Sustainable Development Fund | SDF (Legacy)

The final funding round of the Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) closed 16 April 2012 and has been replaced by New Zealand Partnerships for International Development fund. Legacy SDF activities continue to be implemented.

Criteria

The SDF prioritised activities that:

• were aligned with the New Zealand Aid Programme's bilateral and sectoral priorities as outlined in the New Zealand International Development Policy Statement (PDF 576KB) and Funding Priorities Framework  (PDF 61KB)
• were focussed on the Pacific.  Under the SDF, the aim was to distribute funding per region on the following basis: 75% to the Pacific, 15% to Southeast Asia, and 10% to elsewhere in the world
• had a sustainable economic development benefit, although some human development, basic human needs and disaster risk reduction activities were eligible
• were larger and longer-term, and therefore more likely to lead to effective and sustained results.  The SDF accepted multi-year applications and prioritised activities over $500,000 for the life of the activity, but a modest allocation was retained to fund activities smaller than this. 
• could demonstrate effective and innovative partnerships with other New Zealand and in-country partners
• could demonstrate new and innovative approaches
• could articulate how tangible results will be delivered
• could demonstrate value-for-money
• could clearly demonstrate how New Zealand's expertise and comparative advantage will contribute to the activity.

The third and final round of SDF included a matched funding component. The rationale for the matched funding model was:

• a 'co-investment' approach promotes more strongly the joint ownership and partnership between the Aid Programme and NGOs
• it ensures that the Aid Programme supports NGO partners in proportion to their own fund-raising and implementing capacity
• it reduces the risk that NGOs become over-reliant on government funding, which may erode their wider mandate
• it encourages more of a prioritisation focus from NGOs in submitting quality applications
• the tiered approach reflects the priority geographical areas for the Aid Programme and aims to support NGOs to work in these areas.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) seeks to work with the recipient of SDF funding in a spirit of partnership based on mutual respect and accountability, trust, fairness and open and professional interactions. Each party to the funding arrangement has a number of obligations that are set out in the Conditions of Funding.

What was funded

Since 2010 around than $79 million has been allocated to New Zealand NGOs for multi-year activities.  See the list of SDF activities. Further information on Aid Allocations can be found here.

Documents

A list of templates and documents for existing NGO activities can be downloaded by clicking the following links.

For any queries please contact us on sdf@mfat.govt.nz

Attachment	Size
SDF3 Activity Design Document Template.doc	810 KB
SDF Round 3 Budget Template.xlsx	43.8 KB
SDF Budget Guidance.pdf	81.01 KB
SDF-Budget-Q-and-A.pdf	44.86 KB
SDF - Results Measurement Framework explained - Definitions-Diagram-Table.doc	376.5 KB
SDF Gender Guideline.doc	87 KB
Sustainable-Development-Fund-Matched-Funding-Declaration.dotm	97.76 KB
SDF Activity Progress Reporting Template (Revised Oct 2012).doc	136 KB
SDF-Activity-Completion-Report-Template.doc	126.5 KB