Who can apply?

The KMF is open to any consortium or individual with the ambition to improve policies, programs or knowledge in the field of security and rule of law in fragile and conflict affected countries. Think-tanks, (I)NGOs, academics, universities, private sector organizations, government institutions, journalists, independent researchers or innovators, data specialists, learning experts, and PhD candidates are all welcome to submit proposals. Partnerships between individuals and organizations and across sectors are highly encouraged, particularly partnerships that link people from different regions of the globe.

Geographic foci are not limited, but preference is given to countries located in the following priority regions: Middle East, North Africa, Horn of Africa, Great Lakes, Sahel, Afghanistan/Pakistan. Research outside these regions may be considered, as well.

Please note the KMF will not fund salaries, personnel or fee days beyond 30% of the total submitted budget. Nor will it cover overheads or any expenses not agreed in advance, as designated in the budget within the signed contract.

Application Criteria

The KMF is made up of three strands to which you may apply: General, Research, and Innovation. Each strand funds different kinds of activities and initiatives that, collectively, aim to produce original insights to help the Platform improve the quality and uptake of knowledge across its thematic areas.

Visualization of KMF Funding Strands

Each strand has its own eligibility criteria against which applicants will be assessed. These criteria are laid out in the remainder of this section and will help you decide which strand to apply to.

Please note that all applicants must meet the eligibility criteria in the General strand. Applicants to the Innovation and Research grants must meet the General strand requirements, plus the specific criteria for that particular strand:

1.      General

General strand Eligibility Criteria

All applications must:

  • Explain how the project aligns with one of the Platform’s thematic headlines
  • Describe the specific knowledge and/or capacity gap to be addressed 
  • Demonstrate relevance to the Platform membership, the Dutch MFA, and/or the wider security and rule of law field by outlining a minimum of two clear ‘actionable’ outputs designed for policy and programming uptake
  • Detail an interactive, innovative plan to present results to Platform members, with the aim of enhancing knowledge uptake
  • Explain any potential links to international networks and processes
  • Include a prospective budget not to exceed €15,000 (see guidelines and template)
  • Commence within six weeks of funds being awarded. The running time of projects may not exceed six months
  • Commit to presenting findings to Platform members in an interactive way
  • Commit to providing in-kind contributions equal to at least 20% of the total award sought
  • Be willing to present findings at the KPSRL Annual Conference

2.      Innovation

Innovation strand Eligibility Criteria

In addition to the General Fund requirements, applications must:

  • Describe how the project will test new evidence, analysis, ideas, theories, approaches and/or solutions to a clearly defined problem
  • And/or propose new and creative ways to disseminate results, and describe how this will encourage learning and knowledge uptake

3.      Research

Research strand Eligibility Criteria

In addition to the General Fund requirements, applications must:

  • Demonstrate, referencing literature, the novelty of the research question
  • Where possible, make use of a multidisciplinary approach that features cooperation between researchers, practitioners and/or policymakers
  • Where possible, work in collaboration with research academics and institutions from a different global region

 

Avoiding conflicts of interest

KMF proposals submitted by any of the Platform’s consortium partners (The Clingendael Institute, Saferworld and IDLO) are assessed through a separate procedure. Proposals are received by the Secretariat, which checks the proposal for eligibility. Those proposals that meet the eligibility requirements are sent on to the Platform’s Steering Group, whose members assess the proposals according to the stated Criteria .

The assessment of the Steering Group is final and binding.