Egyptian NGOs invited to apply for 'Excellence Award for Civil Society Organizations' competition

Cairo April 2019 : The Professional Development Foundation (PDF) has announced that it will start receiving applications from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are willing to participate in the “Excellence Award for Civil Society Organizations” for the fourth year in a row, and under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Solidarity as of today until Sunday 5 May 2019.

The competition sheds light on the importance of improving NGOs and encourages them to work on developing and building the Egyptian society.

The PDF has set the criteria for choosing the winning NGO, these include: innovation, the impact on the community, the planning and the implementation phase, the documentation of projects or programs, as well as sustainability and continuity.

For NGOs to be eligible to participate, they must be registered with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, have a financial audit report for the last two years, have permanent employment (i.e. the minimum of five employees), and have a work history of development projects and programs.

Application forms will be received until Sunday 5 May 2019 through the website www.pdf-eg.org/award .

The awards will be granted this year to the best four NGOs. The award will consist of certificates of excellence and a financial grant. Six other NGOs that have passed the final stage will be awarded in-kind awards and appreciation certificates.

"The main purpose of the award is to honor successful NGOs and to work on developing them, because they are considered one of the building and development pillars of the Egyptian society," Chairman of the PDF, Mohamed Farouk Hafiz said.

“NGOs are the driving force behind a comprehensive development. They make societies and economies thrive,” he added encouraging all NGOs to participate in the competition and to benefit from the grants provided.

It is worth mentioning that the PDF was established as a non-governmental, non-profit organization in November 1998 by a group of Egyptian people who believed in the crucial role that NGOs can play in supporting their societies on both levels: socially and economically.

The PDF aims to help Egyptians achieve their full potential through the identification of their needs and the implementation of various training programs, so they can become active contributors and participants in the public sector, private sector, and/or civil society organizations.

The PDF launched the Excellence Award for Civil Society Organizations in 2016. The winning NGOs are announced during a large ceremony, where the financial, in-kind grants, and certificates of appreciation will be handed out.