Resources for Community Resilience (R4CR)

Resources 4 Community Resilience (R4CR), a programme implemented by VNG International and funded by the World Bank Trust Fund for St Maarten, was created to provide assistance to the island after the devastating hurricane Irma in 2017. The project aims at strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations on St Maarten in their reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts after the hurricane. Under R4CR, civil society organizations will be invited to submit proposals for programmes benefitting local communities. In addition, they will receive support in managing and monitoring their programmes and will be offered a platform for exchange and cooperation with other organizations.

4CR will launch 7 calls for proposals during the programme implementation period (2020-2024) – under which projects for and by CSOs can be funded. Year 1 - Quick Wins In the first year, the Grants Facility will take the form of ‘Quick win’ rounds to fast track the grants facility from the moment the programme is operational. Quick win projects are characterized by simple, straightforward and one-off activities with a maximum implementation period of six calendar months. The Quick win rounds will be formally announced and selection of successful proposals will be made by the Project Implementation Unit based on a rolling basis – meaning that solid projects which meet the criteria and pass the selection process can be financed immediately rather than having to wait until a particular deadline has passed. In this way, the Grant Scheme can take off fast with quick results to be shown to all stakeholders. The focus for the quick win projects are on activities covering a limited time frame which can be quickly realized. This could be repair of broken fences, information signs or small repairs of buildings. However also other activities can be taken into account such as awareness raising, skills development or training, as long as they can be completed within the period of six calendar months. The Quick Wins rounds can fund projects for and by CSOs up to a maximum of 60.000 USD. Year 2 onwards - Regular Rounds Beyond year one and following the ‘quick win’ rounds, an additional five regular application rounds will be organized. The regular call for proposals can cover a longer time frame compared to the quick wins. Apart from the fact that the regular rounds can finance projects with a duration longer than 6 months, another difference with the quick win round is that evaluation of proposals will not take place on a rolling basis but will be done once a certain deadline has passed (of course, this deadline will be communicated at the launch of the call for proposals).

During each round, civil society organizations are invited to submit their project proposals in order to qualify for funding. Naturally, there are criteria that determine whether a project is eligible are not. First of all, projects should fit within the following categories and sectors: 1. Community Councils/Neighborhood initiatives; 2. Daycare Centers/ Afternoon School Programs & Activities; 3. Sports & Recreational Activities/Facilities; 4. Nature & Environment; 5. Art, Cultural, Archaeological and Heritage Activities; 6. Psycho-social and Emotional Support; 7. Poverty Relief; 8. Youth Employment/Entrepreneurship ; 9. Skills Development; 10. Tackling Gender-based Violence. In addition, the projects should be focused on reconstruction, resilience and service provision. Therefore, no major construction may be foreseen under the project.