Frequently Asked Questions

ECOSOC Civil Society Network

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the main bodies of the United Nations System. It consists of 54 United Nations Members elected by the General Assembly. The information regarding CSOs in the world can be reached at the ECOSOC Civil Society Network Database. In addition to the database, the web page of the network also offers areas to communicate with other civil society organizations, to reach the news about the civil society in the world, to reach good practices and success stories from the civil society, and to participate in forums on different topics.

Single Electronic Data Interchange Area (SEDIA) of EC

The European Commission works on an integrated, "one-stop-shop" web-based information management system, called “SEDIA (Single Electronic Data Interchange Area)” for all European Union (EU) instruments related to EC external actions and other EU bodies. Organizations that are registered in the system can access the information of other registered organizations around the world. By "Partner Search" facility of SEDIA, organizations which were previously registered in the PADOR can make a search. Please be informed that the SEDİA is still under development.

PADOR Database

PADOR (Potential Applicant Data On-Line Registration) is the online system in which organizations, who are potential applicants to calls for proposals, register and update regularly information about their profile (legal, financial, etc.). Through the online system, organizations can be searched by using the "Search Organization" tab in the user menu on the basis of country and organization name/keyword, and access the contact information. For those who have not a PADOR registration yet, the informative videos are available under the title of “Videos for EU Supported Projects”  of STGM YouTube channel. Besides, PADOR User Manual V.2.2.3 can reachable here.

Review of EU Networks for Civil Society Organizations. TACSO, 2011. The book provides brief information about more than two hundred networks and platforms in the EU member states.

European Youth Portal

In this database prepared for young people's volunteering, internship, and job searches, can be searched the basis of the country and thematic field of activity and access brief introduction and contact information of organizations.

STGM organizes CSO-specific training or one-on-one activities with CSOs under the special programmes such as "Needs Based Training" or "Organizational Coaching" only. Please check out our website and follow up our e-bulletin to apply to open programmes of CSO-specific trainings or on-on-one activities.

You can contact  [email protected] for your further questions about our trainings 

A capacity assessment is an analysis of desired capacities against existing capacities which generates an understanding of capacity assets and needs that informs the formulation of a capacity development response. To support this process effectively requires identifying what key capacities already exist and what additional capacities may be needed to reach these objectives. 

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. The inter-governmental body sets international standards that aim to prevent these illegal activities and the harm they cause to society. As a policy-making body, the FATF works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in these areas.

With more than 200 countries (including Republic of Turkey) and jurisdictions committed to implementing them.  The FATF has developed the FATF Recommendations, or FATF Standards, which ensure a co-ordinated global response to prevent organised crime, corruption and terrorism.

For more information about FATF and FATF Recommendations can be reached at FATF website

Where the relevant call for proposals allows for the work performed by volunteers to be considered as acceptable co-financing, such co-financing must be considered as eligible personnel costs in accordance with articles 181, 186 and 190 FR, and must take the form of unit costs.

These unit costs will be fixed by the contracting authority and provided in the call for proposal. The value of the volunteers' work may comprise up to 50% of the co-financing, the latter corresponding to the part not financed by the EU contribution.

This type of costs must be presented separately from other eligible costs in the estimated budget. The value of the volunteer's work must always be excluded from the calculation of indirect costs. Any eligible costs incurred by the beneficiary linked to the work of the volunteer, for example travel and accommodation, may be claimed separately as eligible costs.

For more information, please check out Companion

You may access STGM Publications over the Publications section, download and share with others as you will. However, it is compulsory to give reference in case the publications are to be used in part or whole, and the copyrights of the publications belong to STGM. 

As a CSO, you may request the printed versions of the publications by contacting us via [email protected]. You may request only the publications from within the form to be provided to you because most of the publications are out of print. In the event you request so, the publications you requested will be sent to the address you indicated in the form, on Mondays, via our contracted shipping company, on collect call basis.

Some of the methods applied in the assessment of organizational capacity are as follows;

• “Self-assessment”, in which the organization mobilizes its own resources ( such as teams, tools, methods and reports) for examining and evaluating organizational capacities and competencies,
• “Assessment”, is a process which the evaluation to be outsourced for the analysis of institutional situation and competence of the organization 
• “Participatory self-assessment”, in which external experts and facilitators are involved but institutional capacity is ultimately assessed by a team formed within the organization. In this method, the facilitators do not lead the process, but support it. In other words, “participatory self-assessment” can be described as a capacity building work itself.

According to article 33 of the Law of Associations No. 5253, the chairperson of the board of administration is accountable in person for the administrative fines imposed on the association. Administrative fines are not recorded in the chairperson's criminal record, as they are not based on a decision, adopted by the jurisdiction.

Pursuant to Article 27 of the Law of Misdemeanor, appeal against administrative fine decisions can be made by the legal representative or lawyer of the CSO within 15 days in which the date of notification of the administrative fine decision is issued.
 

Within the scope of direct management modality of the EU, FSTP mechanism is described as “FSTP is a financial mechanism whereby the EU provides funding to one organization as a grant applicant which, in turn, regrants funding to a number of smaller CSOs, grassroots or community-based organizations, even individuals.” in the European Commission’s publication, Enhanced Outreach to Civil Society Organizations: A Collection of Good Practices of Financial Support to Third Parties in the Neighbourhood and Enlargement Countries, TACSO, 2021.
 
You can reach above-mentioned publication from here.

