The objective of the DERF is to prevent the loss of life and escalation of suffering among people affected by acute humanitarian crises. This is done by establishing a mechanism that is rapid, effective, flexible, and relevant. The DERF enables Danish CSOs and their partners to respond to acute humanitarian crises and to reach affected populations by responding to their needs.
The DERF objective is to be achieved through localised humanitarian responses. The interventions of Danish CSOs with no strategic partnership with the MFA, can be supported if they have relevant access, capacities, and expertise, either with local or national implementing partners or through their own localised presence, to respond to the humanitarian needs of people affected by crises.
Rapid and flexible humanitarian funding of the DERF makes it possible for organisations to seek funding in a timely manner to respond to crises. DERF funding is for humanitarian responses in all countries eligible to receive official development assistance (OECD/DAC list) and without predetermined sectoral limitations. The allocation of funds is based on humanitarian principles and standards.
The DERF supports only lifesaving interventions through localised humanitarian responses and assists particularly vulnerable groups of people among populations at-risk of, or already affected by, an acute humanitarian crisis. This is reflected in the two humanitarian funding modalities.
All Danish CSOs who do not have a strategic partnership with the MFA are eligible for DERF funding. Danish CSOs must demonstrate that they have relevant access, capacity, and expertise to assist people affected by crisis through partnerships with local or national implementers or in exceptional cases through their own organisation (self-implementing).
The Danish CSO and the implementing partner(s) must follow these DERF guidelines and their supporting guides. They must also elaborate on the adherence to the CHS commitments before, during and after the intervention. The CHS constitutes the foundation of both the DERF application and final report formats and is regarded as instrumental in realising the localisation ambitions set out in the Grand Bargain.
Requirements for the Danish CSO:
The DERF accepts applications from CSOs with roots in Denmark. This means that the following minimum requirements (laid down by the MFA) must be met:
• The organisation needs to be private and must have a legal and organisational domicile, as well as activities in Denmark.
• The chairperson or most members of its governing body must be Danish citizens or foreigners with residence permit and home address in Denmark.
• The organisation must have existed for at least one year.
• The organisation must have a minimum of 50 paying members or contributors in Denmark.
• The organisation must have a set of statutes and accounts subjected to an audit. The governing body of the Danish CSO must be able to take on full responsibility for the application and for any subsequent grant.
Requirements for the implementing partner:
Implementing partners must follow the DERF definition of being a local or national organisation, which is in line with the global definition of a local actor within the Grand Bargain. Local or national partners must form part of civil society in the crisis area concerned. These may be local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), citizens’ groups, trade unions, networks, or social movements.
Requirements for the partnership:
The humanitarian intervention must be carried out in collaboration between one or several CSOs from Denmark and one or several implementing partners from the crisis affected area, except in cases where self-implementation by Danish CSOs has been approved.
New partnerships cannot qualify for DERF funding. With the justification of starting interventions rapidly and knowing each other’s capacities beforehand, the Danish CSO must already have experiences of collaborating with the proposed implementing partner. This may either be experience with development and/or humanitarian interventions. However, additional implementing partners without DERF budget responsibilities may be part of an intervention partnership.
Funds are disbursed to the Danish CSO (the grantee), but an implementing partner must oversee/operate day-to-day management. It is important that the partnership between Danish CSOs and implementing partner(s) can support the achievement of the objective of the DERF. It is therefore expected that the Danish CSO, who holds the contract with the DERF, ensures that this is reflected in the partnership. The Danish CSO has overall responsibility of ensuring that the grant is managed and reported on according to the contract.
The Danish CSO must ensure that partners and others that receive part of the granted funds are not included on the UN’s or EU’s sanctions lists
The DERF can support lifesaving interventions through two modalities:
Anticipatory Action in relation to natural hazards and climate change (AA). This modality supports interventions addressing anticipated crises, mitigating against the effects such crises are predicted to have on particularly vulnerable populations. The anticipated crisis must be related to natural hazards and climate change, documented by recognised forecasting sources.
Rapid Response to an acute humanitarian crisis (RR). This modality addresses the humanitarian needs amongst particularly vulnerable populations during or immediately following a humanitarian crisis. This could be disasters or crises related to climate change, as well as other natural or man-made hazards.
The largest part of the DERF is reserved for the Rapid Response modality, which can be activated through an alert / call system. Any user of the DERF may submit an alert about a particular humanitarian crisis. If an alert is assessed eligible, the DERF opens a call for proposals.
4 million DKK annually are set aside for the modality of Anticipatory Action. The modality is for small, rapid, flexible, and innovative interventions. It can be applied on an ongoing basis without a call system. There is a particular focus on strengthening localisation through this modality. The Anticipatory Action modality can only be applied before a natural hazard or climate related crisis affects an area. When the crisis has occured the Rapid Response modality is the one that applies.
Both modalities focus on the needs of particularly vulnerable people, including their protection needs. The Core Humanitarian Standard and its nine commitments are applicable under both modalities
The Rapid Response modality (RR), is activated through an alert / call system. Any user of the DERF may submit an alert about a particular humanitarian crisis. If an alert is assessed eligible, the DERF opens a call for proposals.
The Anticipatory Action modality is for small, rapid, flexible, and innovative interventions. It can be applied on an ongoing basis without a call system.
The assessment period from submission of an application until approval and signature of contract is approximately 12 workdays, not including the days where the DERF waits for an applicant to respond to conditions given upon approval.