Prerequisites

The following three prerequisites apply to Teams up! Youth Exchange for Sustainable Development projects:

  1. One project partner must come from Germany and one from an African country,
  2. the German project partner must undergo a special assessment, and, like the project partner from the African country, must not be of a missionary, governmental or commercial nature and
  3. the project partners organise the project in close collaboration and engage in a constant process of dialogue.

Partnership on projects

The German and the African project partners make an active, long-term contribution to promote the implementation of Teams up! projects, acting as equals in the process.

They must

  • be of a non-profit nature,
  • pursue the same goals and activities,
  • have knowledge and experience in staffing, organisational and specialist matters required for the implementation of a development-related youth exchange.

Important

  • Interested organisations are free to contact the Teams up! team at Engagement Global for guidance before or during the application phase. . An outline document, which must give key details of what the project will do and how it will be financed, must be submitted no later than eight weeks prior to the application being submitted. We will use the outline document to advise you.
  • Funding can be provided for multilateral projects involving a German implementing organisation and two African project partners. As an exception, it is also possible to obtain funding for triangular collaborations with a German implementing organisation, an African project partner and a project partner from a non-African DAC country. Advice should be obtained from Engagement Global before planning multilateral projects or triangular collaborations.
  • It is not possible for the Teams up! programme to help applicants find partner organisations abroad.
Photo of a group of participants in front of a building. They are holding a poster with the slogan “United to create a climate for change now”.

Assessment of implementing organisations

The German project partner submits the project application in German and bears legal and financial responsibility for the project towards Engagement Global (grant provider). Prior to submitting the application, the German project partner must be approved as an implementing organisation by Engagement Global’s Central Programme Service (ZPS). Part of this process involves the German project partner having to provide proof of its non-profit character, legal form and credit worthiness. The assessment form (including any attachments) should be sent electronically and by post at least four weeks before the actual project application is submitted.

Implementing organisations can be assessed by Engagement Global at any time of the year.

If the German organisation is too small to be able to pass the assessment, it can “piggyback” on a larger German implementing organisation. The team at Teams up! will be happy to provide advice. For questions relating to the actual assessment, please contact Engagement Global’s Central Programme Service (ZPS).

Important:

  • When planning, a minimum of four weeks should be allowed for the assessment.
  • Only complete applications will be reviewed.
  • The assessment form used must be the current version (available from the Document Centre).
  • The documents must be submitted online and by post to:
    Engagement Global gGmbH, Zentraler Programmservice, Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 40, 53113 Bonn and traegerpruefung@engagement-global.de

Trägerprüfung

Previously registered implementing organisations

The assessment for implementing organisations that are already registered with Engagement Global for other programmes is shorter. When registering as an implementing organisation for Teams up!, they must cite the organisation number they have already been assigned.

Letter of approval/Registration as an implementing organisation

After a successful assessment, the organisation receives an email confirming its approval and can now submit an application for Teams up!. The validity of the approval is based on the organisation's current proof of non-profit nature and can be extended by submitting a new proof of non-profit nature.

Ineligible projects

Funding cannot be provided for:

  • projects that serve to provide religious instruction, teaching of faith or instruction in a particular ideology,
  • projects or implementing organisations whose values do not respect the diversity of human lifestyles and beliefs,
  • commercial organisations and projects,
  • projects that are not primarily intended to promote exchange and dialogue,
  • projects by governmental implementing organisations,
  • implementing organisations that fail the assessment performed by Engagement Global’s Central Programme Service (ZPS), i.e. that cannot prove their credit worthiness or non-profit nature or
  • implementing organisations that are too small to conduct an exchange due to inadequate financial, administrative and organisational resources.

In the last two cases, the implementing organisations can adopt a “piggybacking” approach, i.e. they sign a cooperation agreement with a larger implementing organisation, which then submits the application to Engagement Global on the smaller organisation’s behalf. The organisation that submits the application is responsible for the financial administration of the project. The team at Teams up! will be happy to provide advice.