Q: Some of our project costs have been spent after the end of the project’s implementation period. Will the Fund accept these payments?
A: No. The Fund will only reimburse expenses carried out within the contracted implementation period. Should you have any issues with payments, contact your assigned project manager in advance. Retrospective or unannounced payments will not be considered.
Q: We paid a small amount of our expenses in cash. Will the Fund accept these payments?
A: No. The Fund will only reimburse expenses carried out by bank transfer or card payment, initiated by the grantee. If one of the partners needed to pay some bills in cash, the same rule applies as in case of every other spending on the side of the partners: the amount needs to be reimbursed by the grantee via bank transfer.
Q: My partners have expenses connected to the project. Can I send them an advance payment?
A: No. The Fund signs the contract only with the main applicant (grantee), who bears all responsibility for the received grant. If your partners must pay certain costs related to project outputs or events, two options are possible:
- The grantee can settle the invoice directly. (Example: The partner made a hotel reservation, but the invoice will be issued by the hotel directly to the grantee. The grantee then pays the bill to the hotel via bank transfer.) or
- The partner settles the bill and later issues an invoice to the grantee/signs a contract with the grantee, covering the real costs of the partner. (Example: The partner has paid a restaurant bill for project participants. The partner will issue an invoice to the grantee with the exact sum they paid in the restaurant, providing the original bill to the grantee. The grantee then pays the amount to the partner via bank transfer).
If the partner’s legal status does not allow them to issue invoices, a contract must be signed with the grantee in which the parties specify those costs that the grantee is willing to reimburse.
Q: Can we change the experts?
A: Yes, the experts can be changed during the implementation period. You can also involve more experts than stated in the application.
Q: How can we add a new output or cancel the previously planned output?
A: These kinds of changes have to be consulted with your project manager. In the case of a cancellation you should justify in written form why you want to resign from previously planned activities.
Please note that canceling outputs or significantly modifying the project’s structure without the Fund’s prior knowledge might result in paying a contractual penalty.
Q: Can we increase the overheads?
A: Overheads cover administrative costs connected with the project implementation. They cannot exceed 15% of the grant. You can transfer up to 1000 EUR to overheads from other budget categories, but the final amount of the overheads cannot exceed 15%.
Q: Can we create a new budget category?
A: A new budget category can be created only upon agreement with your project manager. Such changes can be requested under the "Change requests > Budget change" tab in our online system by clicking on "+ADD NEW CHANGE REQUEST". You should justify why the new budget category is essential for a smooth project implementation. Once the request has been submitted, you will receive an automated e-mail on the decision within 7 working days.
Q: What kind of changes can we introduce to the budget?
A: You can change up to 1000 EUR between budget categories (e.g. between “Transportation and delivery” and “Promotional Costs”). For changes higher than 1000 EUR/category you have to file an official request in our online system under the tab "Change requests > Budget change" by clicking on "+ADD NEW CHANGE REQUEST". The request must include a justification and the summary of the new budget based on the individual budget categories under the "Requested change" column. Once the request has been submitted, you will receive an automated e-mail on the decision within 7 working days. The Fund no longer requires official letters for budget change requests.