In October 2017, STAR Ghana launched an Anti-Corruption Call aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of citizens’ actions against corruption through the provision of among others: grants and technical support.

The Call was divided into three components – small grants, innovative alliances, and strategic level policy influencing. STAR Ghana subsequently awarded approximately  GH¢14,058,503.81 to 33 partners (8 strategic, 17 small grants and 8 innovative alliance). These partners are implementing projects around 3 thematic areas, namely:

• Transparency in pro-poor programmes & Provision of social services and local procurements: This focuses on the provision of social services, access to pro-poor programmes such as the school feeding, Capitation grants, fertilizer subsidies, pre-mix fuel, transparency in social inclusion projects.
• Public education, Media and Technology: This includes actions aimed at ensuring transparency in the provision of social services and local procurement. that institutions commitments to citizens are implemented fully around access and quality of public services, particularly health education and local contracts.
• Regulatory framework and policies on transparency and accountability: Focuses on influencing policy, policy monitoring including the RTI, OSP, Whistleblower act etc.

The small grants component projects were funded for an initial one-year duration to test approaches to effective anti-corruption actions at the local level. In February 2019, STAR Ghana commissioned an independent evaluation of projects under the Small grants component of the Anti-Corruption Call. The purpose was to recommend to the Programme Management Team (PMT), a shortlist of projects for extended STAR Ghana support. This will consolidate results within existing project contexts, and/or replicate or upscale project strategies to new areas or stakeholders to achieve critical mass for success and sustainability.

Broadly, the assessment considered the following;

• The extent to which the respective projects achieved their results, as set out in the project’s performance plan;
• Linked to the above, the effectiveness, and innovativeness of project strategies, including their alignment with STAR Ghana strategies on GESI, Value for money (VfM) and learning;
• The contribution of the project to the objectives of the Anti-corruption call and to STAR Ghana’s logframe Outcome and Outputs;

The following partners were selected and subsequently approved by the Governing Council of STAR Ghana Foundation for grant extentions:

• GLOWA – Global Action for Women Empowerment
• SILDEP – Social Initiative for Literacy and Development Program
• PAPADEV – Participatory Partners in Development
• GSPD – Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled
• CALID – Centre for Active Learning and Integrated Development
• TEERE

The Governing Council and Programme Management Team of STAR Ghana Foundation wish to congratulate the partners and wish them the best in sustaining and expanding the successes achieved.