Apply for funds in partnership

Applying for funds in partnership allows organizations to combine complementary strengths, share resources, and present more competitive and impactful proposals, but partners must ensure a clear alignment of objectives, values, and expectations from the outset. 

Working in partnership can increase credibility with funders and enable access to larger or more complex funding opportunities; however, roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined to avoid duplication, power imbalances, or conflict. Joint applications also encourage knowledge sharing and innovation across organizations, yet they require strong coordination, transparent communication, and agreed decision-making processes to manage timelines and administrative complexity. 

While partnerships can spread financial and operational risk, organizations must carefully assess their partners’ capacity, financial management systems, and accountability practices, and establish formal agreements to ensure compliance, trust, and successful delivery of funded activities.

Key points

1. Make sure you have one or more people in your team who are well-versed in the operating principle of calls for proposals.
2. Read the call for proposals carefully, paying particular attention to the rules for eligibility, partnerships, reporting, eligible expenses and co-financing.
3. Imagine a project that is something consistent with the activities that you would like to do anyway. Do not invent a project just to win the call for proposals.
4. Make sure that the proposed project is aligned with the objectives and priorities of the call for proposals.
5. Carefully analyze the evaluation criteria to maximize the chances of success.
6. Look for partners with complementary skills and proven experience in managing calls for proposals.
7. Verify the specific skills, financial solidity and administrative functioning of the partners.
8. Define clear and shared objectives among all partners.
9. Make sure that each partner has a specific and well-defined role in the project.
10. Pay attention to who will be the lead partner. If you do not have experience, propose the role to someone more experienced.
11. Establish clear and detailed partnership agreements that define roles, responsibilities and methods of collaboration.
12. Provide dispute resolution mechanisms.
13. Develop a detailed financial plan that includes the distribution of costs and revenues among the partners.
14. Provide mechanisms for controlling and reporting expenses.
15. Reserve an adequate budget for administrative management (about 20%)
16. Ensure that all activities comply with current regulations on the management of public funds.
17. Provide internal control mechanisms and coordination (reserve 20% of the budget for coordination).
18. Develop an effective communication plan to promote the project through different communication channels, such as social media, events, publications. (reserve about 10% of the budget for dissemination).
19. Ensure that the project results are accessible to both the public (exhibitions, website) and researchers (publications, conference participation).