The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is now accepting project proposals for the 2023 celebration of National Heritage Month. Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 439, s. 2003, May of every year is National Heritage Month. 

For 2023, the celebration shall carry the theme “Heritage: Change and Continuity” which will highlight the following four sub-themes:

  1. sustainable heritage management: the practice of managing change and risk in heritage and maximizing its social, cultural, and economic benefits for the current and future generations;
  2. heritage science: an interdisciplinary domain of study involving the use of innovative and creative interventions in the understanding, conservation, and use of heritage
  3. intangible cultural heritage-intergenerational transmission and the provision of a sense of identity across time, where transmission relies upon constant re-creation in the present context;
  4. urban heritage- the conservation of urban heritage in the context of managing urban growth and change in twenty-first-century cities;

The deadline for submission of proposals is on September 30, 2022 (Friday).

 

I. RATIONALE

The month of May is National Heritage Month by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 439. The celebration aims to create a consciousness, respect, and love among the Filipino people for the legacies of the nation’s cultural history.

As part of the said celebration, the NCCA enjoins all cultural agencies, national government agencies (NGAs), schools, Philippine embassies and consulates, public libraries, and private institutions to participate in the national event by encouraging them to initiate their own heritage-related activities for the month of May.

 

II. GRANT DESCRIPTION

  • Project Budget and Slot: PhP 500,000.00 for 1 project
  • Qualification of Proponents: 

Local government units, educational institutions, and civil society organizations, Peoples Organization, indigenous people’s organization

  • Requirements for Submission:
    1. NCCA Certificate of Accreditation (See Accreditation Procedure and Guidelines)
    2. Accomplished project proposal form with detailed Line Item Budget, Schedule of Activities, and Work & Financial Plan, duly signed by the Proponent on each page: https://bit.ly/NHM2023ProposalForm  
    3. Evidence that the project has support within the local or regional community.
    4. Evidence that specialists have been consulted if the project interprets historical or cultural facts.
  • Criteria for Evaluation:
    1. The proposal must contain a line-up of activities for the conservation, preservation, and promotion of the Philippine cultural heritage relative to each sub-theme (i.e. exhibitions, workshops, lectures, clean-up drives, competitions, etc.). The proposed activities must be in line with the theme of the National Heritage Month 2023 (Heritage: Change and Continuity).
    2. The proposal must strictly be implemented during the month of May 2023 and should not exceed for more than a week, to highlight the observance of the National Heritage Month. Under no circumstance shall the activities be implemented outside the month of May.
    3. Greater consideration will be given to projects that:
      • are regional, provincial, or multi-area in nature.
      • involve active partnerships between organizations.
      • have counterpart funding which exceed the grant and/or which consist primarily of cash contributions.
    4. The proposal should also exemplify the following Principles of Implementation:
      • Highlight cultural properties that are locally, regionally or nationally significant, especially those in immediate danger of being lost or destroyed.
      • Respect the carrying capacity of sites and authenticity of cultural properties involved in the activities
      • Exhibit a high degree of quality including high standards for planning and design
      • Establish realistic and clearly defined outcomes.
      • Can be completed in a timely manner.
      • Include evaluation criteria to measure success of stated goals.

The proposal must provide a contingency plan in the event of the imposition of stringent limitations on the movement and transportation of people, strict regulation of operating industries, and prohibition of mass gatherings, and other man-made or natural disasters thereby constraining the mounting of the proposed activities.

 

III.  SPECIFIC RULES

    1. Proposals received beyond the announced deadline for submission (September 30, 2022, Friday) will not be considered.
    2. A proponent can only submit one project proposal with corresponding contingency plan. 
    3. The proponent must fully accomplish the prescribed NCCA Project Proposal Form.  Download and fill out the NCCA Project Proposal Form here.
    4. Proponents must be accredited by the Commission as a prerequisite to the approval of their project proposal. Thus, all interested proponents for this call must settle and complete all pending projects from 2022 and previous years, including the liquidation of such. Refer here for more details.
    5. 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.
    6. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all proposals must demonstrate adherence to minimum public health standards. Expenses for such purpose (eg. COVID-19 tests, purchase of face shields/masks/alcohol, etc.) shall not exceed 10% of the amount of the grant being requested.
    7. 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.
    8. Proponents applying for the NHM 2023 Grant must ensure that they have no proposal under consideration in any of the NCCA’s programs for 2023 (eg. Competitive Grants, Research Program, etc.) which might constrain the favorable consideration of their proposal under this call.
    9. The head of the organization is required to sign all the pages of the proposal, including the contingency plan.
    10. The project proposal may be accomplished in Filipino or English.
    11. An incomplete project proposal may constrain the Commission from acting favorably on it.
    12. All physical copies of the project proposals should be addressed and submitted to:

      NATIONAL HERITAGE MONTH SECRETARIAT
      Cultural Heritage Section
      National Commission for Culture and the Arts

      Room 3B, Third Floor, NCCA Building
      633 General Luna St., Intramuros 1002
      Manila, Philippines
      Email: nhmsecretariat@gmail.com       
      Tel No: (+63) 2 8527 2207 loc 309

Digital copies of the proposal should also be submitted to the NHM Secretariat by accomplishing this link.

 

IV. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE GRANTEE

Should the project proposal be approved, the grantee shall be responsible to undertake the following:

    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 and NHM 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 may be 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.

 

V.  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. 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 affix, 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.

Share