I. PURPOSE

The purpose of these rules and regulations is to establish the operating procedures for the NCCA Competitive Grants Program.

II. AUTHORITY

Section 12.a.4 of Republic Act 7356 [NCCA Charter] authorizes the Commission to give grants to artists and cultural groups which contribute significantly to the Filipino’s cultural legacy as means to extend artistic achievement. Further, Section 13.h of the same law mandates the Commission to administer the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA) and give grants for the development, protection, preservation and dissemination of Philippine culture and arts

III. NATURE OF THE PROGRAM

The NCCA Competitive Grants Program is competitive in nature since the approval of project proposals pass through a rigorous and confidential evaluation process based on merit such as quality and relevance to Commission priorities.

 IV. SPECIFIC RULES

1. 1. 1. 1. Proposals received beyond the announced deadline for submission, i.e., August 31, 2021 shall not be considered.
         2. A proponent can only submit one project proposal.
         3. The proponent must fully accomplish the prescribed NCCA Project Proposal Form.
         4. The proponent must indicate and identify the corresponding category where his/her project will fall.
         5. The proponent must submit the documentary requirements.
         6. Proponents must be accredited by the Commission as a pre-requisite to the approval of their project proposal.   [Please coordinate with this Commission’s Accreditation and Grants Processing Section (AGPS) for details.]
         7. Officials, employees, and Executive Council (ExeCon) Members and their relatives up to the fourth civil degree of affinity and consanguinity as well as organizations and institutions where ExeCon Members serve as officers and incorporators are disqualified from submitting proposals.
         8. Pursuant to Executive Order No. 9, s.2019 on the adoption of the Cash-based budgeting system, all proposals should indicate their period of implementation anytime within the period January-December 2022.
         9. Due to the Covid19 pandemic, all proposals must demonstrate adherence to minimum public health standards. Expenses for such purpose (eg. Covid19 tests, purchase of face shields/masks/alcohol, etc.) shall not exceed 10% of the amount of the grant being requested.
         10. Pursuant to Republic Act No. 11106 or the Filipino Sign Language (FSL) Act, proposals involving the conduct of fora, conferences, meetings, competitions, online streaming and other similar live activities require FSL interpreter insets to guarantee access to information and freedom of expression of the Filipino deaf;
         11. The individual proponent or head of the organization is required to sign all the pages of the proposal.
         12. The project proposal may be accomplished in Filipino or English.   
         13. An incomplete project proposal may constrain the Commission from acting favorably on it.  

V. 2022 COMPETITIVE GRANTS

The 2022 Call for Proposals is now open. For CY 2022, the projects are categorized per Subcommissions (SCA, SCCTA, SCD and SCH).  Proponents interested in implementing projects in each category shall submit a Project Proposal following the requirements indicated:

Download:

• • • • • COMPLETE 2022 COMPETITIVE GRANTS CALL FOR PROPOSAL (PDF)
        • COMPLETE 2022 COMPETITIVE GRANS CALL FOR PROPOSAL (DOC)
        • Annex A: NCCA Project Proposal Form

Deadline for submission of proposals: August 31, 2021 (Tuesday).

All project proposals shall be addressed and submitted to:

Policy/Plan Formulation and Programming Division (P/PFPD)
National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Room 5-C, Fifth Floor, NCCA Building
633 General Luna Street, Intramuros 1002 Manila, Philippines
Telephone Nos: (02) 8527-2192 (TL) loc. 509
Fax Nos: (02) 8527-2198 / (02) 8527-2209 / (02) 8527-2194
E-mail:  ppfpd@ncca.gov.ph

Note:
The NCCA requires the submission of a complete project proposal based on the indicated proposal format to facilitate proper evaluation. Please do not hesitate to contact us through the telephone numbers indicated above, should you find the proposal format difficult to accomplish. The project proposal may be accomplished using Filipino or English languages.

V. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE GRANTEE. Should the project proposal be approved, the grantee shall be responsible to undertake the following:

1. 1. 1. 1. Implement the Project according to the particularities stated in the Project Proposal, Line Item Budget, Schedule of Activities/Gantt Chart and Board Resolution;
         2. Keep an accounting of the Grant in accordance with generally accepted government accounting and auditing rules and regulations. The grantee shall maintain a separate Book of Accounts exclusively for the NCCA grant supported by receipts/ documents; and shall maintain a subsidiary ledger of funds received from NCCA deposited in their saving/checking account and all the records shall be made available for inspection and verification by an NCCA staff or Auditor of the Commission on Audit (COA);
         3. Act as lead implementer of the Project and shall be directly responsible for hiring, supervising and facilitating the release of the payment for services rendered by the project personnel hired on a contract basis which contract shall not exceed the duration of the Project. A withholding tax shall be deducted for payment of services rendered by project personnel. For this purpose, the Grantee shall be responsible for all applicable taxes and duties and its remittances to the local Bureau of Internal Revenue;
         4. Coordinate regularly with the NCCA Officer for the implementation, monitoring and assessment of the Project through letter, e-mail, phone call or text messaging. The NCCA shall assign a counterpart officer who shall coordinate and monitor on a regular basis the progress of the project;
         5. Undertake the local and national promotion of the event and shall properly acknowledge the sponsorship of the NCCA in all informational materials such as but not limited to tarpaulins, posters, online posting and publications to cite that the project was made possible in part by the NCCA. The Commission shall be correctly spelled out: “National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).” In the posters, flyers, invitations, press releases, and programs, the NCCA logo shall be of equal size or larger than the logo of other major sponsors. Acknowledgement shall be done before, during and after the program;
         6. Adopt measures and ensure the safety and security of all participants in the implementation of the Project. The NCCA shall not be liable for any untoward events or incidents;
         7. Authorize the NCCA to include the project output, partially or entirely, in its website (www.ncca.gov.ph) and database and for use in the NCCA’s promotional efforts, reports or other collateral materials as the NCCA deems necessary for the promotion of culture in the country. The NCCA agrees to acknowledge the source and authorship of the material used;
         8. Submit all liquidation reports including an equity equivalent to 20% of the total project cost, which maybe in the form of labor, land for the project site, facilities, equipment and the like, used in the project. The Fund Utilization Report shall be submitted to the NCCA NEFCA Division within sixty (60) days after completion of the PROJECT. Failure to submit the above reports shall mean cancellation of the remaining GRANT and disqualification of the GRANTEE from receiving financial assistance from the Commission in the future;
         9. Submit Final Report in the following format: (1) Terminal Report in accordance with the NCCA Guide on Terminal Report. (2) A non-editable PDF (Portable Document File) format of the Report readable in a standard computer. Photos must be saved in JPG files for possible use in NCCA publications.

VI. LIMITATIONS OF THE GRANT. Pursuant to COA Circular No. 1994-013 on Rules and Regulations in the Grant, Utilization and Liquidation of Funds Transferred to Implementing Agencies and COA Circular No. 2007-001 on the Revised Guidelines in the Granting, Utilization, Accounting, and Auditing of the funds released to Non-Government Organizations/People’s Organizations, the approved grant shall have the following limitations:

1. 1. 1. 1. No portion of the NCCA grant shall be released and utilized before the signing and notarization of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).
         2. No portion of the NCCA grant transferred to Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)/People’s Organizations (POs) shall be used for the following:
            • Money market placement, time deposit, or other forms of investments;
            • Cash advance of any official of the CSO/PO, unless related to the implementation of the project;
            • Payment of salaries, honoraria and any other form of allowances of NCCA personnel or the CSO/PO who are not connected with the project;
            • Purchase of supplies, materials, equipment, and motor vehicles of the NCCA; and
            • Acquisition of assets of the CSO/PO, unless necessary for the prosecution of the project, provided by the governing Board Resolution of the project category, and specifically stipulated in the MOA
         3. In no case shall the NCCA grant transferred to National Government Agencies/LGUs/SUCs be utilized for the payment of additional compensation to employees in the form of allowances, incentive pay, bonuses, honorarium, or other forms of additional compensation, except as may be authorized by law or existing regulations, nor shall it be used to create new positions, to augment salaries of regular personnel or in case of purchase motor vehicles without prior approval of the Office of the President.
         4. It shall be prohibited to affix, or cause to affixed, the name, visage, appearance, logo, signature, or other analogous images of any public official, whether elected or appointed, on all projects or corresponding signage funded through the NCCA grant.

VII. GRANT RELEASE. Pursuant to OO-NEFCA-2019-02-001 on the Amendment to the Specialized Guidelines on Tranches of Fund Transfer/Release to Grantees, the manner of fund transfers/grant releases and the corresponding liquidation requirements shall be as follows:

VIII. DATA PRIVACY STATEMENT. All the personal information gathered under this Program shall adhere to the NCCA Privacy Policy. These information are stored either in a database or an electronic file and can only be accessed by authorized NCCA personnel.