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The Ghana Research and Advocacy Programme (G-rap)The Ghana Research and Advocacy Programme (G-rap) is a pooled funding mechanism for supporting the institutional development of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) with a main focus on Research and Advocacy Organizations (RAOs) in Ghana. It offers core funding to established RAOs, selected on a competitive and needs-assessment basis, as well as one-off grants for networks and coalitions engaged in special advocacy projects. G-rap seeks to ensure that government systems deliver pro-poor policy by broadening the quality and range of inputs (based on robust data and analysis) into the policy process from civil society. DFID, DANIDA, the Royal Netherlands Embassy and CIDA have made commitments in principle to G-rap totaling approximately US$ 9 million for 2008 – 2010. Over the past decade, CSOs in Ghana engaged in policy research and advocacy have built up a proven track record of carrying out evidence-based research in support of development policy and holding government to account for its policy choices and its use of public resources. The major challenge to this process has been access to funds for the kind of work these organizations do. Funding to RAOs has been short-termed and projectized and has not created room for organizations to build their funding base. G-rap has since 2005 delivered timely and efficient grants to RAOs in Ghana, increasing substantially the allocation of funding to this sector. The fund has also contributed to lowering transaction cost of supporting this sector, for both donors and RAOs. It has strengthened the institutional capacity and the autonomy of grantees to engage actively in the policy process and to advocate on behalf of the poor and socially excluded in Ghanaian society. Since March 2008 G-rap is managed by a new PMT under CARE International UK/CARE GOG. The new team comprises a Programme Director based at CARE Gulf of Guinea office and has 50% of his time on Grap, Team Leader, Fund Manager, a Programme Manager and three administrative support positions. As a major outcome of the 2007 midterm review of the programme, a new governance structure that redefines the constitution and roles of the Programme Board and that of the Funders Committee is in place. G-rap currently offers two types of grants; Core grants and Special Project Grants. G-rap provides core grants to individual RAOs to strengthen the institutional capacity of RAOs to better engage pro-poor policy processes. G-rap provides Special Project Grants to support the programmes of networks and coalitions.
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