1. Project proposals should demonstrate that they will trigger further incremental action and gain leverage out of proportion to the money we spend. Experience has shown that the best way to do this is to work towards high level policy change, build capacity in a sustainable way, translate evidence or analysis into action plans and work closely with host governments. This can also be achieved when FCO funding is used to leverage co-funding from other donors.

2. Proposals should:

• Outline impact. We want to know what changes the project will make;
• Demonstrate that host governments have been consulted and are supportive or if they have not, the bid should explain how the project has sufficient buy-in from the necessary stakeholders to deliver the expected outcomes; 
• Demonstrate that local partnerships are already established.

3. The FCO places a strong emphasis on programme and project-level evaluation. Project implementing organisations must submit quarterly progress reports for the duration of the project, and a project completion form within three months of the project conclusion. In addition, depending on the scale of the project, a full and independent evaluation may be required.