Proposals are subjected to a thorough process of assessment, quality control and due diligence. An initial examination by a team of independent assessors is conducted, a process in which all applications are judged on their inherent quality and scored according to the following criteria:

• The project promotes the objectives of UNDEF
• The project draws on the United Nations comparative advantage
• The project will have a significant impact
• The project will encourage inclusiveness
• The project will enhance gender equality
• The project has strong prospects for successful implementation
• The applicant organization has a strong track record
• The project is technically sound in conception and presentation
• The project represents good value for money
• The project has strong prospects of sustainability beyond the project duration.

The UNDEF team then narrows down the list to 200-300 of the highest scoring projects. In doing so, the global and regional projects are considered separately from the various national project proposals and are considered within the respective global and regional baskets.

The vast majority of UNDEF projects are delivered directly by civil society organizations (CSO). In this type of project the CSO is responsible for the overall management of the project and bears all substantive, financial, monitoring, and reporting and evaluation responsibilities.