Project Proposal Basic Infrastructure

Selection Critera Basic Infrastructure

The Fontana Foundation bases its work on principles, which it also uses as criteria for project evaluation. In line with its principles, the Fontana Foundation supports vocational training projects that meet the following criteria:

  • Local anchoring: Ownership of a local organisation in planning, project management and maintenance of the infrastructure. Broad acceptance of the infrastructure by the local population and active contribution of the local population to the project implementation.
  • Relevance:  Long-term and sustainable benefit of the infrastructure for the local population and their living conditions, as well as for the country's sustainable development.
  • Professional Project Management: Professional team of local, national and/or international experts who ensure planning and project management.
  • Quality: Long-term and easy use of the infrastructure that is tailored to the local context and take into account borth the users' level of education and local climatic conditions.  
  • Economic Efficiency: Reasonable cost in relation to the number of users of the infrastructure.
  • Environmental Sustainability: Consideration of environmental factors and prevention of ecological damages during the construction and use of the infrastructure, in particular through measures to ensure the efficient us of resources, the protection of bioderversity and the limitation of emissions.
  • Social Sustainability: Consideration of social conditions and mitigation of societal risks related to the construction and use of the infrastructure, in particular by ensuring minimum wages, compliance with labour rights, occupational safety and - to the extent possible - the inclusion of social groups such as women, young people and minorities.  
  • Maintenance and Financial Sustainability: Operational and financial plan for the long-term operation, maintenance and repair of the infrastructure by local specialists, as well as for the long-term financing of operation, maintenance and repair.  
The following projects and measures cannot be supported by the Fontana Foundation
  • We do not support short-term projects or private individuals.
  • We do not support projects in the field of emergency/ humanitarian aid or medical aid.
  • We do not grant loans.
  • We do not make simple donations but get involved in the content.
  • We do not fund intermediary organisations (e.g. foundations) and avoid cash flows for organisations’ administration and fundraising.
  • We do not pursue political, religious or economic interests.
Project Scope

Fontana Foundation prefers projects that will be continued and maintained by local stakeholders after completion.    


Applicant organisations can use the Fontana Foundation application form or submit their application in their own format. Applications should address the selection criteria for basic infrastructure projects. Proposals can be submitted to info@fontana-foundation.ch.

  • Challenges for the target group
  • Potentials fort he target group
  • Actors who play a key role in the given context (system actors)

Please formulate the context section in view of the proposed project and mention thereby one or several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Criteria: Relevance, economic inclusion

  • Target group
  • Applicant organisation
  • Additional project partners

Please present all actors briefly and describe their role in the existing vocational training system as well as in the proposed project.

Please describe how the project actors will manage and implement the project.

Criteria: Local anchoring, economic inclusion, professional management of vocational training, integration into the local system

  • 1 Impact (general objective at the level of the population and environment)
  • 2 – 4 Outcomes (change of behaviour of actors and at institutional level that will be initiated by the project and that will continue without external support after project end)
  • 2 – 4 outputs per outcome that will be directly provided by the project and that can be measured in a simple way

Criteria: Relevance, economic inclusion, integration into the local system

  • Brief summary of the activities per outcome
  • Activities to ensure project monitoring and management

Please describe in a concrete way who will implement activities and how results will be measured.

Criteria: Local anchoring, professional management of vocational training, integration into the local system

  • Continuation of activities in the absence of project support/ external funds
  • Funding of activities by system actors (local government and economy)

Criteria: Local anchoring, integration into the local system, economic efficiency, financial sustainability and exit strategy

  • Summary oft he budget per outcome and for project management, in a currency of your choice
  • Indication of requested funds, of own funds of the applicant organisation, and of planned and committed funds by third parties
  • Funding schedule (usually payments per semester)
  • Annex: Budget in Excel

Criteria: Professional management of vocational training, econiomic efficiency, financial sustainability and exit strategy

  • Form und and periodicity of the operational and financial reporting
  • Options for Fontana Foundation to monitor and assess the project performance and results

Criteria: Economic efficiency

Please add 7 and 1.