Call for Projects

Tauw Foundation puts out tenders, or challenges, to invite proposals for dream projects that wish to qualify for (financial) support. Selection takes place through a tender procedure.

At least once a year, Tauw Foundation puts out a tender, or challenge, to invite proposals for dream projects that wish to qualify for (financial) support. Selection takes place through a tender procedure. The Foundation Board in cooperation with the program office ultimately selects proposals that qualify for funding from the full list of submitted proposals.

A step-by-step tender procedure

The current tender procedure is composed of the following steps:

Tauw Foundation draws up the Terms of Reference containing information on the essential focus and or context, the criteria and the tender procedure.
Tauw Foundation organises a so-called “Ideation” process, which includes a pre-selection of 10 detailed ideas.
The selected bidders now specify and submit their proposals to Tauw Foundation.
The next step is that bidders pitch the submitted proposals.
Tauw Foundation assesses the proposals.
Tauw Foundation announces which proposals will be approved.
Tauw Foundation draws up contracts.

Criteria and conditions

Terms of reference

The initiatives that can be selected for financial support are deemed to meet the following criteria.

The initiatives should:

✔ Be in line with our vision and mission www.tauwfoundation.com;

✔ Aim to achieve social impact;

✔ Share publicly the gained knowledge and experience;

✔ Help make things possible which would otherwise not happen, set something in motion;

✔ Be a project or catalyst rather than long-term operational support;

✔ Be a consortium of at least two professional organizations working together;

✔ Be innovative or an innovative application of existing knowledge.

Criteria and conditions

In addition to the above-mentioned substantive dream project criteria, projects must meet some financial preconditions. These are:

✔ Because the initiatives must have an impact and the Tauw Foundation’s contribution must make a difference, the total project budget should be at least EUR 50,000, taxes included;

✔ The project must have a multiplier. The Tauw Foundation’s contribution is no more than 50% of the total funds required for the project. The contribution of Tauw Foundation is considered as seed money;

✔ The intention is to provide support between EUR 25,000 and EUR 50,000 per initiative, taxes included. When the sum of the submitted contributions exceeds the Foundation’s yearly budget, a selection will be made of initiatives that suit our criteria best;

✔ The requested budget must be in line with market practice and price.

✔ We grant a maximum of 2 years support;

✔ Tauw Foundation will not invest risk capital in a project just to achieve a financial return.

Important dates!

Launch of the call by Tauw Foundation on November 2nd 2020, with clarification of the Terms of Reference and financial preconditions.
Period of submission of first ideas closes on January 3th 2021. The program office can be contacted by e-mail for additional information during this period through info@tauwfoundation.com.
The preselection of nominated ideas/initiatives will be completed by the Foundation by February 3th 2021 at the latest, based on review of the proposals on the predefined criteria.
The nominated initiatives are asked to specify their final proposals according to a predefined format and submit them before March 4th 2021. If the selection criteria are not met during the preselection phase and the evaluation results in a ‘no-go’, no adjusted proposal can be submitted during the same call.
The initiatives selected for approval will be announced by Tauw Foundation in April 2021.