The NDA had planned to allocate 65% of the total budget to core mandate costs including direct grant funding, research and development and direct projects costs. These are costs associated with direct project implementation. It also planned to allocate 35% of the budget to administration operating costs, i.e. salaries, rental of national and provincial offices, marketing and communication, governance, support for IT infrastructure, etc. These targets were not achieved in the year under review. The NDA is however committed to progressively moving towards achieving the target in the upcoming financial years. Goal 3: Promote interface between CSOs, research institutions, development practitioners and the state on development issues