Call for Expressions of Interest for CSOs in Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia

Deadline: 27-Sep-20

GCERF, in collaboration with the RAFP in the Western Balkans, is pleased to announce a call for expressions of interest for CSOs in Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia to develop a consortium and become a Principal Recipient (PR) of GCERF funding from GCERF’s Accelerated Funding Mechanism (AFM).

Under the AFM, GCERF will fund consortia of CSOs to implement initiatives aimed at enabling the environment for rehabilitation and reintegration of RFTFs and their families. Consortium grants are managed and supported by the PRs who are the legal recipients of GCERF funding and provide funding to other consortium members or “Sub-Recipients” (SR). The PR will be responsible for managing R&R programming in either Albania, Kosovo, or North Macedonia, but not regionally. There may be some opportunities for a PR in Albania/Kosovo/North Macedonia, for example, to engage a technical service provider/partner that could support GCERF grantees in multiple countries.

Funding Information

The initial investment will be between USD 400,000-700,000 per consortium.

Focus of the investment will be:

Who:
- Men, women and children who returned from Syria and Iraq to Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia – so-called returned foreign terrorist fighters (RFTFs), both voluntarily (2012-2018) and repatriated (2019-2020), including those in detention centres and prisons;
- Family members of individuals who left to join the war in Syria and Iraq;
- Communities receiving RFTFs and their families.
Where:
- Albania (countrywide, with some focus on Pogradec)
- North Macedonia (Countrywide, with focus on North-Western parts of the country and from Skopje to the border with Kosovo)
- Kosovo (border areas between Kosovo and North Macedonia as well as border areas between ethnic-Albanian and ethnic-Serbian communities, such as Mitrovica)
What:
- GCERF will fund CSOs and local associations to implement programmes that facilitate safe, healthy, and dignified rehabilitation and reintegration (R&R) of returning foreign terrorist fighters (RFTFs) and their families while creating resilience to extremism in the wider community over the long-term. CSO actions will be implemented in collaboration with government authorities and aligned with existing R&R strategies. R&R interventions will contribute to the following objectives:
  - National and Local level Collaboration
    - Contribute to the implementation of national and local strategies to prevent violent extremism and support community-based rehabilitation and reintegration of FTFs and their families.
    - Foster an enabling environment for the socialisation of RFTFs and their families while strengthening community resilience to radicalisation and prevent recidivism to violent extremism, including Far-Right Extremism and Ethno-Nationalism.
    - Inform the broader field of practice and contribute to a national and regional ecosystem of actors capable of assessing, preventing, and countering extremist reengagement and other forms of violence over the long-term.
  - Collaboration with Front-Line Workers and Communities
    - Provide access to physical, mental, and psychosocial support services to RFTFs and their families to recover from developmental, mental, and physical injuries sustained and to maintain physical, mental, and spiritual health.
    - Promote family cohesion for RFTFs, by offering family education, counselling, and therapy support.
    - Contribute to advancing the social and economic capital for RFTFs and their families to address basic needs and enhance the quality of life.
    - Increase access to education and development opportunities through formal education and soft skills for RFTFs and their families.

Grant Duration

The grants will be no less than 18 months and no more 36 months in duration.

Expressions of Interest

Applicants are asked to demonstrate that they meet GCERF’s established prerequisites and that they possess the required capabilities to be a PR of GCERF funding.

PREREQUISITES
- Appropriate legal registration of the consortium lead in one of the three countries for this call.
- Willingness and capacity to accept and fulfil the role of a PR.
CAPABILITIES
- Established relationships and credibility with the relevant national and local authorities, institutions and front liners (e.g. schools, psychologists, social workers, etc.), and other stakeholders involved in R&R of RFTFs and their families.
- Experience and capacity in community-level initiatives focused on strengthening resilience against violent extremism and particularly on R&R of RFTFs and their families.
- Experience and capacity in programme management.
- Experience and capacity in financial management and in the management of and accounting for donor grant funding.
- Experience in managing sub-recipients and assessing and enhancing their capacities.
- Willingness and capacity to engage international partners as sub-recipients and service provider.