STGM publications are accessible to all and free of charge but the copyrights to the publications belong to STGM. You may download the publications over the Publications section and share with others as you will. However, it is compulsory to give reference in case the publications are to be used in part or whole. If they are to be used for commercial purposes, it is recommended to contact STGM.

As a CSO, you may request the printed versions of the publications by contacting us via [email protected]. Please be informed that most of our publications are currently out of print. Therefore, we regret to say that you may request only the publications on the request form which will be sent to you. Subsequent to your request, we will deliver the printed versions of our publications to you via our contracted courier company in the form of collect call.

The intervention logic provides a description to summarize how the intervention is expected to work that should lead to the intended change. An intervention is often a solution to a problem or challenge. The intervention logic is also a tool which helps to explain the different steps and actors involved in the intervention.

The Logical Framework Matrix (LFM) is a tool that demonstrates the internal consistency and integrity of the intervention with the designed project. A “logical framework matrix” presents results (encompassing Outputs, Outcomes and Impact), assumptions, indicators, targets, baselines, and sources of verification related to a project.

More information about Logical Framework Approach and Matrix, please have a look at:

• CONCORD Guideline on Logical Framework Approach
• STGM Brief Presentation on Logical Framework Approach and Matrix
• Introduction to Results And Monitoring on the EU External action Wiki website
• Project Cycle Management Guideline. European Commission, 2004
• UNDG RBM Handbook

Information on the Law No. 2860 on Aid Collection is available on the website of the General Directorate of Civil Society Relations of the Ministry of Interior. As stated in the Law, if the aid collection campaigns cover more than one city, the permission is obtained from the governor of the province where the association that carries out aid collection activity is located.

Salaries of staff within the scope of EU funded grant projects are budgeted under the “1. Human Resources” budget heading. Please note that salary payments to staff in the project should be made in accordance with the labor law in Turkey. In this regard, the entire cost of a staff member consists of;

• Net salary,
• Revenue and withholding taxes
• Social Security Premium (including both employee + employer shares)

When the entire cost of a staff member will be covered by the project budget, each personnel cost under the "1. Human Resources" should be considered as the "total cost" and should include all expenditures in relation with personnel.

Payroll prepared for a staff contains;

• Net salary,
• Revenue and Withholding taxes
• Social Security Premium (including both employee + employer shares)

Please also note that the total cost for project staff should be itemized in 3 different lines (as mentioned above) for each month in the detailed expenditure list -DBE- (excel table)

While the most common form of FSTP is sub-granting, FSTP can take the form of many different types of support, including monetary awards, individual financial support, scholarships, covering for operating costs, etc. FSTP may also take the form of “unconditional cash transfers” where no specific activities are supported. “Unconditional” means that FSTP is given without any specific goal other than helping the final recipients, e.g., to support human right defenders, scholarships to facilitate mobility, allowances to refugees, etc. 

Besides, the most common forms of subgrants can be considered as “core-funding” and “project funding”. Core-funding is financial support that covers the basic, “core” organisational and administrative costs of a CSO. But, project funding is financial support focused on the implementation of a series of activities, aimed at bringing about  clearly specified objectives within a defined period of time and with a defined budget. (Enhanced Outreach to Civil Society Organizations: A Collection of Good Practices of Financial Support to Third Parties in the Neighbourhood and Enlargement Countries, TACSO)

As a principle, we, as STGM, provide neither fee based project development/project proposal writing services nor referring CSOs to paid services/persons and organizations.  Moreover, CSOs are kindly recommended to improve their organizational capacities in regards to project preparation and prepare their projects themselves. Regarding project development and writing, you may check out STGM resources on our website.

• Charter/constitute of the association and other internal legislation, if any,
• In case of keeping books on the basis of the operation account method business account; official minute book, membership registration book, document registry book, general journal and operating ledger,
• In case of keeping books on the basis of balance sheet; official minute book, membership registration book, document registry book, journal and  ledger,
• Receipts, donation in kind receipts, expenditure documents, in-kind aid delivery notices, authorization certificates,
• Inbounds and outbounds, declarations, notifications, membership documents, documents in relation to estate and assets,
• Documents, related to the fund, if exists,
• Books, ledgers and documents in relation to the economic enterprise,
• Safe, stock and bank account statement as of the date of commencement of the audit, bank account statements for the period to be audited, regarding the debt and credit status and similar documents.

STGM carries out activities such as organizing trainings, conducting researches, campaigns, advocacy and lobbying activities for the strengthening participation and democracy in civil society, and building organizational capacities of CSOs. 

In this context, STGM does not run any scholarship programme.

However, you can visit the following pages for domestic and international scholarships. These pages belong to some public institutions as well as international organizations and private scholarship programmes that provide scholarship. Please also note that domestic and international scholarship opportunities are not limited to the list below.

• General Directorate of Credit and Hostels Institutions
• Higher Education Council
• General Directorate of Foundations
• Ministry of National Education of Turkey
• TÜBİTAK
• British Council 
• Jean Monnet Programı
• Fulbright Programı
• Türkiye Scholarships
• Scholarship

When proposing FSTP mechanism as a component of an EU supported intervention/projects, it’s advised to reflect on;

*Enhanced Outreach to Civil Society Organizations: A Collection of Good Practices of Financial Support to Third Parties in the Neighbourhood and Enlargement Countries. Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations European Commission. TACSO, 2021. 

You can find a sample contract here (in Turkish) for services of independent consultants or experts. You are able to revise it in accordance with your requirements.