The grants will be awarded exclusively to rural NGOs, which serve the impoverished populations. The size of a grant varies between 3,000 and 15,000 dollars, and the maximum duration of implementation is one year, programme coordinator Sergiu Buruiana told reporters. The fourth phase is the most attractive for potential beneficiaries, as SDC has decided to finance NGOs which have received Swiss assistance in the previous programmes.
The Moldovan office of SDC gave the first small grants for NGOs programme in Moldova in 2001. Last year it offered 125,000 dollars and has funded 32 projects worth 345,000 dollars throughout its presence in the ex-Soviet state.