

Satisfied that you have a good project idea, check that you are eligible to apply to the Blue Grants Fund. To be eligible to apply, your entity should be registered for at least one year. Our eligibility requirements change slightly for the Blue Business Grant and SeyCCAT’s new large grants

Step 2: Prepare the concept note and budgets

Don’t forget that you can always ask for help by sending us an email at info@seyccat.org or submitting your request online.

 

2.1 Concept note: start by filling out the Word Files   

IMPORTANT: We ask all applicants to start their applications by preparing the Concept Note, Simplified Budget, and Itemized Budget as word files to avoid losing information when filling in the forms through the Online Portal later.

1. Decide what size of the grant you want to apply for:

Small Grant – up to SCR 100,000. For projects that can be completed within 1 year

Medium Grant – up to SCR 1 million. For projects that can be completed within 2 years

Large Grant– up to SCR 2 million. For projects that can be completed within 2 years. To be eligible for the Large BGF grant, you need to satisfy some criteria. 

NB: Don’t forget that this year, we are offering the Blue Business Grant (up to SCR 150,000) that can be used as initial capital to start a brand-new project; Blue Business Grant is a medium-sized grant and follows a two-step application process.

2. Decide if you want to apply on your own or if you would like to partner with others and attract additional financing elsewhere.

NB: you can apply on your own but make sure that you research potential opportunities to partner and raise additional financing; Research the local market to ensure that your project does not repeat the existing initiatives. If you discover that it does – partner up and apply together!

3. Make sure to join one of the public concept note workshops (Here is the workshop manual)

NB: Our workshops are very effective and have been named as one of the most useful tools by successful BGF grantees from previous years. 

Here you can watch the recording from last year’s workshop 

4. Prepare the concept note as a Word File first (you can also submit your application in Creole)

2.2 Budgets

 

If you need more help with preparing your budgets, write us at info@seyccat.org or book a 1-on-1 session with a facilitator to go over your application and help you understand the budgets.

NB: when preparing your budget, make sure that the budget is realistic, meaning the project can be completed with the funds you are requesting. Do not be afraid to ask more: we evaluate the projects by how effectively they use funds and not looking for the proposals with the lowest budgets. Do your research to understand the real costs. Be mindful not to allocate most money towards salaries, more than 50% of the budget going towards salaries may raise concerns.

2.3 Other attachments

 

  • Partnership letters here is a template 
  • Recommendations
  • Relevant certificates to prove your competency
  • CVs

Step 3: Submit all the documents through the online portal

 

>> Register at the AwardForce Online Portal and submit your application <<

 

Here is a how-to guideline for the Portal 

Congratulations! You have completed the first stage of the process. If you applied for a small grant, that’s all you need to do. Now, SeyCCAT reviewers will evaluate your application. Usually, this process takes around 6-8 weeks. 

Here are some of the evaluation criteria they might use:

Step 4: Full project proposal 

If you have applied for a medium or large grant and your concept note has been approved,  you will need to prepare the full proposal through the online platform:

Additional resources 

Find BGF7 presentation and other useful materials on this page

Find a detailed application manual used in our workshops