Tips for completing the form

A project emerges from an idea, grounded in a specific context, and designed to satisfy a particular need or requirement, or contribute to resolving a specific problem.

The term "project" means a series of activities with a start and an end, structured around an established implementation time, geographic location and specific thematic concept within a context (socio-economic, environmental, cultural, etc.) in which the project team intends to act, and whose beneficiaries (both direct and indirect) are clearly defined, with the results identified or estimated in advance.

• the project players, which may consist entirely of the applicant organisation and its staff, which may be employees, external collaborators and volunteers, or a group of partners, who to this end must collaborate following a partnership agreement which clearly defines the responsibility of each partner body (activities performed, how resource management is conducted and who manages the resources, etc.);
• the beneficiaries (direct and indirect) of the project, i.e. private and public target individuals for the initiatives. The direct beneficiaries are those directly involved in the project, and must be described in qualitative terms (for example, age, geographical or cultural origin, sociodemographic features), and in quantitative terms (number or estimated number of target individuals). The indirect beneficiaries are institutional or para-institutional parties, as well as any social groups (such as the families of beneficiaries) who benefit indirectly from the project activity.

This refers not only to the physical place and the geographical region where the project will take place, but also to its thematic field and socio-economic context. It is necessary at all times to report appropriate data, figures and studies regarding the needs and the problem described in the project, citing all sources consulted and the good practices implemented or intended to be implemented (by the entity or third parties).

It is essential to describe in detail the context in which the project is to be integrated. The applicant must explain why the proposed project is viable and will be successful, and why it should be feasible and sustainable. This is a useful exercise in defining the goals, the activities and expected results.

Each project has a general objective (the long-term goal for the society in general normally expressed in an abstract form, for example "contributing to the reduction of poverty") which is achieved thanks to the fulfilment of one or more specific goals (i.e. those sub-goals that, put together, lead to the fulfilment of the general objective of the project). Each of these envisages expected results that can be identified by indicators specific to each result. The goals must be measurable, feasible and definable over time. They must also be consistent with the analysis performed regarding the problem to resolve or need being tackled in the context, and also aligned with the expected results of the project. The goals are crucial in order to develop the monitoring and evaluation activities, because, if too generic, the project will end up being impossible to manage and implement.

This consists of the methodology to be applied and adopted for performed activities, and the timetable of each one. Activities must be described in a specific and exhaustive manner. Applicants must define exactly "who does what, when and how", otherwise known as the "Timeline" or "Work plan". In this way, the roles of all players involved in the project can be defined, and the presentation of the innovative methodologies, the robustness of an intervention method, and what is the project’s added value compared with similar ones is possible.

Whatever the size of the project proposed, it must include a detailed budget of costs for all expenses that may be incurred, for example, the cost of human resources or staff training. An example – here attached – can be used as reference.

It is important not only to establish the preliminary conditions necessary for the project to start, but also those factors that may, during the process, slow down or halt progress towards the established goals (risks) and in which way such factors are intended to be tackled. Furthermore, establishing in which way the project plan may become sustainable (socially, institutionally, economically etc.) in its own way is required, in order for the project to then be repeated in the future.