The second call for applications for the newly revived FIDA (International Fund for the Development of Archives) was launched on 30 April 2011. Twenty applications were received from institutions and individuals and from different part of the world Africa, Europe, The Pacific, and Central America.
These applications were assessed by the FIDA Board of trustees at its meeting held in Toledo in the framework of the CITRA, on 25 October 2011.
Of the applications three were agreed to merit further discussion and as a result of this dialogue with the applicants they were accepted as meeting the Trustees’ criteria. Another was for a very important area of archival work requiring an extensive survey and the applicants were invited to revise their application with the help of a consultant and apply again which they have done in 2012. In another few cases unfortunately the applicants did not respond to the advice of the Trustees. Two applicants were advised to apply to another more appropriate grant giving body and the FIDA trustees remain hopeful that they will receive further advice and funding from that source. A number of applications were not within the remit of the Trustees work and had to be rejected.
There were three successful candidates from this round for 2011
One was from the Pacific Region; it provided funding for a short time placement of a Palauan based archivist to go to the National Archives of New Zealand to enhance his skills in appraisal techniques and disposal schemes. This placement will start in September 2012.
A second project is from the Solomon Islands and was a revised application from 2010 and is for the conservation and training of archives staff in preserving and listing their land records which are heavily used and becoming very fragile. This project began in April 2012 and is being implemented well so far.
A third project is from the archivist of the African Union Commission which is to plan and then set up a new records and archival system within the Commission. This project, which is due to start shortly, is also financially backed by the Commission and we are assured that it is sustainable in the long term.
Where FIDA cannot help applicants but considers the proposal has merit the Trustees will on occasions try to find other grant giving bodies that might be willing to consider the proposal to them from the applicant and we will tell the applicant. We have already had a success with one project from our 2010 round. This will not be possible in all cases of course. Funds committed and or spent: 15 500 Euros to date.
For 2012 the Trustees have received 14 applications from Africa ( Francophone and Anglophone) south east Europe, the Pacific, South America and the Caribbean which will be considered in Brisbane at their meeting on 22 August 2012.