TRAVEL FOUNDATION EXTERNAL GRANTS The Travel Foundation is an independent charity, set up through partnership between the outbound tourism industry, government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the UK. Our aim is to ensure that tourism from the UK gives a greater benefit to the people, environment and economy in destination countries. In addition to implementing our own projects (see: www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk), we also provide funding for external organisations to deliver projects that meet our core aims and objectives. Our external grants are open to private organisations, individuals, NGOs or partnerships who are seeking funds for projects relating to sustainable tourism. Grant application process Please review our Eligibility Criteria and Exclusions (see below) in the first instance before applying for funds. If you have any questions at this stage, please contact Wendy Moore Livelihoods Programme Manager (email: wendy.moore@thetravelfoundation.org.uk). CONCEPT NOTE If you are satisfied that all criteria can be met, the next step is to submit a concept note (see guidance notes below). The deadline for receipt of this concept note is 10 th May 2012. Please note that concept notes received after this deadline will NOT be considered. Concept notes should be emailed to Wendy Moore at the address above. All concept notes will be reviewed following the submission deadline and shortlisted according to the extent to which they meet our eligibility criteria. We aim to contact all candidates by 18 th May with a decision. FULL PROPOSAL Successful applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal by 29 th June 2012 (a pro-forma will be provided). All proposals will be reviewed by the Travel Foundation and applicants will be informed of the decision by 13 th July.
Eligibility Criteria Criteria for projects projects must meet all criteria below: 1. Relevance to UK outbound tour operators The Travel Foundation will only consider funding applications for projects focusing on one or more of the following countries: Wider Mediterranean including Turkey, Cyprus, North Africa, Canaries & Balearics Caribbean including Mexico Africa Kenya, Cape Verde and South Africa Asia Thailand Within these countries, the project must focus on a region where there is significant UK tour operator presence i.e. the region must receive package holiday or charter flight visitors from at least one major UK tour operator. 2. Project management The project should demonstrate relevant capacity, experience and expertise within or available to delivery team, including financial management, budgeting and reporting, and monitoring and evaluation. 3. Livelihoods themes The project should focus on one or more of the following: New product development, product diversification or value-added products for the tourism market Development or improvement of attractions or excursions relevant to package tourism Maintaining or enhancing local traditions through tourism-related, cultural activities Working with tourism businesses to increase local economic benefits through their supply chain Increasing market access for local producers through working with intermediaries / wholesalers 4. Opportunity to engage the UK outbound travel industry The project should provide an opportunity to engage the UK outbound tourism industry or their suppliers in development and implementation. For example, a new excursion or product for UK customers, a training course for suppliers. Partnerships with the UK industry do not need to be already established (*see below for assistance in establishing industry partnerships) but there must be a good potential for engagement.
5. Monitoring & evaluation The project should have a specific objective and deliver practical, measurable outputs. The project should include monitoring and evaluation, using relevant baseline data collected as part of the project, and should provide demonstrable results against a minimum of THREE of the following indicators: Economic: increased income or increased value of sales Market access: improvements in capacity to sell e.g. increased production or increase in business interest Asset spend: increase in proportion of income spend on asset of choice (as defined by the beneficiary) Skills development: training delivered or evidence of income generation from acquisition of new skills Social outcomes: positive change in well-being e.g. increase in self-esteem, respect, pride, empowerment Maintaining traditions: gaining value from maintaining traditional activities Customer experience: increased customer satisfaction 6. Multi-stakeholder focus The project should engage all relevant stakeholder groups i.e. communities, government, industry bodies, etc., in the development and implementation process and where possible demonstrate how it contributes to destinations policies, plans etc. 7. Scale of impact The project should have the potential for a broader application or impact, beyond the scope of the project itself (e.g. a training manual that could be used in other destinations). 8. Long term sustainability The project should have a clear strategy for long-term, sustainability (including financial), and demonstrate how it could be sustained and managed beyond Travel Foundation funding. 9. Value for money The proposed budget should be realistic and demonstrate value for money in terms of impact. The maximum funds requested from Travel Foundation (for a one year project) should not exceed 60,000 UK pounds sterling. Projects with a duration of more than a year should be phased into 12 month periods that would have merit on their own if necessary.
