Relationship between the Alignment of the Project Design with the Donor Priorities and the Grant Award Decisions for Humanitarian Projects in Juba, South Sudan
Résumé
Humanitarian grants provide the operational and financial foundation of humanitarian assistance. These grants offer vital financial and material resources to assist those impacted by emergencies, ultimately preserving lives, reducing suffering, and advancing respect and dignity for those facing adversity. This study examined the relationship between the alignment of the project design with the donor priorities and the grant award decisions for humanitarian projects in Juba, South Sudan. This study appraised Institutional Theory building on the hypothesis that these theories influence, to a significant extent, the grant award decision on a proposal. A descriptive research design was adopted by the study. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and humanitarian donors operating in South Sudan were targeted by the study, with a sample of 14 NGOs and one donor representative using a stratified random sampling technique by employing Krejcie & amp; Morgan sampling formula. A 5-point Likert scale was used for data collection. Pilot testing was done to check the user-friendliness/appropriateness of the study questionnaire. Data cleaning was carefully done and the completed and returned questionnaires were examined for accuracy, reliability, and coded. Raw data was processed and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The study finds that a grant proposal can hardly be funded if the needs of the affected people are not well articulated, the proposal doesn’t align with donor priorities, the proposal doesn’t showcase experience or the proposal doesn’t demonstrate a realistic sustainability model. The study concludes that it’s paramount to clearly articulate the needs of the affected population in a grant proposal, that alignment with donor priorities is a critical factor to consider when designing grant proposals, that experience is a critical element prioritized by donors when making competitive grant award decisions, that a project’s sustainability model is a key determinant of a positive grant award decision, and that a project may still be funded even if it doesn’t include a theory of change.