Is it possible to use a participatory approach to grantmaking (e.g. in decision making, evaluation, or selection committees)?
Participatory approaches may be used. The Fund Operator must however respect the general principles for the selection and the award of the grants (good governance, transparency, equality, efficiency, and zero tolerance for corruption), as well general rules applicable to all types of selection procedures (preventing conflict of interest, separation of roles and responsibilities, documentation and archiving of assessments and decisions, notification of applicants).
Further, the selection procedure, outlined in PIA chapter 7 and in the Manual for Fund Operators chapter 12, sets minimum requirements for the selection bodies and the assessment. These include that all members of the Selection Committee must declare potential conflicts of interest. The bidder may propose additional procedures or bodies.
The Fund Operator may apply a simplified procedure for small grants (PIA 7.5.8 and Manual for Fund Operators 12.6). It is based on the above principles but allows deviating from the standard procedure, thereby allowing more flexible procedures including participatory approaches.