This call aims to strengthen democratic governance through civil society engagement and advocacy. Projects seeks to explore opportunities for formal/informal alliances/networks/ coalitions in the implementation of their proposed actions. These alliances/networks or coalitions seek to (i) build innovative partnerships between Civil Society, the media and/or private sector; (ii) link actors/actions across levels of governance (community, district, regional and national) and/or (iii) enable collaborations between actors working on complementary issues.

STAR-Ghana is adopting a portfolio approach in the implementation of this Call. Under this approach, the call has been split into two components: a restricted/ Managed Component and an Open Component. The overall indicative budget for this call for proposals is US$3m.

Democratic Governance- Managed Component Approved Grant Partners and Projects

The Call seeks to improve Access to Justice for All Ghanaians. Grant Partners were invited to design and implement projects aimed at improving access by citizens, in particular from poor and disadvantaged social groups to fair, effective and accountable mechanisms for the protection of rights, control of abuse of power and resolution of conflicts. This includes the ability of people to seek and obtain a remedy through formal and informal justice systems, and the ability to seek and exercise influence on law-making and law-implementing processes and institutions. The proposed projects can have a maximum duration of eighteen months but could be of shorter duration. They may either be new initiatives or build on on-going activities to achieve greater impact and results.

For this call, STAR-Ghana has adopted a portfolio approach in the implementation of this Call. Under this approach, the call has been split into two components: a restricted/Managed Component and an Open Component.

Access to Justice - Open Component Approved Grant Partners and Projects

Access to Justice - Managed Component Approved Grant Partners and Projects

Introduction goes here.

Assistance to Parliament has two main areas of focus:

1. Support to Parliamentary Committees whose work is directly linked or related to the five thematic priorities of STAR-Ghana; and

2. Strengthening the Parliamentary Service and the quality of support it provides to the House and its committees.

STAR-Ghanas work with the selected committees also includes supporting these committees to strengthen their relationships with the public, while increasing opportunities for constructive interaction at different stages in the government business cycle.

Parliament Projects

STAR-Ghana is actively working with the media as both a strategic and tactical partner. At the strategic level, the Programme Management Team is working with key media institutions and individuals to strengthen the capacity of the media and to help build a national media corps that is capable of supporting greater transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the management of public goods.

At the tactical level, STAR-Ghana is promoting greater engagement between the media and the programme's stakeholders to increase coverage of priority issues identified by STAR-Ghana

The media call seeks to strengthen media - civil society collaboration(s) for greater transparency, accountability and responsiveness at all levels of governance. It received 55 applications. The Programme Management Team is in the process of assessing the applications received so far.

Media Organisations and Journalists Approved Grant Partners and Projects

In October, 2012, STAR-Ghana put out a Health Sector call aimed at improving access to quality health services for all Ghanaians particularly, the poor and excluded groups through greater accountability and responsiveness in the delivery of health services.

The call received 305 Expressions of Interests (EOIs). Out this 60 applicants were shortlisted for the full application stage. Out of the 60 applicants, 29 were awarded the grants to undertake various projects wihin the health sector.

Health Approved Grant Partners and Projects

In April, 2012, STAR-Ghana put out a call for proposals on Oil & Gas on the theme: Promoting Transparency and Accountability in the Oil and Gas Industry in Ghana: The Role of CSOs and Other Non-State Actors

This call invited interested, legally registered and eligible Community Based Organisations and other Non-governmental and Civil Society Organisations to design and implement projects aiming at ensuring greater accountability and transparency in the management of the oil and gas sector.

The call received 90 expressions of interests, out of which 43 were shortlisted and invited to go through the application stage. Out of the 43 shortlisted organisations, 20 organisations were awarded the grants: these organisations are made up of seven (7) Community-Based Organisationas and 13 Other Civil Society Organisations.

Oil and Gas Approved Grant Partners and Projects

Ghanas Sustainability Strategy CSOs and other GPs are being challenged by STAR- Ghanas focus on results, accountability, capacity enhancement and the need to build organizational and financial sustainability. Accordingly, they are being supported through a grant window to enhance their sustainability as organisations. This is complemented with a capacity building fund to improve their technical capabilities to address sectoral issues, particularly in the programmes thematic priorities.

STAR-Ghana's CSO sustainability strategy (SS) seeks to:

• Develop influential CSOs that can bring about meaningful change and improvement in citizens lives;
• Engender organisational sustainability strategies which demonstrate they can develop and implement effective long term business strategies with accountable leadership, high quality staff, sound management systems, transparent systems for decision making and implementation; and
• Move organisations to higher levels of performance and gain increasing independence from donors by diversifying funding sources including international non-governmental organisations, the private sector, the public sector and others, as well as generating their own funds.

The sustainability grant is not intended to support general organisation development, although this should be an obvious and natural outcome of the support. Rather it is to enable CSOs to achieve measurable step changes in their ability to bring about real change on behalf of and with their constituents; and achieve long term organisational sustainability.

In May, 2011, STAR-Ghana launched its 1st Sustainability call targeted at organisations whose core mandate is in the education sector. This was intended to enable organisations achieve measurable step changes in their ability to bring about real change on behalf of and within their constituents. The call received 80 applications at the Expression of Interest stage. Out of this, 30 CSOs were shortlisted and provided with Mentors to assist in developing their Step Change Plans. 11 CSOs were successful and awarded the sustainability grants. 11 additional CSOs received Technical Assistance to fine tune their step change plans. Five out of the 11 applicants subsequently received grants. The total number of Grant Partners for the Sustainability Call currently stands at 16.

Sustainability 1 (Education) Grant Partners and Projects

In July, 2011 STAR-Ghana put out its first thematic call for proposals on Education. The call sought to focus on projects that were specifically designed to ensure that all children in Ghana, particularly girls, children with disability and special educational needs and those living in the rural deprived areas of Ghana have access to quality pre-tertiary education.

The Call received 186 Expressions of Interests, out of this number 59 applicants were shortlisted. 22 out of the 59 Short listed applicants were successful and awareded the grants.

In November 2011, STAR-Ghana put out a call for proposals for Election 2012 on the theme: CONSOLIDATING GHANA'S DEMOCRACY THROUGH TRANSPARENT, FREE AND PEACEFUL 2012 ELECTIONS: THE ROLE OF CSOs and other Non-State Actors. This call invited registered Ghanaian civil society organisations to undertake activities that will enhance transparency, fairness and peace in the 2012 elections. The overall goal of this initiative is to guarantee a transparent and peaceful election devoid of intimidation and conflicts.

The call received 236 expressions of interests under the competitive window, out of which 152 applicants were shortlisted and invited to go through the application process. 98 applications were subsequently received out of which 45 applicants were awarded grants.

Under the non-competive window (strategic opportunities), 9 civil society organisations were invited to submit proposals for specific projects.

In December of 2010, STAR-Ghana announced two calls for Proposals on the Results Initiative and Oil and Gas.

The Results Initiave Fund, which is a fund to support already existing programmes that require a year's additional input to achieve unrealized results and extend impacts, received seventy-one (71) applications. Out of this number, thirty-three (33) were successful.

The Oil & Gas call which was for existing Grant Partners of the G-rap special project fund on oil and gas to continue, maintain and expand momentum generated in this area, saw ten coalitions applying for the fund. Out of this 10 coalitions seven (7) emerged successful.