Source: Renovabis
Since Renovabis works according to the "partner principle", in general only applications directly submitted from Central and Eastern Europe can be supported; however, mediation by partners in Western Europe is possible and sometimes helpful. A project application must contain not only the opinion of the competent local Bishop but also a project description. In this project description, the goal of the project must be presented and justified, as well as it must be explained, how and in which period the goal is expected to be achieved. A financing plan must be presented, including the total costs, own contributions, contributions from other funders, a risk assessment and the assistance requested by Renovabis.
(Video-Clip: "The course of a project" - no translation available yet)
Approval
Based on this information, the responsible resource persons will prepare the application form for the approval committees. The management decides on the approval of projects with an application sum of up to EUR 30,000, on projects with an application sum up to EUR 75,000, a so-called "Small Approval Committee" (currently Dr. Gabriele Pinkl, Hubert Tintelott, Helmut Wiesmann) decides on behalf of the Board of Action Renovabis and the Board of Action Renovabis decides on larger application sums.
Project agreement
Once a project has been approved, the project partner will sign a project agreement, in which the partner's obligations are documented. The project partner must confirm prior to payment of the grants by his signature that he will use the funds only for the approved purpose and that he will give a precise account of the use of the funds.
Payment and reporting
The grants are generally paid in several installments in accordance with the project agreements. After receiving the money, the project partner will immediately send an acknowledgment of receipt to Renovabis. A written report on the use of funds and the progress of the project is necessary. For projects exceeding a period of several months, the project partner will send a first report on the progress of the project and a financial report at the latest after half a year and will repeat this half-yearly. The financial reports must be accompanied by payment documents which are checked by the administration.
The payment of further installments will always be made after approval by the responsible resource person. The four-eyes-principle of the joint examination by the administration and the resource person applies. On-site project monitoring is provided by regular project trips of the country's resource persons.
Project completion
Upon completion of the project, Renovabis will receive a final execution and financial report along with the relevant payment documents. If these are complete, the responsible resource person will complete the project officially.
Internal audit and auditing
All major projects then go automatically to the internal audit department, which will check again whether the project execution has taken place properly. Even small projects are randomly checked. The internal audit is carried out by an employee predominantly employed for this purpose. She reports directly to the management, so there is no risk of conflicts of interest. There are written audit reports in which all complaints will be reported. These are reported directly to the management and tracked by it. Written instructions are given to the responsible staff and the implementation of these instructions are checked. The key points of the audit of the internal audit are coordinated with the auditor and randomly checked. As part of an annual audit, the annual financial statements submitted by the management as well as the regularity of the management are examined.
Control by third-party funders
Renovabis also receives funds from the Association of German Dioceses (VDD), as well as a grant from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through the Catholic Central Agency for Development Aid (KZE). Here again, regular reviews of those projects take place in which the funds of the VDD and the KZE have gone. - You will find the download "Development needs education: 20 years of project funding by Renovabis and the KZE in Central and Eastern Europe" at the bottom of the page.
Evaluation
At significant times during the project or after completion of a project, an evaluation by external consultants will take place in individual cases in order to gain insights for further project work. These evaluations will be planned and commissioned in collaboration with the partners. When carrying out an evaluation, Renovabis is concerned with the assessment of results and the effectiveness of projects, programs and strategies. Evaluations promote institutional learning among the partners and Renovabis, provide decision-making tools on how to proceed, and at the same time serve accountability to the public.