Exclusions The Travel Foundation cannot provide funding for: o Students or organisations for personal study, travel or expeditions o General appeals o Work that has already been completed Most common reasons why Travel Foundation grant applications fail o Project destination does not currently receive, or is not expected to receive a significant number of UK tourists in the near future o Project outputs or outcomes are not relevant to the needs of the UK outbound tourist industry o Project outcomes are not measurable o Project is not sufficiently related to tourism e.g. building a school or other community initiatives where there is no direct link with tourism o Project does not show evidence of partnership or consultation with destination stakeholders or UK outbound tourist industry o Project aims and objectives are unclear, or do not sufficiently relate to outputs o Insufficient evidence of need or demand for project o Project replicates existing work with no added value e.g. developing guidelines that have already been produced o Funding sought is for core organisational costs only some administration costs are acceptable but the project should also deliver practical outputs *Support and assistance from the Travel Foundation The Travel Foundation would like to ensure that every Concept Note and proposal submitted has the best chance of success. We are therefore happy to provide support and assistance in the following areas: 1. Preliminary discussions to determine whether project ideas satisfy eligibility criteria 2. Support and advice on completing Concept Note/full proposals 3. Assistance in helping identify potential UK industry project partners. Please contact Wendy Moore at wendy.moore@thetravelfoundation.org.uk
CONCEPT NOTE FOR EXTERNAL GRANTS The concept note should be maximum THREE pages and laid out under the following headings Name of person submitting concept note and contact details Title of project and start/end date Project destination (country and region/resort) see criteria 1 About your organisation Brief summary to include: type of organisation and size, mission/goals and length of operation, plus relevant skills, experience and capacity to deliver project (see criteria 2). Need for project What issue or problem is the project seeking to address? Also provide information on any relevant research, analysis, evaluation or baseline studies undertaken. Travel Foundation livelihoods themes Which theme(s) does the project relate to (see criteria 3)? Purpose/objective(s) of project What is the project aiming to achieve? Activities Outline the actions and activities that will be undertaken to achieve the project objective(s). Sufficient detail should be provided to allow someone who is not familiar with the project to quickly grasp what is involved. Outputs What will the project produce or deliver, e.g. a training course, marketing materials, a new product, an event? How will these outputs contribute to the achievement of the project objective(s)? Outcomes What change will the project bring about? What difference will it make (include number of people benefitting from the project)?
How will the project engage the UK outbound travel industry and/or their suppliers? Describe any consultation that has taken place with UK outbound tourism businesses i.e. tour operators, hotels, and explain how you intend to engage them in the design and implementation of the project (see criteria 4). Monitoring and evaluation How will you measure the success of the project? Which livelihoods indicators will the project be able to report against (see criteria 5)? Who are the other stakeholders and how will they be engaged? Outline any project partners and other organisations e.g. local government who will be engaged in the project (see criteria 6). What potential does the project have for a broader application or impact, beyond the scope of the project itself? Will the project produce valuable outputs or lessons that can be applied elsewhere (see criteria 7)? How will the project become self-sustaining in the long-term beyond Travel Foundation funding? How will the project support itself once TF funding has ended? Will further funding be necessary? If so, what are the plans to secure additional funding (see criteria 8)? Breakdown of budget Outline the total cost of the project, the amount requested from Travel Foundation and any contribution from other partners (financial or in-kind). Also indicate whether contributions from others are secured or unsecured. If funding is required for more than year, provide costs for each year (see criteria 9). Note that Travel Foundation will provide a maximum of 60,000 UK sterling in one year.