Inter-movement Support System (IMSS)

General Programme Period : 1 April 2003 - 31 March 2004

Purpose and Objectives :
The primary purpose of the World Alliance of YMCAs’ Inter-movement Support System (IMSS) is the strengthening of emerging and struggling national movements through the development of individual support or bilateral and multilateral relationships between national movements, which focus on the development of Movement Infrastructure and Human Resources.

Ineligible Expenses :
- Financing of existing programmes or processes already funded from other sources at the area or national movement level.

- World Alliance or Area International Programmes. However, funding may be used to cover the cost of participants unable otherwise to attend from emerging or struggling movements in international programmes.

(For more information on IMSS please refer to the Revised Policy Paper on IMSS, dated May 2000, as circulated by the World Alliance of YMCAs to all National Movements in July 2000).

Financial limits :
There is no upper limit for applications to this fund. However, the total grant available to concerned YMCA movements within our region is around US$90,000 per annum. The funding shall only be approved on a yearly basis and the maximum total period for which any specific process or initiative shall receive support will be three years.

Approving Body :
IMSS is a tool for the combined efforts of the World Alliance of YMCAs and YMCA Area Organisations in jointly identified responsibilities. Due to their geographical proximity Area Organisations will play a primary role in the identification, processing and monitoring of programmes supported through the IMSS.

The Executive Committee of the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs would submit its composite proposal to the World Alliance based on the needs of all the emerging and struggling national movements in the region. This composite proposal would be based on the recommendation of the Standing Committees and Programme Related Task Groups, held during the Asia and Pacific Alliance Executive Committee Meeting.

Approving Time and Release of Funds :
The Executive Committee of the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs would finalise recommendations at the meeting to be held in March 2002. Thereafter, these recommendations would be submitted to the World Alliance of YMCAs at the due time. The World Alliance will announce the approved grants in February 2003. The World Alliance will remit quarterly instalments of the approved grant to the proponent YMCA with the first instalment scheduled in April 2003.

Applications :
Applications should be submitted to the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs in the prescribed Format as attached, before 5 February 2002.

Guidelines for Grant Proposals :
These Guidelines are to be followed in relation to all applications for IMSS support.

The Guidelines have been constructed to provide the minimum information to enable us to process applications, and make decisions.

Accordingly if all sections, and bullet-points within sections, are not addressed, the application cannot be considered.

Additional information may also be required, though it is probable that this will only be the case where the Guidelines have not been followed, or where responses are inadequate.

Please look at the accompanying section: Glossary of Terms if you are unsure that is meant by the particular language of the Guidelines.

Present a clear summary of the main purpose of the proposal, the main participants and the beneficiaries, as well as the partners that will carry out the project.

• Describe the structure and governance of the YMCA(s) involved.
• Describe the organisational capacity to undertake this project, achievements to date, and identify weaknesses.
• Is this proposal part of a wider Strategic Plan for the YMCA? If so, please attach a copy of this plan, and show how linkage will be effected.

• Describe the problem to be addressed by the proposal.
• How was the problem identified, and by whom?
• Describe and provide an analysis of the context surrounding the proposal? Have any studies been conducted?
• Describe the relationship between the YMCA(s) involved in the project, the problem that prompts the presentation of this proposal, and the intended benefits.
• Describe the involvement of the intended participants/partners in the design of the proposal.

• Describe the proposal, overall aims, and specific objectives.
• List the anticipated impact these results will have. Describe the conditions affecting the YMCAs at the start of the project and the changes that this project will bring about.
• Describe the project work plan and indicate the time frame
• Describe who will be responsible for implementation.
• List and describe existing partnerships, as well as partnerships to be formed for the implementation of the project, and the role each partner will play in implementation, financial support and resource mobilisation for the project. Describe how the partners will work together in the project.
• Indicate clearly how issues of gender, and of youth leadership, are addressed.
• Explain how the work will continue to function after support from IMSS has ended.
• Are other international YMCA partners to be involved? If so, is this involvement in terms of implementation, technical advice, or human/financial resources?

• Describe indicators that will be used to measure progress in achieving overall aims and specific objectives.
• Monitoring : Who, locally, is responsible for monitoring the project; what is respective role of Area organisation / national council(s); how are the participants to be involved in the monitoring?
• Evaluation: When will evaluation take place; who will be involved; how will information be recorded? [See IMSS Revised Policy, 2000.]
• How likely are the activities to continue with the cessation of IMSS funding?
• What lessons have been learned from the project, and how have problems that have arisen during the project been tackled?
• Could the project be replicated in other areas or by other YMCAs? What would be the problems in so doing?

• The budget should be presented in local currency as well as in Swiss francs or US dollars. State the exchange rate used.
• Provide a line-item by line-item description of proposed expenditure, differentiating between capital and recurrent costs
• Provide a full breakdown of costs, by year (indicate the dates of the financial year used)
• Provide an income budget, showing clearly and separately cash and in-kind contributions from local / national YMCAs, other international YMCA partners and non-YMCA sources.
• Indicate clearly that proportion of the budget that is requested from IMSS, in total and by year.