IAF-05 Data Collection Focus Groups

Data collection instrument: Interview guide

Introduction

Welcome to this focus group. My name is XXX. I will be doing the focus group with you today by moderating the discussion. I am part of the Econometria team that has been contracted by the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) to carry out a consultancy on the experiences of grassroots organizations in applying to IAF funds in order to determine whether all organizations are provided with equitable support. Thank you for your willingness and time to participate in this focus group.

1. Objective of the study and motivation to participate

This focus group aims to understand organizations’ experiences with accessing national and international grant funds such as the IAF grants. Moreover, the focus group seeks to understand if and how organizations have developed a social inclusion approach. For organizations that were successful in receiving IAF funding, we also aim to comprehend the process of implementing their programmes and how the IAF has contributed to the achievement of the organization's objectives. For these objectives, consulting you and receiving your input is very important. To conduct this exercise, it is essential that you actively participate in this process, confidently express your thoughts, and tell us about your experiences and perceptions to find opportunities for improvement.

2. Introduction of participants, confidentiality, and recording request

All the information and opinions you share will be treated confidentially and will only be used solely for this consultancy. Your participation does not influence the IAF’s decision to grant funds in any way since the information and names of those who participate are anonymous. Therefore, in compliance with the rules of transparency and confidentiality, we would like to ask you if you agree to participate and if you authorize this interview to be recorded?

Interviewer: Allow time for everyone to respond and then when the recording starts mention that all participants agreed to participate and gave permission to record the interview/focus group. State the time when it will end. Add xx minutes to the start time.

3. Recommendations for participation

We have some recommendations that will help the interview to run smoothly:

● Listen to whoever is participating without interrupting them.

● It is important to raise your hand to participate.

● When possible, the interventions should bring new contributions, confirm, and/or contradict the opinions of the other participants.

Section 1: Knowledge of and application to IAF funds and other grantmaking sources

In accordance with the proposed methodology, we will start with some questions to find out about your experiences of your knowledge of the IAF and other grantmaking organizations

Questions and responses by organizations	Interviewer notes and advise for the IAF
Please tell us briefly what your organization does and how you engage with marginalized population groups (which groups you work with and who from them participates in the organization)
What do you know about the IAF? How did you hear about the IAF's grant programmes?
How easy do you think it is to obtain information about what the IAF is, and the grants it offers? [If they indicate problems with obtaining grants from the IAF, follow up with this question: How could this be improved].
Are you aware of other entities offering grants or funding programmes similar to the IAF's? How did you learn about these programmes?
What differences, if any, have you noticed between the types of donations offered by the IAF and those of other donors you are familiar with?
Compared to other grant providers, how clear, complete, and timely is the information you received from the IAF about the grant application process?
What aspects, if any, facilitated and eased the application process for IAF grants?
What aspects, if any, of the IAF grant application process hindered your application? [If the answer indicates that there are aspects that made the application difficult: What measures would you suggest for the IAF to improve the application?]
Do you feel that all members of the IAF team have treated your organization with due respect? If not, what are some examples of disrespect you have experienced?

Section 2: Development of Community Projects funded by the IAF and other donors

In this section, we will continue with questions related to the implementation and monitoring process of your grant project. QUESTIONS APPLY ONLY TO ACCEPTED ORGANIZATIONS

Questions and responses by organizations	Interviewer notes and advise for the IAF
Think about the IAF and the other grantees you mentioned in section 1: What support have you received from the IAF and/or other donors to help you achieve the development objectives of grant-funded projects?
Are there aspects that make it easier and/or more difficult to obtain such support from the IAF and other donors? What are they? How could the IAF improve the issues that make it difficult to get support?
What do you consider to be the most important aspects that help organizations achieve the support they need to reach their development goals?
How did accessing the IAF grants contribute to the achievement of your overall and social inclusion objectives? What aspects other than the grant received contributed to that achievement? Were there aspects that limited the scope of those achievements? If so, which ones?

Section 3: Social Inclusion

Now, let us focus on the social inclusion of the organizations.

Questions and responses by organizations	Interviewer notes and advise for the IAF
What does social inclusion mean to you?
How, why, and with which objectives, does your organization promote social inclusion?
Based on what criteria are the marginalized population groups your organization works with prioritized? How are the activities within the framework of social inclusion decided? How are these criteria determined?
How are these population groups represented within your organization (leadership, decision-making, majority of staff, etc.)?
Taking into account the social inclusion objectives mentioned above, what factors contribute to achieving these objectives?
What do you consider the main challenges and obstacles encountered in implementing projects with a focus on social inclusion?

Section 4: Contribution of the IAF to achieve organizational objectives

Finally, we are going to ask you some questions about the help you received from the IAF to implement your objectives.

Questions and responses by organizations	Interviewer notes and advise for the IAF
What aspects of the IAF’s work should it continue to do?
What aspects of the IAF’s work would you suggest changing and/or improving?
Do you have any recommendations on how to do so?