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2025 Call for Expressions of Project Intentions for Locally Governed CSOs
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Opening date
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Status
Closed call
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Closing date
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Financing initiatives by civil society organizations in countries eligible for French public development assistance
AFD is launching its annual Call for Expressions of Project Intentions (AMI) to shortlist CSO projects to be co-financed in 2026. Local CSOs are therefore invited to submit their project intentions in accordance with the procedures set out below.
Despite current budgetary constraints, AFD has decided to go ahead with its annual Call for Expressions of Project Intentions (AMI) to shortlist projects from locally governed CSOs for co-financing in 2026.
Local CSOs are invited to submit their project intentions in accordance with the procedures set out below.
Civil society organizations (CSOs) in countries eligible for official development assistance from the OECD Development Assistance Committee1 are able to obtain co-financing from AFD for a project through the CSO Initiatives (CSO-I) mechanism.
Through this mechanism, AFD provides co-financing for development projects that aim to promote and strengthen local stakeholders and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Local CSOs may submit a single project intention (on their own or as part of a consortium) with two possible options:
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Either a project that is a continuation of projects already supported by AFD Group or the French Embassy
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Or a new project that is in line with the AMI’s priorities.
CSOs and the project they submit must meet the eligibility criteria outlined in this AMI. CSOs must refer to these criteria before applying.
Project selection is a two-step process:
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A shortlist is drawn up based on a project intention sheet supported by an administrative file.
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Then, for shortlisted projects only, a final selection is made based on a complete application file including the CSO Initiative Note (NIONG) supported by various appendices, which marks the start of the project appraisal process.
Submissions are made online via the OSCar platform.
The project budget must not be less than €500,000 over three years.
The average annual project budget must not exceed 70% of the CSO’s average annual budget for the last three years, except in cases that are duly justified; the CSO’s minimum annual budget must therefore not be less than €238,000.
The maximum AFD co-financing rate is set at 90% of the total project budget.
The CSO Initiatives (CSO-I) mechanism provides financing for various types of projects through a range of instruments:
- Single-country or multi-country field projects
- Sustainable development and global citizenship education projects
- Projects to strengthen the non-profit sector at local, national, or even regional levels.
Each project is subject to specific criteria, which should be reviewed in the Methodology Guide available in English, French and Spanish on the AFD website.2
Against a backdrop of budgetary constraints, this AMI will focus primarily on:
- Recurring phases of high-impact projects with meaningful results, already co-financed under AFD’s CSO-I mechanism.
- New projects in least developed countries (LDCs) and those particularly vulnerable to crises and climate change.
However, CSOs are reminded that AFD’s ability to provide financial support will be extremely limited in 2026.
If their project proposal is shortlisted, CSOs must submit the project document (NIONG) between November 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
Project intentions aimed primarily at:
i) Gender equality, transforming gender-based social relationships and strengthening feminist civil society organizations
ii) Amplifying young people’s voices and empowering them to take action
iii) Climate and biodiversity issues
will be given priority in the final decisions of the Call for Expressions of Project Intentions.
Appel à manifestation d'intention 2025 OSC locales
Call for Expressions of Project Intentions 2025 for Locally Governed CSOs
Convocatoria de Manifestación de Interés de proyectos 2025
Autorisation d'utilisation de la plateforme Oscar
Authorization for use of OSCar
Autorizacion de uso de Oscar
Modèle de note d'intention en français
Model of the Project intention form in English
Ficha de Manifestación de Interés de proyectos
Procedures for submitting project intentions
Project intention and administrative documents must be submitted online using the OSCar portal.
The OSCar User Guide is provided in Appendix 3.
CSOs that wish to submit a project for the Call for Expressions of Project Intentions and who do not yet have an OSCar account must:
i) send AFD the information required to assess their eligibility to email address oscar_admin@afd.fr: name of the AFD Group entity or partner that has already financed the CSO, date of financing and amount granted
ii) log onto the OSCar portal and submit a request to create an account by Friday July 4, 2025 at the latest (see the OSCar User Guide and Authorization for Use of OSCar).
Discover the OSC Initiatives mechanism
With the CSO Initiatives Fund, CSOs can submit a project amounting to €500,000 or above, on their own initiative, to request co-financing from AFD (up to 80% for French CSOs and 90% for local CSOs). It thereby contributes to strengthening civil societies and their action all over the world, especially in the least developed countries (LDCs), in conjunction with local organizations.
Reference documents (AMI, LCB-FT and purchasing, commitment monitoring)
