EU Call for Proposals: European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) – Country based support scheme (CBSS) for Russia

Deadline: 5 February 2019

The European Union (EU) is seeking proposals from eligible organisations for a program entitled “European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) – Country based support scheme (CBSS) for Russia”.

The global objective of this call for proposals is to support and strengthen civil society organisations, democracy activists and human rights defenders working on critical human rights and democracy issues in Russia.

The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals are to support Russian civil society organisations and human rights defenders in key areas of fundamental freedoms, human rights and democracy corresponding to the two recurring lots of 2018 EIDHR CBSS call for proposals.

Lots

LOT 1
- The general objective of Lot 1 is to enhance professional, operational and advocacy capacity of the Russian civil society working on critical human rights and democracy issues specifically at the local level.
- The specific objective of Lot 1 (Priority 1) is to provide financial support to grass root organisations / initiatives / actors that possess strong potential or are already active in human rights advocacy,however do not possess an established CSO legal status and/or sufficient financial and operational capacity to seek direct grant funding from the EU. This can be done through operational funding, through project financing,through funding to grassroot initiatives, individual human right defenders or their combination.
LOT 2
- The general objective of Lot 2 is to contribute to improvement of the human rights situation in Russia in the following areas:freedom of media, freedom of expression and information, including in the internet, freedom of assembly, fight against torture, minorities and indigenous people’s rights, environmental rights, strengthening of democracy civic institutions.
- The specific objective of Lot 2 (Priority 2) is to support, protect and empower Russian human rights defenders, human rights organisations, civic activists and independent media doing their job in the areas mentioned above in an efficient, inclusive and safe mode.

Funding Information

Any grant requested under Lot 1 this call for proposals must be equal to the following amount:
- EUR 1.500.0001.
- One contract of EUR 1.500.000 will be awarded under this Lot.
Any grant requested under Lot 2 this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
- minimum amount: EUR 250.000,
- maximum amount: EUR 500.000.

Eligibility Criteria

Lead applicant
- In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
  - be a legal person
  - be non-governmental organisation or non-profit-making university;
  - be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary
- No nationality restriction applies to lead applicants and, if any, to co-applicants and affiliated entities.
- For-profit organisations may also be eligible in exceptional and duly justified cases and as long as the non-profit character of the proposed actions is observed. The validity of the justification will be examined by the Evaluation Committee.
Co-applicant(s)
- If the lead applicant is not a “local organisation” as defined above, at least one “local organisation” as a co-applicant is obligatory.
- Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
- Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
Affiliated entity(ies)
- The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies).
- Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to co-applicant(s):
  - Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
  - This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
    - Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
      - Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
        
        Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
        
        Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
        
        Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
    - Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association) as the proposed affiliated entities.