Humanitarian Action Facility

The Humanitarian Action Facility (HAF) is a funding scheme designed to support the international humanitarian work of New Zealand non-government organisations (NGOs).

The HAF is funded from an annual allocation from the New Zealand Agency for International Development/Nga Hoe Tuputupu-mai-tawhiti (NZAID), the New Zealand government's international aid and development agency. The HAF is jointly managed by a Programme Management Committee (PMC) that includes NZAID and elected NGO representatives.

Purpose

The primary purpose of HAF is to help save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity during and in the aftermath of emergencies, through New Zealand NGO-supported humanitarian action projects.

This will be achieved by:

• providing funding for New Zealand NGOs working with overseas partners involved in planning and implementing high quality humanitarian projects in developing countries.
• supporting the continuation and development of a strong and effective New Zealand NGO sector involved in humanitarianism through international partnerships and networks.
• facilitating partnerships and links between the New Zealand community and New Zealand international NGOs.

Criteria

Funding is available for projects that meet the HAF criteria and operating practices. Projects supported are based on humanitarian principles and specific criteria defined for different funding opportunities. These opportunities cover emergency prevention and preparedness, emergency response and recovery and reconstruction projects. For more information see the HAF Guidelines.

Who Can Apply

In order to be eligible to apply for HAF funding an NGO needs to be able to demonstrate that:

• it is non-governmental and non-profit.
• it is clearly identified as a New Zealand organisation (this includes New Zealand branches or associates of international NGOs).
• it has been registered in New Zealand as a legal entity for three years. (During a transition period, New Zealand NGOs with proven capacity, and who have already received EMDR funding, will be able to register). In the event of extra funds being allocated by the Minister for an extraordinary event (See HAF Guidelines) exception may be made for ethnic community groups who have established links in the affected country or area and have a high level of expertise in one of the SPHERE identified sectors.
• its activities are consistent with the international humanitarian principles and criteria established for the HAF (shown, for example, by its constitution or mission statement).
• it agrees to abide by the CID Code of Ethics or become signatories to The Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Disaster Relief (See Section 5 of the Introductory Part of this Handbook for details of these Codes.
• it can generate funds in New Zealand for humanitarian projects or programmes.
• it has appropriate project management and financial systems in place, including:
  • a project/programme decision-making body that has relevant knowledge and experience of humanitarian issues.
  • a demonstrated and sound process for assessment and monitoring of projects.
  • access to regular and accurate information from overseas partners.
  • a system to maintain information on the partner and its project.
  • a set of annually audited accounts that clearly identify receipt and transfer of HAF funds (and NGO’s own funds) to overseas partners.
  • an ability to provide adequate and accurate project/programme progress and financial reporting to the HAF.

Application Process

There are two categories of applicants – those eligible for individual project or programme funding, and those eligible for Block Grant funding. Application requirements vary, depending on which funding category the NGO applicant is in. For more information about applicant categories and how to apply see the HAF Guidelines.

Reporting

Reports on HAF grants received are made within 15 months of funding approval or within three months of completion of the project, whichever is earlier. If the project is not completed, an interim report needs be submitted. This can take the form of a letter explaining the reasons for the delay and indicating an expected timeframe for the report. If further extensions to reporting deadlines are required, these need to be explained to the PMC every six months. No further funding can be made available to an organisation with outstanding reports when the reason for this has not been explained to the PMC, or to an organisation that regularly misses report deadlines without adequate explanation. The timeframe for reporting may vary in the case of the distribution of supplementary funds. For more information see the HAF Guidelines.

Reports must:

• be submitted on the appropriate HAF form (Refer to Part E for all forms) within three months of completion of the project.
• include a detailed breakdown of actual expenditure measured against the budget proposed in the original HAF application, explaining any significant variations
• indicate variances due to exchange rate fluctuations.
• be submitted by the specified deadlines.

NGOs applying to the HAF are responsible for making sure their project partners know about HAF and programme requirements and are prepared to provide information to meet these requirements.  However the New Zealand NGO, not their partner, is responsible for completing and submitting the reports.  The New Zealand NGO is encouraged to draw on a range of information sources alongside actual written reports from partners to complete the forms (for example AM&E visits correspondence and other related information sources).

For information on the Fund, contact Claire-Louise McCurdy, KOHA/PICD Administration, on 04 496 9618 or email Claire-Louise.

Acronyms