QUESTIONS?

4.  Can an organization propose a project that will be implemented with the help of other organizations?

Yes, an organization can engage third parties, such as Project Partners or Project Routine Suppliers, to implement a portion of the activities under a project, as long as the following conditions are met: a) the organization is the sole applicant; and b) any potential Project Partners are not Government Agencies, Public International Organizations, Government Officials or Government-controlled Organizations, with the exception of public academic institutions or their employees, as defined in the Application Terms and Funding Rules(pdf).

5.  Can an organization submit more than one project proposals?

An organization can submit only one project proposal for consideration in a funding round. If an organization submits several proposals, only the first one successfully submitted will be considered, and the others will be excluded from the selection process.

6.  Can an organization that has received funding from PMI in the past submit a project proposal under PMI IMPACT?

Organizations that have worked with or have received funding from PMI in the past can submit project proposals to PMI IMPACT. Please see our Who can apply section for more information.

7.  Will organizations that receive funding from PMI IMPACT in the first funding round be able to submit project proposals in subsequent funding rounds?

Yes, organizations that have been awarded grants during the first PMI IMPACT funding round may apply in subsequent funding rounds.

8.  Can individuals apply for funding from PMI IMPACT?

No, applicants may not be individuals. Applications can be submitted by public, private, or non-profit organizations, including non-governmental organizations, international organizations, associations, academic institutions and companies. Please see our Who can apply section for more information.

9.  Can a tobacco company apply for funding by PMI IMPACT?

No, applicants may not be tobacco manufacturing companies or controlled by or belong to the same group of companies as any tobacco manufacturing company, including affiliates of PMI. Please see our Who can apply section for more information.

10.  My organization does not have specific experience in the field of anti-illicit trade, the fight against corruption or organized crime. Can we submit a project proposal?

Yes, but the Expert Council will consider this during its assessment. Project proposals are evaluated against five evaluation criteria – quality, cost efficiency, impact, feasibility and novelty. The applicant’s capacity to manage and implement the project effectively, including its competencies and experience, is one of the many dimensions that will be assessed. We also encourage you to review carefully the theme of the current funding round to which project proposals should conform.

11.  My project proposal does not fall under any of the types of projects that are mentioned in your “Projects We Support” page. Will my application be eligible for a grant?

While we have outlined some examples of the projects that PMI IMPACT supports, this list is not exhaustive. Project proposals beyond these types of activities will be considered, as long as they address the funding round theme and conform with the Application Terms and Funding Rules (pdf).

12.  Can a project proposal involve co-funding by other entities, funds, or organizations other than PMI?

PMI IMPACT will not consider project proposals that require co-funding, except if the proposed project is to be partially co-financed by the applicant. Please see the Application Terms and Funding Rules (pdf) for more information.

13.  What is the minimum and maximum amount of funds that an organization can request for a project?

The total requested budget per project cannot be less than USD 100,000 or more than USD 1.5 million.

14.  Are there any restrictions in terms of the duration of the proposed projects?

The duration of the proposed projects may be up to two years.

15.  What is the duration of a funding round?

Typically, a funding round starts with the call for Expressions of Interest by potential applicants and ends when all the projects awarded grants have been completed. The duration of each funding round can therefore vary depending on the duration of the grant award procedure, signature of grant agreements and duration of funded projects, which however cannot be more than two years following the award of grants. Thus, one funding round can take approximately 3 years. PMI need not wait for the end of a funding round to start a new one. Please see the Expert Council and Grant Award Guidelines (pdf) for more information on the grant award procedure, including approximate timings.

16.  In which currency will the grants be paid? Which currency should I indicate in my project proposal?

All costs must be indicated in USD, and grants will normally be paid in USD to the applicant's separate project account. However, if due to applicable restrictions, an applicant cannot open and maintain a separate bank account for its project, it should contact the project office of PMI IMPACT at impact@pmi.com.
Please see the Application Terms and Funding Rules (pdf) for more information.

17.  Will the costs incurred by the applicants to prepare and submit their project proposals be refunded by PMI IMPACT?

No. Applicants bear all costs associated with preparing and submitting their project proposals. Please see the Application Terms and Funding Rules (pdf) for more information.

21.  What is PMI’s involvement in the selection process? How is the independence of the Expert Council ensured?

The evaluation and selection of applications is done by the Expert Council, whose members have full independence to assess and choose the projects best suited for funding based on the established criteria and process.

PMI has an administrative role in conducting due diligence checks on applicants and project proposals, as described in the Application Terms and Funding Rules (pdf), and appointing a Secretary to assist the Expert Council on procedural matters, as described in the Expert Council and Grant Award Guidelines (pdf). Also, given PMI’s in-depth knowledge of and experience in fighting the illegal tobacco trade, PMI will appoint one of its employees to be its Anti-Illicit Trade Resource to provide additional materials and information on illegal trade to experts. PMI’s Anti-Illicit Trade Resource may attend Expert Council meetings and provide his/her input on any Application. Experts are under no obligation to take PMI’s Anti-Illicit Trade Resource’s input into account in their assessment.

22.  Can applicants contact the members of the Expert Council to discuss or seek advice regarding their applications?

No, applicants must not contact the members of the Expert Council on matters relating to their applications. As outlined in the Application Terms and Funding Rules (pdf), this may lead to the rejection of their application or the termination of the grant agreement.

23.  How will you ensure that there is no conflict of interest between a member of the Expert Council and an applicant?

The members of the Expert Council are required to check if they have an actual, potential or apparent conflict of interest with respect to any applications, and if they do, they must declare it and withdraw from reviewing the respective proposal. You may see the Expert Council and Grant Award Guidelines (pdf) and the Conflict of Interest Principles (pdf) for more details.

24.  What do PMI's due diligence checks on applications and applicants include?

The due diligence requirements are described in the Application Terms and Funding Rules (pdf).