The Project Advice and Training Centre - Platform for Danish CSOs

History and background

The Project Advice and Training Centre (PATC) is a platform for Danish Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, established in December 1995 in response to a general need among small Danish CSOs to exchange experiences and build the general capacity of staff and volunteers.

Today it is a well-established association of more than 250+ small and medium sized Danish CSOs. All member organisations are engaged in development work in Asia, Africa or Latin America - either as their main focus or as part of their activities. 

Objectives of The Project Advice and Training Centre
The key objectives of  PATC are to build capacity among Danish CSOs and to support the continuous development of the Danish CSOs partnerships with partners in South. This is done through advising, training, network building and information. Another omportant objective for PATC is to safeguard the interests of the small CSOs in the Danish political context (lobby and advocacy). 

The Project Fund 
The Project Fund is a special funding mechamism for Danish CSO's, supporting their projects and partnerships with lokal local CSO's in the developing countries. The fund grants up to €400.000 and distributes a total of €10 million each year. The Project Fund is financed by The Danish Ministry og Foreign Affairs and administered by PATC. The total budget in 2009 will be close to Euro 10 million. 

Organizational structure
PATC is organised as a traditional Danish organisation with democratic structures, an annual general meeting, an elected board and with a secretariat with paid staff. The board consists of seven representatives from the member CSOs.

The Secretariat
Today the secretariat with the support from Danida is a place where 6 consultants, a head of secretariat and two secretaries plus a number of students and volunteers work at the moment.