UTaNRMP’s grants manual provides an outline of the processes and procedures to be followed by Community Based Organizations such as Common Interest Groups (CIGs) in accessing, utilizing funds and accounting for project grants. The key principles of the manual are:
a. Clarity / Open information provision/exchange
The grants manual provides clear definitions of roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders
involved in the matching grants, offers transparency in relation to the matching grants process and results, provides vital information on the categorization of proposals and technical support notes (TSNs)
b. Empowerment and Equity.
The manual places the community/community groups at the centre of their own development activities and empowers them to be managers of their own destiny, it ensures equity of funding of all approved proposed activities from the three proposal categories through detailed transparent eligibility criteria. It also provides clear institutional support links between Common Interest Groups(CIGs) and legal community Associations like water resource user associations (WRUAs) and community forest associations (CFAs).
c. Transparency and Accountability
The grants manual offers clear eligibility criteria for purposes of ensuring all proposals compete equally in relation to resource availability. It also provides a complaint mechanism for the process
used to register, review and respond to complaints.
