Partners Albania has announced the Call for Green Ideas 2016. The aim of the national competition “Green Ideas” is to support business initiatives that promote social inclusion, through integration and employment, and local economic development through environmentally friendly ideas.

Today, one of the biggest challenges to economic stability is finding new ways to organize and involve local communities to ensure sustainable development by reducing negative impacts on the environment, therefore encouraging a more equitable distribution of benefits. When connections to the land and to its resources are lost, the sense of community solidarity also suffers. The emergence of multinational companies in the marketplace has threatened many businesses, including small farmers and traditional manufacturers, increasing unemployment rates and generating dependency, producing undesirable social, economic, and cultural changes.
In this regard, green ideas from individuals and companies may play a role to motivate, identify and mobilize resources to address strategic issues dealing with the loss of tradition in manufacturing and developing local markets.

Application Criteria:

• It’s a green idea in embryonic phase or in the initial phase of implementation;
• If the applying entity is not a civil society organization, the entrepreneurship must be categorized as small business venture.
• If the applicant is an individual, he/she should contemplate (anticipate) in the business plan the type of legal registration of the project – idea.
• The project idea aims the sustainable development of environment through creation of job opportunities and/or higher income;
• The project idea is in line with the main activity of the entity which applies;
• The project idea is entirely based on use of local resources;
• The project idea is based on a detailed business plan and is environment friendly;
• The project idea mobilizes the work and expertise of local recourses and makes use of their traditional abilities;
• The project idea has a plan on how to grow the activity and financial sustainability;
• The applying entity must show that has information or has performed an evaluation of local market showing the existing need; knows its competitors` and its idea presents competitive advantages;
• The project idea will support revitalization of traditional local economies and link among people and community.
• The applying entities are eligible to receive funding from this competition not more than once in two years.

Who can apply:
The competition is open to:

• Individuals;
• Civil society organizations;
• Small business ventures.

Financial terms:

The grant will support green project ideas for no longer than one year and with maximum funding of no more than 800.000 ALL.
Co-financing from alternative sources is encouraged.

The required documents:

• A Project proposal in line with all the above mentioned criteria;
• A detailed business plan of the project idea accompanied by the cash flow
• A document certifying the legal status of the applicant entity (Court registration and TIN);
• For individual applicants, in case their idea wins, before the signing of the contract they should enjoy the status of non -profit organizations or small business according the legal legislation in place.

Selection Process:

The selection process will be conducted by a jury of experts from economic, environment, business and justice field.

The evaluation process will be conducted in two phases:

• The first phase will consist in the selection of the ideas that fulfill the application criteria, selection to be made by Partners Albania.
• The second phase will consist in selection of three best ideas by the Jury of experts, as part of an open public competition. This selection will be based in the pre-selection list from the first phase.

Three winning ideas will be automatically part of the regional competition organized by Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Partners Albania, in Serbia during 26-29 July 2016.

Information on submission deadlines:

The deadline for sending applications is May 3^rd, 2016.

The application can be submitted electronically in partners@partnersalbania.org, or by mail / hand delivered in our office address: Partners Albania for Change and Development, Rr:”Sulejman Delvina”, N.18, H.8, Ap.12; PO Box 2418/1, Postal code 1022, Tirana

Partners Albania will release a second announcement for the date of the organization of the competition.

Monitoring Process:

All the winners at national and regional level will enter a contractual relationship as part of this financing, where will be clearly defined the reporting requirements according to indicators set in the project idea and the funding agreement.

Format and Language:

The presentation of the project idea needs to be in line with the criteria presented in the call, attached to a detailed budget. The budget should be presented in the form of a business plan where will be listed all costs requested to be covered by the Green Ideas Grant and co-financing if there is any, for a one-year period.

The language for presenting the project idea is Albanian.