Step-by-step to your Subsidy (HQAI Facilitation Fund)

Thank you for your interest in HQAI's services. We guide you step-by-step to your subsidy.

Be aware that your complete candidacy file has to be handed in at latest three weeks before the Facilitation Fund Management Committee (FFMC) meets. These meetings take place two times a year in November and June. The quality assurance team will inform you of the date.

We encourage you to read these documents before you start to prepare your candidacy file for the HQAI Facilitation Fund. There is also an e-learning at the end of this page that you can use to get an introduction to HQAI and its services, and key actors and stages in the audit process.

POL114 provides you with general information on HQAI's independent quality assurance services (in the document called schemes): certification, independent verification, and benchmarking. It will introduce you to the different audit cycles of each service and gives you an idea of how we work. This document helps you to decide which service you want to use.

The below policies introduce you to the HQAI Facilitation Fund, how it is managed, and how you can file a candidacy. Each step is outlined below to support you in fully understanding the process.

POL114 quality assurance policy

Information on benchmarking, independent verification, and certification.

Read

POL200 HQAI Facilitation Fund Policy

Management of the HQAI Facilitation Fund.

Read

STEP 1: CREATE A CANDIDACY FILE

This step takes some time as you need to collect documentation within your organisation including the completion of two forms: the application form and the HQAI self-assessment.

The application form provides HQAI with information about your organisation and the service of your choice. HQAI estimates the audit costs based on that. The estimated audit costs help you as well to decide how much the Fund should cover. The maximum amount of a subsidy is 90% of the audit cost. Check out our cost estimator to get an idea of audit costs and state in your letter clearly the amount the HQAI Facilitation Fund should cover.

The HQAI self-assessment provides us with information to plan the audit.

Please read the checklist for a complete candidacy file below.

STEP 2: IN YOUR CANDIDACY FILE

Deadline: send in your candidacy file at least three weeks before the FFMC meets. The FFMC usually meets in November and June.

Make sure your candidacy file is complete and send to quality@hqai.org.

STEP 3: HQAI CHECKS YOUR FILE

HQAI checks the completeness of your candidacy file and reaches out to you if more information is needed. Based on your candidacy file, HQAI estimates the audit costs which is then the basis for the FFMC to grant a subsidy. HQAI transfers the file to the FFMC.

STEP 4: FFMC MEETS & DECIDES
The FFMC meets two times per year and gives priorities to:

National NGOs that bring direct assistance, internal auditors of such organisations and applicant HQAI external auditors established in countries with low HDI
National NGOs working nationally through partners to bring assistance, internal auditors of such organisations and applicant HQAI external auditors established in countries with medium HDI

STEP 5: FUND IS GRANTED/REJECTED

HQAI reaches out to you with the decision made by the FFMC. We discuss the next steps.

CHECKLIST for a complete candidacy file:

Completed application form (click here)
Proof of the payment of the application fees. This fee should be processed before your candidacy file is presented to the FFMC. This fee is part of the total audit cost and subject to the HQAI Facilitation Fund.
Documentation that demonstrates that your organisation is a legal entity in the country you are based in.
Documents that demonstrate that the organisation has robust finance control mechanisms that, at a minimum, respond to the national legal requirements (this includes providing the two last audited financial statements).
A letter stating why the organisation is seeking certification or independent verification from HQAI. In this letter, you should identify the level of support required (up to 90%), explain why you need this support, and explain how you plan to sustain financially the audit cycle over 4 the year-cycle.
Two Memorandum of Understandings or partnership agreements with two different partners or donors and/or two referees of organisations partnering with your organisation in recent years (donors or other humanitarian or development organisations).
The completed HQAI self-assessment (click here). Please read the HQAI self-assessment guide carefully.
Disclaimer: if you are a member of the CHS Alliance and you have already completed a CHS self-assessment that is not older than 1 year, you can send this document. If it is older than 1 year, please update it accordingly.